Theology as story: reenvisioning the task and form of theology in Asia with C.S. Song

ABSTRACT This paper examines the task and form of Asian theology from a broadly (east) Asian context. It seeks to challenge commonly held assumptions shaping Asian theology and suggests a more grassroots and practical approach going forward. The paper begins with an overview of Taiwanese theologian C.S. Song’s work in ‘story theology,’ a grassroots and Asian approach to theology that centers around listening to the stories of the common people. Story theology reflects Song’s concerns about the problems of western theology and theological epistemology, as well as his desire to speak of God’s actual work amongst the common people of Asia. While Song’s methodology is helpful in how it addresses these points, it falls short in how and where it discerns God’s revelation and work, in particular neglecting the stories that come out of the Asian church. The paper suggests two major points that build off of Song’s work. First, theology has always been about stories, as reflected in the theologizing of early Christians. Second, theology must continue to be about stories, particularly stories from the Asian church that continue to be told today.