Then Peter Stood Up: A Dialogical Narrative Analysis of Peter’s Preparation for Spokesperson at Pentecost

Abstract

Dialogical Narrative Analysis (DNA) asks, in brief, what work a story does in the context in which it is told and on the teller of the story itself. In applying DNA to Peter, this article assumes the premise that Peter’s meaning-making, or construction of the dialogical self in dynamic relationship with Jesus, positioned him to be the spokesperson who narrated the events of Pentecost. Therefore, this article seeks to understand how Jesus’ naming and accompanying statement to Peter that “on this rock I will build my church” and the unfolding narrative of Peter’s discipleship uniquely prepare Peter for this role. This article is not about Peter’s Pentecost speech itself, rather, it is about Peter’s preparation to be the speaker. The article examines the movements of faith formation in the story Jesus told Peter about who Peter was in relationship to the Godhead, and then connects this first story with the act of Peter’s storytelling at the inauguration of the era of the church, tracing the change process that the identity narrative given by Jesus works in Peter.