Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Identity Based on Sacred Roots

Assumptions

Starting Point

The Great Tradition

Cultural assumptions

No cultural assumptions

Foundational principle

The Kingdom of God

Era of nostalgia

No nostalgic era

Common antagonist

The world, the flesh, and the devil

Biblical lens

Rational and narrative

Subject/object

Subject: Christ; Object: The Church

Focus of energy

Integrate around the Story

Slogan

Be faithful to the Story

Figure 21: An Identity Based On Sacred Roots

is not an act of evangelical apostasy. The People of the Story do not ally themselves with any of the Traditionals’ common antagonists, but simply seek a retrieval of the Great Tradition that pre-dates all these antagonists. In fact, identification with Sacred Roots is a call for a greater emphasis on the Bible than the Traditionals’ SLIM approach. Traditionals can rejoice in their devotion to Scripture, knowing there is even more to the Word than they originally thought. A narrative view of the Bible, added to their Rationalistic/Modern view of Scripture, will only enhance their appreciation of the Scriptures. Those who embrace Sacred Roots can “have their cake and eat it too.” However, it may be difficult to give up their verse-by-verse analysis of the Bible. Reading the Bible with an openness to mystery may be challenging.

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