Gospel in a Pluralist Society: The Bible as Universal History (ch. 8)

Newbigin notes, even through the words of a Hindu friend, that the Bible is history like nothing else. It makes unique claims and stands apart from other religious literature. Not only does it refer to history and dates and events, but it refers to a purpose and a future with a hope. This is indeed unique and, if the history unfolding as we speak has no purpose, our actions have no purpose. The biblical story shows us purpose and gives our actions meaning. This history is embedded in a particular people and we are to view our events through the perspective of these people as we participate with them in viewing our world through the text that interprets their experience (I find this perspective a little troubling). We use the biblical story to critique our own culture – as a competing plausibility structure. When we live “in” the biblical story and are a continuation of it, we live as people of hope, being chosen to live in the alternative plausibility structure to the world we live in.