At IKON Indy, we believe God is calling us, as a community and as individuals, to participate in God’s unfolding story of love, rescue, resurrection, and restoration in the world. Our Narrative Theology embeds our beliefs in context, perpetually inspiring our faith community to participate in what God is doing all around us.

 

We believe God has revealed God’s self to humanity through the stories contained in the Bible.[1] The fact that God speaks through these stories of people and communities in Scripture shows us that the embodied community has always been God’s means of revelation and work in the world. The Bible is not a rule book or a list of regulations; it is God’s revelation to us through stories.

 

Like a play, the Biblical narrative can be divided into five acts: 1) Creation, 2) Fall, 3) Israel, 4) Jesus, and 5) Church.

 

1. Creation – The Scriptures begin with two stories of creation. The first is a poem; the second is a narrative. People are created with purpose, bearing the divine image of their Creator. They are tasked with caring for God’s creation, including the earth, which provides for their needs in abundance. Creation is “good.” Shalom (i.e., wholeness and peace) exists because the relationships between humans and God, humans and one another, humans and themselves, and humans and the earth are intact and unbroken.

2. Fall – Humanity then breaks away from God’s will; we call this “sin.” The wholeness of the relationships is now shattered. Shalom and abundant life cease to exist, and strife, pain, and death become inseparable from creation and human existence. All hate, despair, and brokenness in the world today is a result of the Fall.

3. Israel – God begins the work of restoration and redemption to draw people back to shalom with God, with one another, with themselves, and with the earth. The narrative begins with the calling of Abraham, and then Moses. The story of the Exodus forms the thematic basis for the recurring story of God’s work to rescue and restore humanity. To this end, God gives the Torah to Israel. Each time, as people veer away from God’s love and instructions, God acts again to bring them back to wholeness and redemption.

4. Jesus – God’s ultimate act of rescue begins when Jesus is born. We believe Jesus is God the Son in the flesh (i.e., “incarnate”). He was born to bring all people back to full restoration and resurrection, once and for all. Jesus taught us how to live in love and peace with one another. He then gave his own life for the sin of humanity, opening the door to fully reconcile us to God. Jesus defeated death through his resurrection, and sends his followers out to tell the good news of the newly inaugurated Kingdom of God.

5. Church – The fifth act in the Biblical narrative is an unfinished one. We are given only the first scene in Scripture. The Holy Spirit is given to the Church, and churches begin multiplying under the oppression of the Roman Empire. Flawed humans take on God’s redemption story for themselves, and continue to spread the good news of God’s unfolding story of love, rescue, resurrection, and restoration. Churches are formed, and the mantle of witness is passed from the writers of Scripture to the Church itself.[2]

 

We believe the Church is now tasked with creating, or rather living, the rest of the final act in God’s redemption narrative. We do this by revealing God to the world through our lives, our stories, and our actions. We do this by challenging the unjust systems and structures in the world that contribute to destruction, brokenness, and death.

 

We believe the day is coming when Jesus will return to judge the world, bringing an end to injustice and restoring all things to God’s original intent. God will reclaim this world and rule forever. The earth’s groaning will cease and God will dwell with us here in a restored creation. On that day we will beat swords into tools for cultivating the earth, the wolf will lie down with the lamb, there will be no more death, and God will wipe away all our tears. Our relationships with God, others, ourselves, and creation will be whole. All will flourish as God intends. This is what we long for. This is what we hope for. And we are giving our lives to living out that future reality now.[3]

 

For more information on our doctrine and use of Scripture, please see N.T. Wright, “How Can the Bible Be Authoritative?” Vox Evangelica 21 (1991), 7-32.

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Download "How Can The Bible Be Authoritative?" by N.T. Wright here: 

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[1] We hold to the canonicity of the 66 books contained in the Protestant Bible.

[2] This typology is from N.T. Wright, “How Can The Bible Be Authoritative?” Vox Evangelica 21 (1991), 19.

[3] The language of this paragraph is borrowed and adapted from Mars Hill Bible Church, Grandville, MI.