The Power of Story

I love movies. They inspire me. They challenge me. They anger me. They bring me to tears. They make me think. I love movies. I tend to love them first in my heart… and while this is good, it is a bit scary. Why? Because stories are powerful. Stories have a message, a theme, a big idea that they invite their audience to discover… in their heart. The scary part is that they do not always take me where I want to go. For example…

Have you see Cider House Rules? The movie is driving at the idea that abortion is acceptable… at least in situations of incestuous rape. The appeal is not to the audience through logic or reason, but through a powerful story where you grow to pity the situation forced upon the rape victim.

Have you seen Million Dollar Baby? Once again the movie is making a case for Euthanasia… that it is OK to medically assist severely physically disabled people in suicide. Once again, the appeal is by means of a compelling story that moves you to pity for the characters and their situation. No logic or reason is needed… the story moves you to consider these conclusions from your heart.

Both of these conclusions while dreadfully sad do not fit within my Christian worldview. Yet many come to agree with these conclusions because their hearts have been won over by the power of the story.

Stories are powerful. I heard a screenwriter comment that “every movie is about redemption.” Meaning... movies, at least good movies, shed light on the complexity of the human condition and show how characters find their way out of their predicaments (get redeemed).

Stories are powerful. Hollywood knows this. God knows this. But I’m not sure that the church knows this. The church tends to focus solely on appealing to logic and reason. We shoot for the mind and forget the heart. But did you know that the Bible is 66% narrative… yep it’s 2/3 story.

That is why I think Hollywood is more influential today than the church. Their stories last longer than ours. I think that is why I was enraptured with David Wilcox last Friday (see post). Because he let me experience the truth of his “message” through his stories & songs.

So I raise a toast to the great storytellers... may your stories be good and full of truth. And at the same time I light a fire under the church… package your truth in stories… God has... plus, they last longer.