Start


The Jeans Pocket Bible

..For further informations contact

..Prof. Dr. Horst Heinemann
..Institute for
..Ev.Theology/Religious Education
..University of Kassel FB 01
..Diagonale 9, D - 34109 Kassel

..Tel.: 0049 561 804 3500
..Fax.: 0049 561 804 3488

...post@hosentaschenbibel.de
.. www.hosentaschenbibel.de

The Idea

The Pictures

Team

Supports

 


Seven steps to tell biblical Stories Horst Heinemann

Everyone can tell biblical stories though it requires a little bit of courage and preparation in the beginning. The following seven steps came out while working in tale-workshops and can help to make the access into one´s own telling easier Step 1: Discover the Story

He who wants to tell a story should first of all try to discover it for himself. Read the story (several times) in your bible to discover its hidden meaning. Forget every previous knowledge for one moment and let the story have its effect on you. Read the text just like every other text. If the written seems to appear hard to understand consider that it is a very old text. Give chance to the story to show you a different foreign world. Try to discover that world. Pay attention to the language of the story, its pictures. Discover its beauty and secrets.

Step 2: Divide and clear the story

To better understand the structure of a story you should divide it in some passages and find a headline for each passage that shortly indicates what the whole passage is about. It is shown that almost every good story consist of three parts.

The introduction describes the situation and developes the problem, the question the whole story is about.

The main part unfolds the events, it describes different attempts for solutions, mistakes and difficulties which stand in the way of a solution. It often culminates in the top of the problem.

The end tells the happy or the dramatic solution.

 

Step 3: Find the message of the story

In almost every story there is not only a message that is told but as ín real life a story often has many aspects which you want to let your hearers know about. What speaks to the individual hearer, what is the most important to him depends on his own situation, the questions and problems which occupy him. We always hear a story out of our own situation, our own questions and problems. That´s how different hearers discover completely different things in a story and they will therefore also narrate it totally different.

Step 4: Include the hearer

An old rule says: A story i understood which means something to me i can also tell others being young or old. But it is convenientt to be prepared for the hearers. Are they interested or must their attention be waken first? What are their favorites and their dislike? Which previous knowledge are given, what needs to be explained? How can I get their attention?

Step 5: Choose a tale-perspective

Every story can be told out of very different perspectives. Three main perspectives are offered:

Telling from an all-knowing story-teller´s view: Here the story-teller takes a place outside the events from where he has an all-knowing view of everything. He is everywhere, he sees everything, he knows everything, he also knows the most secret thoughts of all the persons involved and he tells out of that perspective.

Telling from a subjective view: The story-teller jumps into the role of one of the persons involved in the story and tells, sees and judges from his limited view.

Telling from an objective view: The story-teller takes the role of a reporter, a historian, a recording clerk. Facts and visible happenings are in the foreground. The stoy-teller´s own point of view, his way of seeing things, his assumption are not part of his report.

Step 6: Let fantasy take its course

Close your eyes and let the story originate in its colors. Imagine the acting persons, their hope and wishes, their fear and dislike. Picture the places of the events before your eyes. Try to imagine the situation which is important. Look, smell, hear what is happening. Let your fantasy take its course.

Step 7: Design a tale-draft

Design and make a note of your story more or less in details. Decide for one tale-perpective. How should your story start, what should it tell in the middle-part, how should the story end? If need be write headwords and headlines of the passages.

 

Written by Horst Heinemann and translated by Laurette


 
>