Maps, Improvisation, and Games: Retaining Biblical Authority in Local Theology

Abstract

One of the primary tasks of local theology is to address questions and challenges that are context-specific but not explicitly addressed in the Bible. How can biblical authority be retained while attempting to answer questions, whereby the theologian is compelled to go beyond explicit biblical teaching? Ways of resolving the seeming tension between local theologizing and the normative authority of Scripture are addressed by examining three somewhat novel approaches to conceptualizing the theological process. The first is Paul G. Hiebert’s idea of critical realism and the analogy of maps. The second is Kevin J. Vanhoozer’s idea of theodrama and improvisation. The third is my own concept of game logic and strategy. Each of these three conceptualizations will be briefly described with particular attention to the task of local theologizing and biblical authority.