Narrative Approaches

Although in some sense narrative approaches in practical theology have been developed only recently, one could claim that there is a long and intrinsic history of their relationship. Religious practices that form the core material for theological reflection in practical theology are often directly related to narratives. In one way or another human stories are connected with stories of and about God. Liturgy and rituals embody and re-enact narratives from the spiritual tradition, allowing contemporary congregants to join in with their own life stories. Pastoral counseling and spiritual care focus on those individual stories as they connect with traditions. Religious education shares the stories of a tradition to help new generations build a repertoire of potentially meaningful narratives. And even when practical theologians focus on popular cultural, they look for the stories of meaning in and beneath the cultural practices. Sometimes of course the connections are far from harmonious. Critical contributions from subaltern voices challenge the narrative hegemony of dominant groups and their interpretation of the religious tradition by offering the stories of personal experiences of women (Neuger 2001), people of different colors (Andrews 2002), or gay and lesbian believers (Kundtz and Schlager 2007). In a sense, theological reflection on religious practices has therefore always been reflection on the convergences, confluences, and conflicts between the myriads of stories.