The Power of Story

About a month ago, I did a blog post about the power of fiction. Today’s topic isn’t so different, except that a friend of mine reminded me that cultures throughout time have used story to preserve their history, their heros, their traditions and beliefs.

I haven’t researched this, but it seems to me, rationalism altered the status of story. Don’t get me wrong. Rationalism also enlightened us in some very positive ways. It gave us ammunition to use against superstition, for one thing. It brought back a unity of the mind and heart … except, at it’s extreme, it elevated the intellect as the sole means for knowing truth. And as I write this, I realize this “story vs. rational thought” discussion was part of my blog series on Postmodernism.

I’ll try not to go over covered ground.

Fiction writers often mention Jesus using parables as He taught to justify telling stories. Interestingly some of those same writers decry “preachy” stories, by which they mean stories that have a strong theme. Jesus told stories for a specific reason, and it wasn’t to entertain. He wanted the people in His audience to understand something, to ponder something, to arrive at a belief. Him telling them what to believe wouldn’t do it.

As least that’s what I think. Look at the disciples. He told them point blank He would die and rise again on the third day. And they didn’t get it.

I think the Old Testament has as much to say about the value of story as do the parables of the New. I mean, Genesis starts with “In the beginning …” Every fiction writer knows, a good story has to have a beginning. 😉 But seriously, doesn’t that have the same feel as “Once upon a time …”?

And the Old Testament is full of stories, real ones that happened to real people, not imagined characters. But was the purpose to entertain? No. Although Sampson, Daniel, Isaac, Noah, Jonah, and Elisha had entertaining elements to their lives, God included them in Scripture because they contained something of doctrine, reproof, correction, or instruction in righteousness.

I tend to think the idea of stories existing with the singular purpose of entertaining is an outgrowth of a hedonist society. Stories are much more … or should be. When a reader’s emotions are engaged and truth is available, then something powerful can happen.

Notice, “truth is available.” As soon as an author makes a “you should …” statement or a “this is the way it is” proclamation, then the power of the story is distilled. It is in the pondering, the identifying and learning along with the character that a story can actually influence a life.

Would that Christians will write more and more of these stories.