The Good Book
The Bible is getting a lot of press these days--some of it good, some of it not so good. It seems that some folks are more likely to believe something about the Bible, rather than to believe the Bible. The Prophet Isaiah said that God's Word is not like the grass or leaves that fade and fall, instead it will stand forever. so we'll see.
One good thing that is happening right now is a recovery of the Bible as "story." Actually the Bible is a continuing story that is composed of perhaps more than 500 component stories if you count individual episodes of the longer stories like that of Joseph, or those stories of Jesus. One of the terms being used is "Bible Storying" which simply means telling the Bible stories as stories, not preaching them or attempting to explain them, just telling them. Discussion of the stories is fine as long as it is a dialogue and not a monologue where the listener is told what to believe.
Beyond the stories which are interesting in themselves as they are about real people who lived and interacted with God in their day, there is much to notice in the stories if you take the time and look closely.
Some of the stories take on a new significance when paired with other stories that help to introduce the main story or to establish some relationship or circumstances in which the main story takes place. More on this later.
But perahps the most interesting aspect is that the Bible, the Good Book, speaks to anyone who takes the time to read it. It is best read in whole passages or chapters or in some cases even a whole book if it is a short one. But then again, many find precious promises like jewels hiding right there waiting to be found.
We've heard a lot about the DaVinci Code and several years ago about The Passion of the Christ. The book is better than the talk and the film. There is really no need to defend the Bible. A famous preacher once said: No need to defend the Bible. It is like a lion. Turn it loose!
A growing concern that many Christians have today is for all people, whether literate or not, whether then have a written Bible in their spoken language or not, to have access to the Bible. One way this is happening is sharing the key stories and other passages as narratives which oral learners can more easily understand and remember. Most of us have Bibles and are literate. How much of the Bible have we read? How much of the Bible could we tell as story?
--storyguy--
One good thing that is happening right now is a recovery of the Bible as "story." Actually the Bible is a continuing story that is composed of perhaps more than 500 component stories if you count individual episodes of the longer stories like that of Joseph, or those stories of Jesus. One of the terms being used is "Bible Storying" which simply means telling the Bible stories as stories, not preaching them or attempting to explain them, just telling them. Discussion of the stories is fine as long as it is a dialogue and not a monologue where the listener is told what to believe.
Beyond the stories which are interesting in themselves as they are about real people who lived and interacted with God in their day, there is much to notice in the stories if you take the time and look closely.
Some of the stories take on a new significance when paired with other stories that help to introduce the main story or to establish some relationship or circumstances in which the main story takes place. More on this later.
But perahps the most interesting aspect is that the Bible, the Good Book, speaks to anyone who takes the time to read it. It is best read in whole passages or chapters or in some cases even a whole book if it is a short one. But then again, many find precious promises like jewels hiding right there waiting to be found.
We've heard a lot about the DaVinci Code and several years ago about The Passion of the Christ. The book is better than the talk and the film. There is really no need to defend the Bible. A famous preacher once said: No need to defend the Bible. It is like a lion. Turn it loose!
A growing concern that many Christians have today is for all people, whether literate or not, whether then have a written Bible in their spoken language or not, to have access to the Bible. One way this is happening is sharing the key stories and other passages as narratives which oral learners can more easily understand and remember. Most of us have Bibles and are literate. How much of the Bible have we read? How much of the Bible could we tell as story?
--storyguy--
posted by storyguy at 9:07 PM
4 Comments:
There are a great many stories in the bible. Many of them are good and can cause people to think about certain issues.
But how many of those stories are true in the historical sense and how many are allegorical or mythological, to prove a point?
Oh, and for what its worth, I have read the entire bible at least five times and have read many bits of it many, many more times than that...
Obviously you are not listening to what it is saying to you or somehow you have managed to distance yourself from the stories, what the stories can teach us. I salute your zeal in reading through the whole book five times. You are way ahead of most folks and are to be commended. Faith allows us to accept things we don't fully understand and in our limited knowledge can't explain or prove. The parables of Jesus are allegorical though one of the stories Jesus told about Lazarus and the Rich Man is too specific to be allegorical. Guess we'll find out one day what was historical and what wasn't. One thing I do know is that the stories have the power to change lives and give hope where there was none before. You are on the right track, keep reading.
Some people visit the Grand Canyon and just see a deep valley with a river. Others see the Grand Canyon and see a beautiful creation of God. Some see the Bible as just a collection of stories which may or may not all be true. I'm confident they are true. Guess those who have doubts will just have to wait and see. If it turns out they were wrong, it may be too late to change their thinking.
Archeology and history continue to verify the Bible stories and their relationship with one another. Like the Flood story we may just have to take Jesus' word that it really happened or wait until someone finds the remains of the ark. In the years before the Flood apparently the population doubted the prophecy about the coming flood. One's doubts not only affect their immediate lives but the lives of their descendants--if there are any.
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