Why Stories Matter

Guest Column by Rev. Gary Jewell

“I have set before you, life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life” — Deuteronomy 30:19

I am a Christian pastor currently serving at Community Congregational United Church of Christ. One of my jobs is to remind people that the story of faith they profess must always be a story leading to life, and never to death. This is true of all authentic faiths.

I am convinced we literally live and die by the stories (or narratives) we tell ourselves. This is true whether we consider ourselves religious or not.

In the religious world, clergy folk work with what writers, psychologists and philosophers call “meta-narratives.” This is to say we speak of a large, eternal story in which our smaller, personal story resides.

In the Christian faith, the meta-narrative is the biblical story of God’s overarching love for imperfect people. As a preacher, good interpretation passes through the lens of one question … “Is the story life-giving or not?” If the story is not life-giving, then it is unworthy of my time.

For a story to be life-giving I may have to abandon unhelpful theological narratives. I may need to let go of narratives that make God into a vengeful judge; or cause one to hide in shame; or suggest that one group of human beings is more “chosen,” “saved” or “loved” than another group.

In contrast, Jesus taught and lived out of a narrative of peace, justice, love and compassion. Furthermore, if you believe the resurrection story, as I do, then resurrection is also a grand narrative that says, Love (God) always wins. In the end, resurrection says that nothing — not cruelty, not meanness, not ignorance — nothing can separate us from God’s love.

As one who lives out of the Christian narrative, I see things through my own faith lens. My smaller, personal stories are informed by my meta-narrative. If the faith story I carry around in my head is based in fear, selfishness, exploitation, greed or division, it’s not life-giving, and therefore not true. However, if my faith story is grounded in the principles of connection, community, unity, justice, sharing, trust and compassion, then it is a worthy “resurrection” narrative because it leads to life.

We live in times where there are many false and destructive narratives. False stories about race and nationhood. False stories that tell us who to trust and who to hate. False stores that ignore the realities of science and history.

Some would wish us to believe bad narratives that heighten anxiety and lead to separation and death. These are stories that cause us to mistrust, to horde or strike out in violence.

These are stories that set citizens against one another and cause nations to go to war. These are stories that lead to burned churches, mosques and synagogues. These are narratives that cause great fear to our gay and trans neighbors. These are narratives that traumatize and oppress the BIPOC communities.

These are destructive narratives that twist what is good and make it evil causing some who call themselves “people of faith” to act in the most unfaithful of ways.

My point is this: stories and narratives matter!

Our spiritual and psychological well-being depend upon the narratives we adopt. And, more importantly, our collective survival depends upon the narratives we choose to believe.

I’m not writing this article to convince you that my overarching, meta-narrative is more correct than yours.

I am writing to challenge you to choose your narratives well. Whether you consider yourself a person of faith or not, I urge you to choose narratives that call you toward life and away from death.

Choose narratives that don’t divide. Choose narratives that are grounded in a unifying love that is strong enough to keep company with nuance, questions and change.

So, these are the questions I would ask anyone. What are the grand stories you live by? Do these stories you carry around lead to greater love of self and others? Do the stories you live by lead to a sense of well-being?

If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then I would suggest that you are on the right path. If not, then it is time to seriously re-evaluate.