Retelling the Story

Is the didactic sermon still an adequate vehicle for communicating essential biblical truth? In this provocative and enlightening volume, Lange contends that story sermons are a far more effective way to proclaim the Good News in a modern world that largely communicates through narrative-driven multimedia spectacle. The powerful stories in the Bible don?t need to be turned into morals or ideas to convey the gospel. But because they were composed in a radically different cultural context, they may require additional explanation or interpretation to make them relevant for contemporary audiences. So how can a preacher add narrative elements to these stories without diminishing their dramatic impact or changing their meaning? This book outlines an innovative process for retelling biblical stories that utilizes fictional elements and contexts yet remains faithful to the scriptural text. Creative and homiletical issues are comprehensively examined, with six sample sermons.