When reading a serious theological book, I look for relief from the heavy sledding in the form of personal anecdotes, vignettes, sketches, parables, stories, jokes, puns, and other forms of "right brain" activity. Apparently others have made the same observation, so that an emphasis has emerged among scholars bearing the paradoxical moniker, "anthropological theology." Here is a tendency congruent with Mennonites (though I know too little of them), with their emphasis on experiencing God by truly living the teachings of Jesus. Anthropological theology simply goes one step or meta-level farther by telling us what such experience is all about. This book grew out of a conference that sought to find some kind of unanimity in Mennonite circles in the only place it was to be found: at the intersection of the participants’ own stories with the biblical story. For, as editors and conference conveners Ray Gingerich and Earl Zimmerman note, each person’s story was relatively non-threatening when told in personal descriptive terms and not imposed as a dogma all must believe in. In the context of storytelling, even the more controversial issues could be broached and shared without leading to conflict. Each story was a gift to all, not a doctrinal position paper for others to approve or critique. And the teller of each tale had authority over it; no one else could controvert it so long as it remained in the story genre. The sharing in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting is sometimes analogous. But the biblical heritage carries our stories far beyond our own autobiographical storytelling, into a universal ambiance where the meaning of the text and its meanings for our lives are one. Autobiographical recitations can be flat-out boring. What makes them more than just entertainment—or its absence!—is the intent to bring about transformation. "Our story is not normative and faithful just because it is our story or my story. What makes biblical storytelling normative is if, after testing it in the community of faith, it corresponds with our Lord’s story, the story of Jesus" (Gingerich, 254-255). Unlike many multi-authored books, virtually all the contributions to this volume are remarkably well-written and profoundly reflective. I hope this volume engenders new forms of communal exegesis capable of bringing about the transformation we all seek. —Walter Wink Telling Our Stories orders:
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