We know Jesus, the Master Teacher, frequently used stories in His teaching (Mk. 4:33-34). Stories get attention and people can often identify with characters or the story line. But, in telling Bible stories, teachers may have some concerns.
Questions about Telling Stories in the Bible
What can we do to make a Bible story more interesting?
Bible teachers may be tempted to enhance or embellish Bible stories … adding things not there … to make them more interesting. However, if we do that, what happens when, at some point, students realize what we taught wasn’t actually true? It could cause them to doubt the veracity of what is in the Bible. At minimum, they must unlearn what they’ve been taught.
It’s our storytelling skills that need to be enhanced, not the biblical version of the story. If we want to increase interest, we should add enthusiasm and emotion in telling the story, rather than add content not in the Bible. We should add visuals, animation, and acting out of the story to make the unfamiliar more understandable and hence more relatable rather than embellish the story with mistruths. We can increase interest with voice inflections, body movements, facial expressions, and an interactive element to the story (i.e., having students repeat phrases or do motions).
Other Questions about Bible Storytelling:
- What can we do to make a Bible story more palatable?
- What are some tips for becoming better Bible storytellers?
You’ll find responses to the above questions in the Bible Teacher’s Handbook of Frequently Asked Questions. This resource look at 48 other topics related to Bible teaching, answering a total of 153 questions.
praise the Lord brother and sister