When I was growing up, from time to time the whole family would get together. There were usually dominoes, sometimes cards -gasp-, folding chairs, etc. Those things were usually there. But there were three things that were always present: a lot of food, a lot of laughter and a lot of stories! You could always see a story coming. They usually started off with a question like, “Did I ever tell you about the time…” or “You remember when…” or “Boy, you’ve gotta hear the story about when your daddy…” Stories abounded in our family. And our family is not alone! Everybody has stories. Okay, maybe not everyone grew up in the rural South hearing stories like I did, but everyone has a story or two that they hold dear and love to tell. And this is true not just in the rural South, but up North in Yankee-land, in Mexico, in Russia, China, Katmandu, Syria, Madagascar, and anywhere people live!

Why is this? It is because stories are what people are interested in. From novels to biographies to tabloids, and from comic books to television shows to movies, we understand stories. They are the stuff of real life – and the stuff of fantasy. They engage us. They connect with us, with our hearts, with our minds. They illustrate truth, tragedy, the way things should be, the way things really are, and on and on. There is a reason that narrative (story) is the genre of writing most common to the Holy Scriptures. It is because stories connect with us and God knows it. God chose to reveal the majority of the Old Testament in story form. Even the “prophetic” literature is replete with parables and stories. In the New Testament, we find the Story of Jesus written out from four different perspectives, and then a story of how the Gospel began to be spread throughout the world. In the literature of the New Testament that is not “narrative” (the letters), we find the authors continually refer their readers back to the Gospel, or, to put it another way, the Story of Jesus. Not only this, but they often make use of illustrations (mini-stories) to help their readers understand the points they are making. Our King himself was quite fond of speaking truth through difficult to understand stories that tied the hard-hearted up in knots, but left those who had “ears to hear” begging for more!

Communicating and learning through stories makes sense. Not only do stories make a point, but they are also much easier to recall than a bulleted list of points and sub-points. Stories can make strong, convicting statements, but without causing the hearers to feel as if the storyteller is judging them. Stories are both offensive and defensive — they can easily deflect silly smokescreen objections, dodge unfruitful arguments, silence antagonists and at the same time leave hearers with something memorable to go home and ponder.

In light of the biblical model and all of the positives we have for storytelling, I would like to submit to you that storytelling can be an effective way of engaging in “spiritual” conversation with unbelievers. The stories we tell could be biblical stories, personal testimonies of what God is doing or has done in our lives, stories from everyday life that relate truth, or even parabolic stories (both biblical and indigenous).

If we start with the premise that “effective evangelism has taken place when the hearer understands the Good News and can make an informed decision of whether or not she will follow Jesus,” And then consider how stories are an excellent means of communicating… why not tell more stories?

After that long-winded speech, I do have a few questions for today’s readers:

1. Do you regularly use stories in “spiritual” conversations?
2. If not, why not?
3. If so, what kinds of stories? Are they parables (biblical or indigenous), Bible stories, local stories, news stories, personal testimonies, stories from movies, etc, etc?

And just to be fair, I will answer first. In answering question number one, you may have already guessed that I absolutely love stories and they are an often-used tool in my toolbelt. Here are the categories and how they usually come in handy for me:

✦ Parabolic Stories: In groups of Muslims, I love telling parabolic stories as there is often an antagonist and he usually cannot figure out the meanings… but many times there are one or two who come up afterwards and ask for more information! A great way to find out who has “ears to hear”… a “person of peace.”
✦ Bible Stories: This is my favorite for evangelism with Muslims. I like to start with Genesis and tell several Old Testament stories to set the stage for the climax of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. This can be as quick as twenty minutes or take as long as an hour or two (depending on the stories included). Another way I like to share biblical stories is as an answer to questions about doctrine. “What do you believe about ____?” someone asks. “Well, have you heard the story of ___?”
✦ Local Stories: They have been extremely useful in answering common Muslim objections (Jesus’ deity, corruption of the Bible, substitutionary atonement, etc). Often I do not answer directly, but answer with, “Well, it is like…” then tell a story and finally say, “Really, in order to understand, we need to start from the beginning. Do you have time?” And if they are open, go to the “Genesis to Jesus” story mentioned above.
✦ Personal Testimonies: Not only do I share my personal testimony of what God has done in my life, but I also share stories of what God is doing in my life. Something like, “How are you?” My response, “Oh, I’m wonderful, God showed me something amazing this morning.” If the Wal-Mart clerk responds, I have opportunity to share, if not… God may not be working there.
✦ Movies: We have the Greatest Story Ever Told. And Hollywood knows it. There are salvation and self-sacrifice themes running through many Hollywood movies. Want to connect with folks under 40 — Watch movies!
✦ Television: One of my new favorite stories is from the television show “Moment of Truth” that was brought to my attention by a fellow blogger here. In this particular episode, a lady admits to adultery and then fails the polygraph when saying she believes she is a good person. Deep down, she knows she’s not! There is also the story of Tom Brady found here. He has it all by American standards but thinks, “There has to more to life than this.” Great stories to get folks thinking!

How about you?

His peace be yours in abundance,
From the Middle East

Similarly Tagged Posts:

• The J Curve: What Global Politics and Evangelism Have in Common
• So….You Want A New Name!
• Pray For Daryl
• A Parable
• Islam and Christianity – Defined
• A Story from the Middle East