1. One aspect of Ricoeur’s study of narrative is the refigurative power of narrative.

Refiguration is
the effect of reading. Through the act of reading (interpreting), the “world of the text” comes into
contact with the world of the reader (i.e. the world of action). In reading, the reader lives
imaginatively in the world proposed by the text and is invited to understand her world differently. It
is in the imagination of the reader, who is temporarily taken away from the world of action and
interaction, that her world is refigured. Narrative is important to Christians. The Christians
understanding and testimony of the Christ-event has been passed down through the generations in
particular narratives—there are four Gospels in the Bible. Although the Bible does not consists only of
narratives, the narratives form a substantial part and without them the other parts would not be
meaningful. The narrative dimension of the Christian faith is crucial to its practical dimensions. When the
Christian faith is reduced to a set of propositions, it will not be life-changing or world-changing anymore.

2. Christian action, to the extent that it is public and interpreted, is testimony of God and therefore
is part of faith. For Ricoeur, testimonies are moments in history which have been invested with an
absolute character. Those who recognize testimony know more about God and faith. In fact, I first and
foremost testify to myself before I testify to others. In other words, I am confirmed and know more
about my faith because I act according to my faith. This is because (1) application is always an
essential part of interpretation, (2) action is an indispensable part of self-identity and of faith, (3)
practicing is witnessing and the witness himself is the first receiver of the testimony. Action is not the
logical extension of faith or the manifestation of belief, or, in classical terms, orthopraxis is not the necessary
outcome of orthodoxy. We can think about belief and action in a dialectical relationship, supporting and at the
same time critical to each other. Furthermore, as our knowledge is never complete, Christians must continuously
look for and recognize testimonies.

3. To be able to act (and witness) meaningfully in a post-Christian (non-Christian) cultural context,

Christians need a creative way of (re-)reading and appropriation of the Bible and other important
Christian texts. The paradigm of the parable is particularly helpful for such a creative praxis. As a
parable creates tension in its exchange of meaning with its contexts and audiences because it is both
familiar and strange, Christians living in a society in which the Christian worldview is not the major
worldview (i.e. where Christians are a minority in a society) should maintain a tension with their
contexts, for example, by working on common concerns of the society but also linking them to the
practice of prayer. Christians practicing an open narrative should become a living parable. A parabolic
praxis enables the Christian community to continuously interact with its circumstances, and enhances the
emergence of new meaning of “ancient” texts or texts that may lose their meanings if they are not interpreted
anew.

4. In recent years, Christians in Europe are increasingly aware that they are living in a pluralistic
society, and many European theologians are reflecting on how the church should adapt to such a
change. For Asian Christians, we have always been the minority in society (with the exception of the
Philippines maybe?). Albeit significant differences exists, the situations in the two continents are
getting more similar, which means European theologians can learn important lessons from the
experience of Asian Christians and theologians. (and vice versa of course!).