The Call of
the Storyteller
by Glenn White
They read from the Book of the Law
of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could
understand what was being read.
Neh.
8:8 (NIV)
The priests instructed the people by
reading and making clear the meaning of God’s Word. What does this have to do
with you as a writer? Everything! One of the great opportunities for every
Christian writer is teaching people about God so they can understand truth. And
this means writing clearly and giving meaning to the Gospel.
You may think, “Wait a minute, I am
not a theologian or a non-fiction writer and I don’t feel called to write for
other Christians.” Congratulations! You have narrowed your call as a Christian
writer and you have identified your audience. Your audience is the vast
unchurched multitudes on this planet and you may be called to write just for
them. Most unchurched people want and wait to hear good news in the chaos,
clamor, and crises of daily life.
“Okay, okay,” you say, “But how do I
make God’s Word clear to people who don’t even read the Bible and are turned
off by any mention of religion?” The absolute best way to communicate truth is
through stories. The award winning Christian writer, Madeleine L’Engle, says,
“Jesus was not a theologian, He was God who told stories.” Jesus telling
stories? Yes, they are called parables. Jesus told parables time and time again
to people so they would understand truth.
How do you start telling stories so
people understand God’s Word? One way is by reading books by writers who told
stories based on God’s truth. As you read, observe how the writer threads God’s
truth into the story. The classic book, The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis is a good place to
start. There are many other books by
Christian writers like Flannery O’Connor, Graham Greene, and Annie Dillard
which are not overtly Christian in content but subtly reflects their faith. It
can be a mistake to overlook any Christian writer’s work just because it
doesn’t mention God. For example, the book of Esther in the Old Testament is a
powerful story of a woman’s faith and God’s faithfulness to His people. It’s
interesting this Bible book doesn’t mention the name of God, not even once. So
you see, truth-filled stories help people know God when nothing else can.
A writer is not a writer unless he
or she writes. So…write stories that communicate God’s truth. Don’t be afraid
to write stories that leave out the name of God or Bible verses. Write stories
about singing birds, babbling brooks, roaring oceans but really make them sing,
babble and roar with your imagination. Let your imagination explore the vast
frontiers of God’s truth and don’t limit any story that points in any way to
Jesus.
By now, you may be thinking, “This
story stuff is a little scary and I see a writer can really get off track.”
Yes, that’s true but you can stay on track with one simple discipline. The only
way to stay focused on God’s truth is through a personal time of daily
devotions, Bible reading, and journaling. Use this time to focus on what God
speaks into your heart and life. When you do, then you will write to inspire!
Copyright 2002 Glenn White
Glenn White is a freelance writer
and editor of WriteToInspire.com.
You can email Glenn at:
glenn@writetoinspire.com