Is there a metanarrative?

Postmodernism—at least some forms of it (Lyotard, for one)claims that there is no such thing as a unique metanarrative, or megastory (or that there are lots of metanarratives and it is not possible to privilege one of them). I say, there is a metanarrative, which is God’s story and that it broadly corresponds with McLaren’s Creation, Crisis, Conversation, Christ, Community, Consummation.

However we cannot know the details. Instead there are lots of mininarratives which may even contradict one another. This is the way to read the Bible (Bruegemann 1993, Texts Under Negotiation). Treat each mininarrative (or pericope, if you prefer)on its own terms and see what emerges. Don't try to harmonise different parts of scripture or use scripture to read scripture (heresy!). This can only work if you know the answer already. Whilst this may be true in broad outline it cannot be true in the details.

Richard.