Kingdom, Church and the World

Introduction

Religion and Theology are much discussed among people, not necessarily religious, of all nations. The relation of religion and theology is that theology is the secondary product of reflection on a religion that has been handed down in history and is alive in present day practice. The works that are written for theology are critical and reflective. Theology provides people with a self- clarification of a specific religion. Additionally, there is a lot of literature on religion and theology, and the global community and world views of religion. Theology is considered to be a field of study, and its relation to science makes it even more interesting. Its usefulness as a science will be necessary under some conditions, but it depends on the extent of development in a religious community.

A religion that is alive mostly in symbols and rituals, or one that belongs to "a community of small extent" on the level of family or society, or one that is not institutionally organized, has no need for theology as a science. Such a theology will be needed, however, as soon as the meaning of symbols and rituals come to be questioned, as soon as people no longer agree about their meaning in life. Wherever a church takes shape as a religious organization, theology will develop. The task of this theology is then to provide conceptual explication for the basic beliefs articulated at the roots of religious life. Theology will have to show how these beliefs and life practices correspond with each other. It will have to establish connection with tradition and give new expression to the old beliefs so they can be understood and communicated in their own time.

Discussion

The Drama of Scripture

In The Drama of Scripture, the authors have tried to tell the story of the Bible in a narrative form. Bartholomew and Goheen, introduce the reader to the Bible as a sweeping portrayal of God's redemptive work in history. There are three themes in their work that are most significant; the comprehensive scope of God's redemptive work in creation, the believer's own place within the biblical story, and the centrality of mission throughout. They have built their story on the basis of a metaphor by N. T. Wright, who called the Bible as a drama. The text is arranged thematically according to creation, sin and redemption, and is subdivided into six acts and an interlude.

The six- act schema is developed in accordance to Wright's work, but new creation has been added as the sixth act. The concept of incarnation is in argument to the new creation act. Thus, acts 1 to 3 (creation, sin and Israel) span the Old Testament. The interlude provides a survey of the inter- testamental period, with acts 4 to 6 (Christ, church and new creation) unfolding the New Testament.

There are only some biblical books that gain much attention, highlighting the events and subjects that give substance to the overarching narrative. The narrative style of the books gives them more ...