Choosing to Preach Discussion
#21 - Can Stories Proclaim?
Posted by Kent Anderson on August 26, 2006 19:21
One of the reasons people like stories so much is that they are not necessarily demanding. Stories tend to leave interpretation to the listener, which runs counter to our sense of preaching as proclamation. Is a story, then, a viable medium for proclamation? Or does story offer too much room for the listener to create his or her own version of the truth?
(from page 188)
Replies
re: #21 - Can Stories Proclaim?
Posted by Johnny Lo on Feb. 22, 2007 at 02:46
I think a story is a viable medium for proclamation, as long as there is some sort of explanation or commentary at the end which would prevent people from misinterpreting the story and create their own versions of the truth.
If no explanation is provided for the story, then the story would need to have been written out really well that it would be hard for one to misinterpret it. However, there is still a degree of danger there.
re: #21 - Can Stories Proclaim?
Posted by HeeJin Kim on Feb. 14, 2007 at 21:07
It seems to be true that stories, to some extent, are placed at a disadvantageous position in proclamation, comparing to ‘proclamatory preaching.’ It also cannot be denied that stories offer much room for the listener to create his or her own version of the truth. On the other hand, proclamation does not necessarily have to be blunt or outspoken. As Jesus used parables when He intended to let people understand a hidden meaning of what he was saying, and as we often give familiar examples in order to reason people into or from doing something, stories can be a very helpful and useful way of proclamation even though it may be indirect at times.