In this episode, we challenge the standard narrative arc often used in Christian theology: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation (CFRC). While popular, this framework assumes creation was entirely complete in Genesis 1 and often skips over the essential role of the Hebrew Bible and Israel.

Instead, we propose an alternative model that reframes the overarching story of Scripture. What if the ultimate goal of creation isn't just redemption, but communion and relationship?

BEEEPR Model:

• The Beginning: Why creation was "very good" but meant to be cultivated and grown, not viewed as a static, lost perfection.

• The Three E’s: How "The Fall" is better understood through the entrance of Evil, Enmity, and Exile—which act as direct threats to our relationship with God .

• The Promise: How the seed of Abraham and God's covenants serve as the means to restore fellowship.

• The Biblical MacGuffin: Borrowing a concept from Alfred Hitchcock, we reveal the true driving force behind the entire biblical plot: the relationship between God and humanity.

Resources and References Mentioned:

• Collin Cornell: God Draws Near: Rethinking the Biblical Theology of Mission (2025)

• R. Kendall Soulen: The God of Israel and Christian Theology

• Michael Heiser: The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible

• Willis J. Beecher: The Prophets and the Promise (c. 1908)

Overview

In this episode, Dennis and Levi provide a quick, engaging introduction to the core genre of Scripture: biblical narrative. If you've ever wondered how the Bible tells stories or what you should be looking for as you read, this episode serves as a tease for what is to come. Our ultimate goal is to explore the story of Scripture, piece these narratives together into one grand meta-narrative, and make Jesus known.

What We Explore:

• The Grand Story: The majority of the Bible is narrative, and even other genres (like poetry and prophecy) advance the meta narrative, or overarching story.

• Literary Tools: We discuss essential elements to look for, such as plot, characters, the narrator's voice, and intentional repetition.

• Brilliant Editing: We examine how seemingly out-of-place stories, like Tamar in Genesis 38, are actually masterful connections to the larger narrative and the lineage of David.

• Experiencing Stories: The wooing of Rebekah in Genesis 24 perfectly illustrates a beautifully crafted story with a happy ending.

• Narrative Analogies: We look at parallel storylines—like God calming the storm in Jonah 1 and Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4—that highlight exactly what the text intends to teach us.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Poetics of Biblical Narrative by Meir Sternberg
• The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible by Seth Postell