Christian Folklore

I've been thinking about the term "folklore" recently. Etymologically, it comes from the word folk, meaning "people," and lore, meaning "story."

Folklore, therefore, means "the people's story."

Add to this the fact that postmodernity appreciates narrative discourse more than its modern parents did (they liked science), and the concept becomes rather interesting.

I think postmodernism is on to something, at least on this point.

After all, isn't the Christian faith a story, a saga, a dramatic epic about a tree in Paradise from which a wayward people were banished, only to be restored again by their dying and rising God?

Isn't the majority of God's discourse throughout Scripture -- both directly and through his messengers -- simply a re-telling of this tale?

Isn't our job as believers to be constantly recounting our folklore, especially as we re-enact and renew God's gracious covenant each Lord's Day?

I propose, therefore, that we reclaim this word from the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy buffs and give it its proper place in our theology.

Who's with me?