Telling Stories

My local Austin interfaith group recently got together and discussed our religious upbringings. Initially, this topic didn't seem that different from other ones we've discussed. Our lenses would inevitably be distinct from one another; the way we've navigated relationships with friends and parents and other influences would have common elements, yet differing sorts of struggles. This is what I look forward to before all of our meetings, regardless of what we're discussing.

Yet this topic brought out something I didn't think to expect: narratives. Instead of chatting back and forth about our opinions on this or that theological topic, we found that discussing our religious upbringings lent itself directly to storytelling. We basically each took one long turn and had the equivalent of follow-up questions along the way. While it was less conversational in tone, it provided a uniquely connecting effect as we learned where we each came from and how that influenced where we are with "God stuff" today.

I encourage you in your own interfaith contexts to stop to include formats of discussion that lend themselves to such storytelling here and there. It will enrich theological discussions in the future, as your understanding of one another will be inevitably more nuanced!