Overview of the Journey

As you read this chapter, note the following transitions:

• Fixed reality and flexible reality
• From Christian practice to Christian confession
• From social gospel to neo-orthodoxy
• The power of neo-orthodoxy but its incredulity
• The Death of God and the fallen theologian
• The epic and the parable
• The parable and the unserious self

Discussion Questions — printout

1. How do parables and creeds differ in describing truth?
2. What is the weight of Christianity?  Should we recite creeds we do not believe to be true? Why or why not?
3. How does the study of the historical Jesus turn us from creeds and revealed truth to the practice of life as followers of Jesus?
4. Does believing in a strictly human Jesus but not in the Christ of faith mean we should no longer claim to be Christians? Why or why not?
5. If Jesus is only the teller of parables and aphorisms, what makes him different from others who teach with stories and sayings?

Theological Terms for Consideration — handout

• social gospel
• neo-orthodoxy
• the death of God
• eschatology
• cosmogony

Religious Thinkers for Consideration — handout

• Douglas John Hall (1928–)
• Robert Funk (1926–2005)
• Don Cupitt (1934–)

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