Theology as Narrative: Reframing our Understanding of the Gospel
Overview This is the first of two lectures with the theme: "The Gospel and the Common Good: Bearing Witness in Public Life and the Public Square." Both explore the connection between the Gospel and communal welfare, emphasising the role of theology in contemporary societal issues. Lecture 2 will be on 21 May. The first lecture is: Theology as Narrative Discourse: Reframing our Understanding of the Gospel addresses how modern Christianity's overlook of the common good can be attributed to theological methodologies that misinterpret the biblical narrative.
Speaker Dr. Zac Niringiye
About the speaker Dr. DAVID ZAC NIRINGIYE holds a PhD in Theology and Mission History from the University of Edinburgh, UK an MA in Theology from Wheaton College, USA as well as a Physics Honours degree and Teaching Diploma from Makerere University, Uganda. He is a leader with national and international acclaim and has experience as a church leader, theologian, peace and social justice activist and an organizational development consultant. Bishop Zac who previously served as Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Kampala, is now engaged in full-time civic-political activism in his native country of Uganda. Publications
Lecture Series Theology
In this compelling lecture, Dr. Zac Niringiye offers a refreshing perspective on reading and understanding the Bible as narrative discourse. Drawing from Jesus' encounter with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Dr. Niringiye argues that we must engage the Scriptures primarily as an unfolding story, not merely a collection of texts. He makes a case that treating the Bible as narrative allows us to recover its powerful vision for human flourishing and the common good across all cultures and contexts.
Dr. Niringiye suggests that some theological methods that reduce the Bible to principles and doctrines have contributed to a blindness regarding the gospel's radical imperative for justice, dignity and the reordering of oppressive power structures. This lecture invites us to enter into the grand biblical narrative as the continuing story of God's people and to be transformed by the logic of the Suffering Christ. Dr. Niringiye's insights provide a clarion call to rediscover the riches and emancipating news contained within the Bible's storyline.
