1. Understanding the Story behind the stories
God’s
Big Story
Understanding the Story behind the stories
Teachers’ Training Session

2. What is the metanarrative?
God’s Big Story: One Storyteller, one tone, one heart
Creation – Fall – Redemption – Restoration – Consummation
Distinction between the narrative approach and the metanarrative approach
The Bible is not a collection of unrelated, neutral stories
The stories have been selected by God to form a part of the much larger metanarrative of redemption
The metanarrative gives meaning and significance to each story
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
The metanarrative is the Story which interprets and gives meaning to each story

3. Why this approach?
Since God is the author of Scripture, we need to understand His intent
If we isolate statements or books of the Bible from the rest, we could produce distorted interpretations and we could be headed towards idolatry
How do we do this?
Take the Bible as a whole and understand each book and story as part of the whole, one Story – God’s redemptive story
The metanarrative is the Story which interprets and gives meaning to each story
Every story whispers Jesus’ name
Resources: Jesus Storybook Bible; Big Picture Story Bible; Rain for Roots music