Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

classic argument was that the New Testament story of salvation made no sense to a Modern mind. Bultmann said the Bible needed to be stripped of the husk of myth (Story) in order to get to the kernel of truth (Rationalism). 121 By so doing, Bultmann essentially cropped Jesus’ Story from the picture . Ironically, when Traditionals reject a narrative view, they are in danger of the same liberal errors they originally organized to combat. A New Way of Presenting Adopting a narrative view is much more than showing video clips in church services or incorporating a more visually-oriented environment in the sanctuary, as helpful as those steps might be. Pastors, elders, deacons, teens, and adults must be re-oriented to a narrative understanding of the Bible, which may not provide the “direct application” many have been trained to crave. Teachers must learn to resist the urge to give a moral application with every teaching. Moralism, factualism, and particularism (see Chapter 11) need to be resisted in favor of the Bible’s redemptive Story. This requires a re-evaluation of the entire mindset of children’s curriculum, follow-up and discipleship materials, and Sunday school programs. As a result, teachers should reconsider a spectator format that utilizes linguistic, linear presentations that appeal to audience’s minds; the “how-to in seven easy steps” approach. Instead, every lesson should be a sub-story of the larger Story. The use of story and metaphor can be more than just a “hook” to capture the listener’s interest, but become the actual “meat” of the presentation.

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