Definition | top
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The goal of a BibleTelling class is simple. Each member of
the class learns to tell the stories of the Bible in chronological
order. It is Bible storytelling – a 21st century version
of the oldest method of teaching the Bible. It was used before
Bibles were readily available; when men and women of God would
teach the stories of the Bible to new believers who, in turn,
would go home and teach those stories to their families.
The three Keys to BibleTelling:
- Hands – The stories are crafted in
a “telling format” (usually 3-8 minutes long).
This differs from a written format because it is easy to learn,
easy to tell, and easy to listen to.
- Head – BibleTelling contains a method
to learn the story without memorizing. It
puts the story into mental pictures that we call storyboards.
This helps you remember the essential facts of the story.
- Heart – The stories are personalized
and internalized. Once the story is learned,
it is communicated in a person’s most enjoyable way of
expression.
Old Testament Structure
Stories | top of page |
In creating the first set of Old Testament Bible stories, we
have selected the exact stories that show the overall structure
and major themes of Old Testament stories. We wanted to always
point to the One Story that God tells, the Plan of Redemption
that flows from Creation through Nehemiah and leads to the coming
of the Promised One.
Need | top
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Years ago, people in America knew the basic stories of the
Bible. Even those who were not devout Christians had a foundation
of Bible Knowledge. If asked, they could tell you their favorite
Bible stories.
Today, even the faithful members of churches lack knowledge
of basic Bible stories. They understand the principles of faith,
relationships and Christian ethics, but they do not know the
Bible. When an adult Sunday school class was asked why they enjoyed
BibleTelling, one man answered, “We are learning stories
our pastor assumes we already know!”
Present day Bible studies are designed for people who already
know the overall story of the Bible. They focus on verses and
words, while most of the class has no knowledge of the larger
Biblical narrative. We have specialized in breaking the Word
of God down to small pieces of information, but our people don’t
know how to put it all together! They lack the Bible’s
Big Picture.
BibleTelling focuses on the major stories that build the foundation
of understanding that is missing in the Christian world. The
following story illustrates the need.
Stranded on an Island
You are taking a trip across the Pacific Ocean, when your worst
fears come true. The plane goes down in the water. Only 27 of
you survive and make it to a small island. There is plenty of
shelter, food, and water, but nothing else. You organize and
make a warning system, in case someone comes looking for you.
Days go by with no help coming. This turns into a few weeks
and a few months. There are no books, magazines, television,
recorded music, movies, or video games.
One day, the other 26 gather around you. You think, “Oh
no, what have I done?”
They say, “There is a rumor that you know the Bible.
Is that true?”
You look at them in amazement. You’ve been wondering
how you were going to bring up that subject. You say, “Yes,
I know the Bible. I have taught Sunday school, and led a Bible
study.” You might be able to say, “Yes, I have been
to Bible college or seminary.”
They look at you and are not sure if you are telling the truth, so they decide
to test you. One of them says, “I have heard that there are two parts
to the Bible. Is that true?”
You smile and say, “Yes, it is true. There is the Old
Testament and the New Testament.”
“ Wow!” they say. “You really do know the
Bible.”
They then ask you, “We have heard that there are a lot of stories in
the Bible. Is that true?”
Well, you have been to a Bible story seminar, so you know the
answer. You say, “Why yes, there are a lot of stories in
the Bible. As a matter of fact, 75% of the Bible is written in
story format. There are over 525 stories in the Bible.”
Wow! 525 stories in the Bible! That is just what they wanted
to hear. The leader of the group steps forward and says, “Since
the Bible has that many stories, and you know the Bible, we want
you to start at the beginning and tell us all 525 stories … in
chronological order.”
You are shocked. Tell all 525 stories! You stammer, “Uh,
that would take a long time!”
They look at one another. “So … what else do we
have to do? We don’t have books, magazines, television,
recorded music, movies, or video games, but we have YOU. There
are 525 stories in the Bible and you know the Bible. So you can
start whenever you are ready.”
How many could you tell?
Well, OK. 500 stories is kind of much. Let’s just cut
it in half … can you tell 250 of them? … How about
150? … Maybe 75. … Surely 35? How many can you tell?
When we say, “I know the Bible,” what do we mean?
Does that mean we know the doctrines of the Bible? – the
theology of the Bible? – the applications of the Bible
in daily life?
The Bible is a book of stories — God’s Stories.
If we don’t know the stories of the Bible, do we really
know the Bible?
What does it mean to “hide God’s Word in our heart”?
Does that mean memorize verses? Is that all it means?
When we learn the stories of the Bible well enough to tell them to others,
we are hiding God’s Word in our hearts. And … we can say with confidence, “I
know the Bible.”
Slow Permanent Change | top
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We all have many stories in our lives. There are folk tales,
family events, jokes, personal happenings, gossip, national history,
television/movie stories, and many more. But all of us have a
special pool – a special reservoir – of true stories.
These are stories that have been given to us one way or another.
And there is one thing that is consistent about them, they are
true, or based on a truth. We esteem these stories very highly
and keep them close to us at all times, because we base all our
decisions on these stories.
We realize not all of these stories are absolutely true. We
know that the fox can’t really talk in Aesop Fables. We
know the TV show was just a drama. But these stories teach us
principles that we believe are true. Therefore they are in our
Pool of True Stories.
If you come to me with a Bible story and tell me it is true,
I will instinctively question it. I have a panel of trusted peers
who tell me if stories are true. I will take your story to them
and ask, “Is this true?”
They may say, “No, watch out for that person, you can’t
trust him.” I will then say to you, “Thank you for
your story. I will put it here under Fairy tales, or Folk Tales.” There
is nothing you can do about it. It is not going into my Pool
of True Stories.
But, if my panel of trusted peers say, “Well yes, after
all, we believe the Bible. I guess we would have to say it is
true.” Ah, now I will put your story into my Pool of True
Stories. I may even tell it to my panel of trusted peers.
There are two things you need to understand about the story
you gave me.
- When I put it in my Pool of True Stories, I absorb it in
with my other stories. Or to put it in more harsh terms, “I
corrupt it!” There is nothing you can do about that.
It must fit in with all my other True Stories.
You may think you should explain it to me more carefully, so I won’t
corrupt it. But if you explain it too much, I may give the story back to
you. I might question the story if you tell me all my other stories are false,
and only this one is true. I will say to myself, “I don’t know
about this new story, but I know the rest of these are true.”
The fact is, we all corrupt Bible stories when we first hear them. As a child,
I absorbed Bible stories into my life by what I thought a father was, or
what love was, or what a river looked like. Bible stories became more accurate as
I heard them over and over.
- When I put a new story into my Pool of True Stories, it
doesn't change my life much. That one story may not help me
make better decisions in life.
So you give me a story and I put it in my pool. But it doesn't
stop there – you give me another story, and another, and
another, and another. I keep putting it in my Pool of True Stories.
After a while you are filling up my Pool of True Stories, so
that it is starting to overflow. Somehow I have to make room
for all these wonderful new stories.
I reach in to my Pool of True Stories, and pull out an old
story that I now know is not true after all. You keep giving
me more stories, and I have to keep making room by getting rid
of old stories. On top of that, you are retelling some of the
first stories, and I better understand them. I am cleaning them
up.
Now you are starting to change my decision-making process.
My Pool of True Stories has been almost completely changed. In
time, Bible stories will be the basis for the direction I go
in life.
This is called Slow Permanent Change!
Doctrine | top
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BibleTelling does not teach any particular denominational doctrines.
It is just the stories of the Bible, accurately told so they
reflect what is written in Scripture. It is assumed the church
or organization will have other opportunities to teach theology
and Scripture applications.
BibleTelling Training DVD | top
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A special training DVD has been prepared to assist you in the methodology
of using BibleTelling. It also can be used in a church presentation for
the congregation.
Storytelling Training Kit | top
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We offer a wide variety of storytelling training. The Art of
Storytelling, by Moody Publishers is the basis for developing
the skill of Christian storytelling, which includes Bible stories
as well as any type of Christian stories. This provides the foundation for
storytelling, and is used by Christian storytellers around the
world.
We have assembled a storytelling package to help you get started. This is everything
you will need to develop your own storytelling skills or the skills of your
teachers. It is a vital teacher training tool for the following:
- Sunday school superintendents
- Sunday school teachers
- Christian school teachers
- Vacation Bible School workers
- Children’s pastor training
- Christian Bible camp workers
- Small group leaders
- Christian Education directors
- Missionary Training
- Short term missionaries
It is a great kit that can be used to enhance a pastor’s
preaching and aid in sermon preparation. It is also useful in:
- Christian workers training
- Sunday School teacher training
- Missionary storytelling training
- Mission Trip Training
- Bible College storytelling course
- Home school parent training
The Storytelling Training Kit contains
- The Art of Storytelling
- BibleTelling Training DVD
- The four books in the Essential Bible Reference Library
- Creative Communication Skills (may also be used for high
school or college speech course)
- Four Old Testament Structure BibleTelling books
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