Mentor's Manual

170 For the Nex t Generat i on: The Urban Mi n i s t r y I ns t i tute ’ s Mentor Manua l

7. Demonstrate a knowledge of narrative form in literature, and the general assumptions of story theology, which include God’s providing a record of his work in the story accounts of the Bible, that all theology is reflection on the stories of the Bible, that the stories that refer to historical accounts in Scripture are reliable and accurate, that the stories are written with artistic skill and mastery, that we can encounter God in the story text, and that God often provides his own commentary on the meaning of the biblical story accounts. 8. Lay out the key propositions of story theology: that stories introduce us to sacramental presences, they are more important than facts, they are normative for the Christian community, that Christian traditions evolve and define themselves by stories, and that stories precede and produce community, censure and accountability, and produce theology, ritual, and sacrament. They are history. 9. Provide and explain the general elements of narrative in Scripture, including the setting, characters, author’s point of view, plot, and theme of the story. 10. Explain the general principles underlying prophecy as a genre of biblical interpretation, including how prophecy offers truth about God and the universe, that it flows from the Spirit and is a specific mode of revelation from God which manifests itself in personal and literary modes. 11. Define the elements of apocalyptic literature as a biblical genre, including its definition, the types of apocalyptic in the Bible (i.e., Daniel and Revelation), the two main types of Jewish apocalypses, and the most distinctly apocalyptic book in Scripture, the book of Revelation. 12. Reproduce the three interpretive principles for the prophetic and apocalyptic genres of Scripture: the need to focus on the person of Jesus Christ, to refer the prophetic messages to the call of the Kingdom of God, and to emphasize the fulfillment of God’s sovereign purposes even in the face of evil, suffering and injustice.

Teaching Objectives for Capstone, by Module

After your reading, study, discussion, and application of the materials in this lesson, you will be able to:

Objectives for Lesson 4 Biblical Studies: Using Study Tools in Bible Study

1. Identify and understand the role of scholarly tools in our attempt to understand the meaning of the text. 2. Recite the purpose of using tools in biblical interpretation, including their ability to help us bridge the various gaps