Nice article about ‘contemporizing’ the bible for kids.
A pain-free way to get a little blip on the attention-o-meter is to look for strategic places you can contemporize the language. actos 30 mg In other words, add some modern lingo, even pop culture references, to tug them in.
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Author Donald Miller wrote this after attending screenwriting course:
It did not escape me, as I listenend to 36 hours of story deconstruction, how powerful story is. The overwhelming majority of the Bible, in fact, is story. We often think of the Bible as creeds and precepts, but it is anything but. Instead, the stories of the Bible work to create an internal map, a guide and compass, teaching us what is worth pursuing and what is worthless, what is meaningful and what is not. Right and wrong, then, are not often taught by lists (truth without meaningful context) but rather through the tools of story. The seminar made me wonder why religious institutions who aim to teach ancient texts don’t have story departments alongside their systematic pursuits. It seems that one might benefit from the other.
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Keeping kids attention.
But…
Is there a line?
Can we put too many words in the ‘mouth’ of the bible?
I read an article that talked about the development of childrens bibles from the 1800′s until now.
It seems that there are some extra-biblia (that a word?) additions to some of the stories in the kids versions. Or they cut off the story at a happy ending not a tragic one – and it is getting more widespread every year.
When are we giving kids false information?
A lot of my mental images of bible stories are pictures/artwork/movies that I have seen as a child… nice line of animals ldeaing into the ark (It was 2 of every unclean animal, 7 of every clean one Gen 7:2-3)
So there is a line I guess – and there is nothing I love doing more that shattering a bible ‘myth’ that was created by a church culture or a line taken out of context (eg. Only God can understand you when you speak in tongues).
The bottom line (I love a good bottom line).
Children need to understand the bible as ONE narrative, extending from creation to the end of time, teaching them the reality of the world around them.
(I am sure there is a better bottom line, maybe you could write it?)