Interaction
Author Kristin Swenson, a teacher of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University explores spiritual illiteracy among Christian. The author define biblical literacy as, "An ability to identify significant passages and stories, people, places and things in the Bible; it means knowing something about the Bible's organization, wide - ranging historical contexts and original language . . . biblical literacy involves the recognition that there's always more to learn." Swenson indicates that many Christians are illiterate when it comes to the Bible, which is a very big problem. She provides a few eye opening statistics to support her thesis. Swenson state that,
Even though the Bible is the all-time best-selling book ----- according to a 2002 Gallup poll, nearly every American (93%) own at least one
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------- yet it seems people know little about it. A Kelton Research survey in 2007 indicates that people know more about what goes on the Big Mac then they know about the Bible and can name members of The Brady Bunch far better than they can name the 10 commandments. The author explores some possible reasons why Christians are spiritually illiterate: “1) The Bible is incredibly difficult . . . the Bible doesn't lend itself to easy mastery. 2) Most are unsure how to read the Bible on its own terms, and they come unprepared to attend to the details of entangle in a demanding text.” The author provides examples of how minister from all denominations are attempting to address biblical illiteracy. Presbyterian Church's Present Word curriculum offers the fruit of biblical scholarship and the context of faith-based studies, and the United Methodist Church offers Disciple products with information about the Bible's historical context and literary characteristics. To encourage frequent and ongoing engagement with the biblical texts, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has launched the Book of Faith Initiative . . . . Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Minneapolis offers an annual, one-hour “Bible-in-life” event that features a notable speaker. Swenson concludes by stating that "Biblical literacy is not a function of absolute mastery but a summons to inexhaustible learning and wonder, we enter into a profound relationship with a living text that is somehow mysteriously the very word of God." The evidences provided by the author supports her thesis regarding Biblical literacy being an issue among Christians. Swenson argument is consistent as well. Her thesis is viable within a 21st century framework. If Gallup polls we're taking today, I'm pretty sure that the results would indicate that Biblical illiteracy is still a very real issue. It is a sad fact that "Great numbers of professing Christians know little more about the Bible than Third-World Christians who possessed not even a shred of Scripture." Many Christians would agree that "No spiritual discipline is more important than the intake of God's Word. Nothing can substitute for it. There simply is no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture." However, those same Christians do not feed of the milk and meat of Scripture on a daily bases. Swenson speak to an issue that is real for many pastors today as well. She discusses the effect that biblical illiteracy has on pastors and their message by stating, "For preachers working to craft a biblically based sermon, the situation is confounding. If parishioners can't follow references to significant people, places or things in the Bible, they may miss or misunderstand the whole message." The author makes a very important statement which I believe that pastors today need to take note of when preparing their sermons. She state that, The Bible tells powerful story.
In all of us there is a deep and intense need to spend a lot of time with stories --- telling them, listening to them, reading them and watching them. In fact, storytelling, which feeds and exercises our capacity to imagine, is one of the most important features of our existence.
"Many homiletics experts have expressed well how much more easily people hear a story than a laundry list of points when someone is preaching . . . Jesus preach by telling stories . . . everyone would rather hear a good story than a laundry list of points or stern lecture about musts and shoulds."
The theological issue or topic for further discussion that the work raise is how to get Christian to move from just passively listening to the word to living out the word / applying it to their daily lives. The next issue raised by the work is what are the best ways pastors can encourage their parishioners to read the Word, study the Word, memorize the Word, and meditate on the Word daily. Lastly, I question whether pastors should be encouraged to change their delivery of their sermons from lecture [list of points] to storytelling?
Conclusion The strength of the article is that it speaks to the state of many churches and Christians today. Biblical illiteracy is a problem that many people secretly deal with. Many Christians are reluctant to admit that they are scripturally illiterate. Swenson has done a great job with creating a discussion surrounding this issue. The article speaks to the very real problems that some Christians have, such as “Insecurity about how to study the Bible or even where to begin." It also speaks to the issues that pastors face regarding how best to deliver their sermons. "Many preachers today try to balance the educational with the entertaining, while delivering a meaningful, inspiring and relevant message. No small task." This was a well written article, which address a very relevant issue. For that reason I am unable to find any weaknesses with this article. The thing that will stick with me the most from this article is the importances of incorporating storytelling when ministering to people. Scriptural literacy is very important as a Christian as stated by the author, Real literacy, creates great Independence . . . allowing people to wrestle for themselves with the big questions without necessarily providing a fixed solution. Sharing the stories in a way that responsibly reflects the multifaceted nature of biblical texts and their capacity to move and speak to us will inspire people to remember what they've learned and to want to learn more.
Stories are the way humans share, create, and explore their many experiences and identities with each other. When a story is told, the original content lingers depending upon how the storyteller recalls the content. Once the story is retold, it often takes on different details and meanings, because each storyteller adds their own perspective, experience, and meaning. The story then begins to have its own life. Each storyteller has a connection to the beginning and the end of the story.
With this concept, we can assess and place value on the stories presented in The Things They Carried. Yet, it is still not that simple. The reader is continually challenged to question what is real and what is imagined. The evaluation of each narrator is constant. While the protagonist continues to remind the ...
Lee includes Scripture, Gospel, Hymns, Prayers and concludes the sermon in an “Amen” (37) by switching the posture to the audience. Perelman examined, “Every technique promoting the communion of the speaker with his audience will decrease the opposition between them” (79). Since Lee’s meaningful sermon consisted of the most essential techniques, her audience recognized her authority and capability to preach. She not only knew about the role of a minister, but also knew how to carry out her responsibilities as a minister, which enforced the appeal to ethos from the audience’s point of view. Lee compelled the audience to reconceive their discrimination of women
1. Growing up we all heard stories. Different types of stories, some so realistic, we cling onto them farther into our lives. Stories let us see and even feel the world in different prespectives, and this is becuase of the writter or story teller. We learn, survive and entertain our selves using past experiences, which are in present shared as stories. This is why Roger Rosenblatt said, "We are a narrative species."
A narrative is specified to amuse, to attract, and grasp a reader’s attention. The types of narratives are fictitious, real or unification or both. However, they may consist of folk tale stories, mysteries, science fiction; romances, horror stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of life, and personal experience (“Narrative,” 2008). Therefore, narrative text has five shared elements. These are setting, characters, plot, theme, and vocabulary (“Narrative and Informational Text,” 2008). Narrative literature is originally written to communicate a story. Therefore, narrative literature that is written in an excellent way will have conflicts and can discuss shared aspects of human occurrence.
The ancient ritual of storytelling is a form of communication that dates back as far as civilization and human language can go. Timeless works of literature such as Beowulf and The Iliad were originally told orally and passed down for generations. Storytelling has played an important role in the development of society due to the emphasis on language, the preservation of history, and the acknowledgment of morals.
Within the fictional worlds of Haroun and the Sea of Stories, the characters realize that stories are not mere entertainment, but are crucial to their lives. Fictional stories are crucial pieces to Rashid Khalifa since he relies on them for a career and brings him enjoyment. They are also important to a politician because storytelling is a critical part of a politician’s survival and livelihood since they rely on the storytellers to persuade and convince people to vote for them. Most importantly they are important to Guppees since they depend on stories to be the source of all there speaking, and the pages of Gup (the army) they depend on stories to help them fight. All in all stories can
“The call is something that is an indescribable joy and an indefinable burden at the same time.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 32). There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a congregation of the redeemed moving forward in their faith. However exciting this may be, it is usually not the thrill that propels the pastor in his service. It is the burden placed on the pastor by God that compels him in his work. The pastor understands that he is largely responsible for the work of God being accomplished by his faithfulness to his calling. “All through the Word of God and down through the annals of history, when God has moved it has almost always been attended by the preaching of the Word.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 31)
Taylor, Marilyn L. “Tell Them a Story: A Memorable Narrative Poem Features Three Key Elements: Plot, Voice, and Point of View.” The Writer. 125.4 (2012): 17-18. EBSCO Host. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
The importance of a story is to have a purpose and meaning, through this, people are able to engage and learn with what is being told to them, it has to have a connection to the past, bringing it to the present and to involve both the body and mind senses. Through storytelling the audience should gain an understanding and have a sense of emotion touched and come alive, they should also be able to explore the possibilities within their culture and feel a deep connection to country.
Throughout this paper I will explore the power of storytelling using the course lexicon and I will examine it in the context of two course texts. One of the texts that I will be referring to is by Doxtator, excerpts from Fluffs and Feathers and the second text I will be referring to is by Griffin, excerpts from Woman and Nature. The power of storytelling is a part of the mimetic world and because stories have so much power they can be used to help bring about dominant fantasies. Stories are told over and over again until they are reinforced and in this essay I will argue that the power of storytelling is a form of social control.
Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, authors of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, have written an easy to read book for those who want to learn more about what the Bible has to offer. The authors present distinct principles for interpreting different genres found in the Bible. The book has sold over a half a million copies and is one of the most popular books regarding biblical interpretation.
Love Yourself as Hearers. Above all, the preachers should consider first the audience or “hearers” when preparing a sermon. As stated in this book, “we need to learn how to introduce, develop, and conclude our subjects in a way that interests hearers” (Galli and Larson, 1994, p. 16). In other words, we need to learn how to modify our words, sentences, paragraphs, stories and illustrations to deliver the message and impact the lives of our audience.
It is important for a pastor to know the nature of the situation that he is preaching. Different events, like funerals and weddings, call for a different style of preaching. After this, McDill talks about having an effective presentation. The writer of the book thinks this is best done when a speaker preaches without notes. Right before finishing the book the author deals with the design of the sermon, this is the process of shaping a sermon to fit its purpose.
When preaching, one must stay focused on the main point and stay true to it so that the audience knows precisely where they are being led. In the lecture, both Jesus and Paul are precise in where they are leading the audience to their messages in a laser-like manner. “A major affirmation of our definition of expository preaching, therefore, maintains that ‘expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept.’ That affirms the obvious. A sermon should be a bullet, not buckshot,” shares Haddon Robinson.