A few weeks ago I attended a symposium with several friends where we discussed the nature of communion or the Eucharist. Over the course of the evening the views of several theologians were brought up as the foundation for various members' understanding of communion. This made me pause and take stock about what theologians have been foundational to my worldview and I discovered that my influences are much more literary than theological and the few theologians who make my list did so, not based on their theological writings but rather on the stories they told. Here is a short list of some of the most influential.
Cosmology: Neil Gaiman (The Ocean at the End of the Lane, for example)
Eschatology: J.R.R. Tolkien (The Silmarillion)
Soteriology: C.S. Lewis (The Great Divorce)
Ecclesiology: Richard Adams (Watership Down)
I think this is because I am driven by story. I place more weight on a well told story than I do on a rational argument. I think story is solid because it is better at describing the way the would can be whereas argument is limited in this fashion.
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