When preaching and teaching in the local church we frequently focus our moral instruction on the clear imperatives in the New Testament. We begin, and often limit, our assessment of a given situation by asking, “Does God allow it or prohibit it?” While the commands of the New Testament give us important guidance for developing a Christian way of life, we cannot limit our ethical formation to these texts. Instead, we must be attentive to the narrative portions of the Bible and consider how these portions shape and form us in unique ways.

In his book, The Patient Ferment of the Early Church, Alan Kreider makes the case that the substantial growth of Christianity from the resurrection of Christ through the 300’s was tied to the church’s emphasis on the patient ethical formation of believers. According to Kreider, there was no grand strategy of cultural influence nor any attempt to accommodate the worship service of the church to make outsiders feel more comfortable. Instead, the primary focus of church leadership was to see the habitus (habitual behavior) of Christ followers formed so they were noticeably distinct in their moods, affections, and actions from their neighbors.

He says, “The sources rarely indicate that the early Christians grew in number because they won arguments; instead they grew because their habitual behavior (rooted in patience) was distinctive and intriguing…When challenged about their ideas, Christians pointed to their actions. They believed that their habitus, their embodied behavior was eloquent. Their behavior said what they believed; it was an enactment of their message.”[i]

You will often hear our moment in history compared to the cultural climate in which the early church grew. While the early church was pre-Christendom, it seems we are rather quickly heading into a post-Christendom era. We can no longer claim to be the religious majority nor expect Christian ideas to be met with much other than scorn in the public sphere. If we are treading the same historical path as our early church brothers and sisters, perhaps we should learn from the way they walked.

Their walk was aimed at seeing those born and raised in a pagan culture—with pagan reflexes, desires, and dispositions—completely rewired to be people with Christ-like reactions, loves, and temperaments. It was not only about affirming the right points of doctrine, although one who desired baptism would typically be catechized for several years before entering the baptismal water.

With all the problems to speak of in the current evangelical church, it is likely that this failure to cultivate a distinctly Christian way of life strikes at the heart of our witness in the world. As J. Daryl Charles put it, “In many evangelical circles, to speak of virtue, of moral formation or of social ethics is to elicit a look of bewilderment from the listener, as if he or she has been addressed in some foreign language.”[ii]

If we are to retrieve the early church emphasis on moral formation and solidify our witness in the world, I believe we need to turn our attention to two often neglected yet vitally important areas of Christian ethics.

Be Attentive to Narrative

When preaching and teaching in the local church we frequently focus our moral instruction on the clear imperatives in the New Testament. We begin, and often limit, our assessment of a given situation by asking, “Does God allow it or prohibit it?” While the commands of the New Testament give us important guidance for developing a Christian way of life, we cannot limit our ethical formation to these texts. Instead, we must be attentive to the narrative portions of the Bible and consider how these portions shape and form us in unique ways.

Narrative works on us at a deep level. As we are immersed in a story, we begin to see the world and ourselves in new ways and automatically form moral judgments based on what happens in the narrative. Author N.D. Wilson speaks to the power of stories when he says, “Even in adults, stories groom instincts, and instincts control loyalties, and loyalties shape choices.”[iii]

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