{"id":35232,"date":"2024-01-29T06:00:19","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T14:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=35232"},"modified":"2024-01-25T09:48:47","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T17:48:47","slug":"the-exciting-dangerous-book-whose-bark-is-worse-than-its-bite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-exciting-dangerous-book-whose-bark-is-worse-than-its-bite\/","title":{"rendered":"The exciting, dangerous book, whose bark is worse than its bite"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I love history. \u201cThe Hero with a Thousand Faces\u201d is a brilliant synthesis of the world\u2019s major religions, and faiths. I have no doubt that the author has excelled in his endeavours in drawing together the similarities of each (Pxiii).
\nAt first glance, a young, unlearned Christian may be confused or put off by the author\u2019s idea that \u201call religions are the same\u201d (my wording). Indeed, the idea of the book may be used as a deterrent for those seeking to follow \u201cone way\u201d in Christ Jesus. A cynic of Christianity may weaponise the similarities within the pages of the book as \u201cproof\u201d that Christianity is merely a choice, one of many, but not the only way to heaven (a transcendent experience or a moment of apotheosis where the hero achieves a higher state of consciousness or understanding or attaining a heavenly or divine realm) see sections \u201cCall to Adventure\u201d (P41), \u201cThe Crossing of the First Threshold\u201d (P64), \u201cAtonement with the Father\u201d (P105) or \u201cThe Ultimate Boon\u201d (P148). So what is to be done in response to this \u201cdangerous\u201d book?<\/p>\n

Firstly, it\u2019s not dangerous. Understood by many theologians but popularised in the modern era by Pastor Tim Keller, the meta-narrative of the Bible synthesises with Campbell\u2019s work. In his book, \u201cThe Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith,\u201d Tim Keller delves into the parable of the prodigal son from the Gospel of Luke and uses it as a lens to explore the meta-narrative of the Bible, emphasising the themes of grace, redemption, and the character of God. Throughout \u201cThe Prodigal God\u201d, Keller\u2019s views on the metanarrative of the Bible are clear. According to Keller, the Bible\u2019s overarching storyline revolves around God\u2019s redemptive work through Jesus Christ. The meta-narrative unfolds as follows:<\/p>\n