Jesus Believed in the Power of Story

Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of 15 novels, including The Unfinished Gift, The Discovery and When Night Comes. He has won 3 Carol Awards and 3 Selah Awards. Three of his books were finalists for Inspirational Book of the Year (RT Book Reviews). Dan is a member of ACFW and Word Weavers. He lives with his wife, Cindi, in the Daytona Beach area where they love to take walks and spend time with their grandkids. Click here to connect with Dan or check out his books.

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Next month, I'll be speaking to a group of ladies, some who may be big fans of my books (others might be hearing about me for the first time). I'm told they'll want to hear all about my journey to publication, including how I transitioned from being a fulltime pastor for 25 years to writing novels fulltime. And, I guess, some other interesting things I might want to share.

As I gathered my thoughts on what some of those "other interesting things" might be, I found myself dwelling on the Power of Story. How it is that well-told stories can exert a powerful influence on us and sometimes get us to see and understand things that we might otherwise never see. There's something especially magnetic and stimulating when a certain truth or principal is illustrated by a good story. Our minds can often grasp the point at the logic level. We may be able to understand it as a concept and even begin to think of it a little more deeply. But something much more powerful happens when that same logical point is woven into and drawn out through a story. The lights come on in a more profound way. 

The story amplifies the concept or truth in such a way that we can actually see why it matters or how it could or should affect the way we think and live. I suspect right now some who are reading this are wishing I would illustrate what I'm saying with a story. 

Okay, here's one.

When I was a pastor, a good part of by job was to preach and teach people from God's Word. During my message, I could always tell when people needed a story. I'd begin to share various thoughts and truths, maybe read some Scripture and begin to explain what I had just read. Then I would look out at the faces of those listening and notice...I was starting to lose about half of them. Their eyebrows would arch high on their forehead, they'd begin blinking their eyes too much or too slowly, and some of their heads would even begin to bobble.

Seeing this, two words would instantly come to mind: "Story Time."

I'd come out from behind the pulpit and start telling them a story, usually something that illustrated the points I had been making. Suddenly, everyone was paying attention again. They'd sit up straight in their chairs, their eyes would light up. They'd smile and laugh. And they were mine once again. At least for a little while. Until it was Story Time again.

But you know, this story-time strategy didn't originate with me. Jesus was a firm believer in the Power of Story. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus told stories all the time. We call them Parables. There are 33 in all, some of them told in 2 or 3 different gospels. It's even likely these are only a fraction of the Parables Jesus told, because Matthew tells us: "Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables." (Matt 13:34, NLT) 

Before Jesus told the now-famous Parable of the Good Samaritan, He and a religious leader were discussing what was necessary to receive eternal life. At first, the discussion used the language of truth and logic until the man correctly answers a question about the importance of loving his neighbor. Then the man asks Jesus this question: "And who is my neighbor?" Instead of answering the question with more reason or logic, Jesus tells us a wonderful story. 

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The man asked, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denari and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”  Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Why did Jesus tell a story here? Because the story amplifies the spiritual truth in a far more profound and powerful way.

So...those of us who have chosen to communicate to others through the Power of Story are in pretty good company, if you ask me (and we should never feel ashamed when we do). Speaking of Story (and of shameless plugs), if you're in the mood for some nice Christmas ones, here are four I've written. 

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The Power of Story

Heidi Chiavaroli is a writer, runner, wife, mother, and grace-clinger—not necessarily in that order. She writes Women’s Fiction that weaves the past and present with everlasting hope. Heidi is the winner of ACFW’s 2014 Genesis Contest, Historical Category. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle.

The Power of Story

Story is powerful.

I’m not the only one claiming this fact. Now, science is backing up the assertion that story has the ability to change the way we think, to change the way we even act.

At a writer’s retreat a couple years back, I listened to an inspiring presentation by author Tessa Afshar, in which she spoke of the incredible power of story. As I tried to pull together this blog post, I berated myself for not taking notes. Luckily for me, a search online brought up a 2012 New York Times article by Annie Murphy Paul, in which she explores Your Brain On Fiction.

Your Brain On Fiction:

“The brain, it seems, does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life; in each case, the same neurological regions are stimulated,” Paul writes.

When we read of metaphors, textures, and scents imparted to us in rich words, the same places of our brain that are stimulated when actually experiencing these things are roused when we read them. 

A powerful story can even go beyond this. The same way the brain responds to smells and textures as if we were truly experiencing them, so the brain also responds to a character’s heartaches, happiness, and frustrations as if they are our own. We can learn from make-believe characters. We can become more empathetic to those around us. We can hone our social skills simply by picking up a book.

Wow. Great news for those of us who already love a good story.

As I read this scientific evidence, I thought of the Master Storyteller. Many times, Jesus taught with a story. The Parable of the Lost Sheep certainly has a deeper impact on His listeners than if Jesus simply said, “God loves the lost with a passion you can’t imagine.”

Instead, we can see ourselves in that story—alone and afraid, and yes, as a sheep! It doesn’t matter. God made His point in this story and many others, as well as in His entire Word—one huge, beautiful story of His love for us.

So I don’t know about you, but next time I’m wrapped up in a good novel I won’t feel quite so guilty about the laundry not getting done. After all, I’m not just reading. I’m improving my social skills. I’m relishing a creation. I’m becoming a more empathetic person.          

And who can argue with the power behind that? 

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Using the Power of Story to Promote an Agenda

Dan Walsh is the award-winning and bestselling author of 10 novels, including The Unfinished Gift, The Dance and What Follows After. He has won 3 Carol Awards and 2 Selah Awards. Three of his books were finalists for Inspirational Book of the Year. Dan is a member of ACFW and Word Weavers. He lives with his wife, Cindi, in the Daytona Beach area where they love to take long walks. Click here to connect with Dan or check out his books.

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Why do people read novels, or watch movies for that matter? Is it simply to be entertained? To unwind, to check out, to escape the pressures and hardships of life for a little while by getting lost in a good story?

Maybe. I'm guessing most people would not answer this question with things like: 

• To be persuaded to think differently about something controversial.
• To be emotionally manipulated into letting go of a strongly held opinion and be willing to embrace a totally different view.

But what if that's the authors goal in writing the story, to accomplish that purpose? To use the power of story to promote an agenda that really matters to them. Does that ever happen?

I think it happens all the time. I'm guilty of it myself.

I believe the entertainment industry has known this for decades and has used the power of story to change the minds of an entire generation of Americans on a host of controversial topics. They like to say, and would like us to think, they are not out to change public opinion. They merely create entertainment that reflects the views and values of the culture. In other words, they're giving "We the people" what we want to see, hear and read. 

But they know that's pure baloney. They were, and still are, using the power of story to promote an agenda. Let me offer some examples. When I was a kid, the prevailing view in America was that premarital sex was morally wrong. So it wasn't allowed to be shown on TV, and when it was depicted in movies it was shown as something morally wrong. Even sex within marriage, though obviously approved, was never seen, and rarely talked about. I remember watching episodes of the Dick Van Dyke Show that had the main couple sleeping in separate twin beds.

Throughout the 70s and 80s more and more movies and TV shows began depicting premarital sex as perfectly normal and acceptable behavior. Nowadays, it's actually hard to find stories that show anyone willing to wait until marriage to have sex. People are shown to engage in one night stands all the time, and to talk about their sex lives with their friends as casually as they talk about the weather.

We've seen the same trend followed with a homosexual lifestyle. Ten to fifteen years ago, it was rare to find a homosexual character depicted as healthy and normal in a popular movie or TV show. Now, it's rare to find a show that doesn't have a main character who is a practicing homosexual. The agenda now includes a new message: Anyone who has a problem with this is homophobic.

The point of my post is not to point out how wrong it is to use the power of story to promote an
agenda. Quite the opposite. I'm saying the power of story is one of the most effective means to promote an agenda, and always has been. 

Gary Smalley and I hope to use the power of story this way in our just-released novel, The Desire. Although you can't tell from the cover, we're hoping to encourage the pro-life message in our story. In addition, we hope to draw attention to the often overlooked members in our churches who struggle with the heartbreak of infertility (more than 1 in 8 couples do). And we want to encourage people to seriously consider the adoption option (including unwed moms facing an uncertain future). Both of my children were adopted, and Gary has two adopted grandchildren.

Are we wrong to use fictional stories to promote an agenda? I say...absolutely not. I think it's just the norm, whether we're admitting it, doing it deliberately or unintentionally.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Have you used the power of story to promote an issue you care about? Can you think of books, TV shows or movies that have effectively used fiction stories to persuade others to see something a different way?

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