Improvisation : the drama of Christian ethics /
Samuel Wells.
- Grand Rapids, Michigan : Brazos Press, 2004.
- 236 pages ; 23 cm
Ethics as theology -- Theology as narrative -- Narrative as drama -- Drama as improvisation -- Forming habits -- Assessing status -- Accepting and blocking -- Questioning givens -- Incorporating gifts -- Reincorporating the lost -- A threatening offer : human evil -- A threatening offer : flawed creation -- A promising offer : perfectible bodies -- A promising offer : unlimited food.
"In Improvisation, Samuel Wells defines improvisation in the theater as "a practice through which actors seek to develop trust in themselves and one another in order that they may conduct unscripted dramas without fear." Sounds a lot like life, doesn't it? Building trust, overcoming fear, conducting relationships, and making choices--all without a script. Wells establishes theatrical improvisation as a model for Christian ethics, a matter of "faithfully improvising on the Christian tradition." He views the Bible not as a "script" but as a "training school" that shapes the habits and practices of the Christian community. Drawing on scriptural narratives and church history, Wells explains six practices that characterize both improvisation and Christian ethics. His model of improvisation reinforces the goal of Christian ethics--to teach Christians to "embody their faith in the practices of discipleship all the time."--Publisher description.