Biblical Storytelling: Narrative Evangelism and Apologetics

The Bible is a unique book for a number of reasons.

Most importantly, it is God’s written Word.[1]

Second, while the Bible is full of individual stories (and various genres), all of these stories are subsumed under the one grand story of God redeeming His people in Christ. From the Exodus to Pentecost, these sub-stories testify to this unrivaled, overarching narrative. [2]

Between teaching the Bible in the classroom and going on a summer mission trip with SEBTS to Madagascar over the past year, I have witnessed the power of biblical narrative in the dovetailed realms of evangelism and apologetics. Here are a few key takeaways that I hope will benefit you personally and serve the Church more broadly.

Stories Shape Who We Are – Still

A common mistake that many modern, post-Enlightenment people make—including Christians—is assuming that storytelling is a bygone practice and largely irrelevant, except perhaps as a tool to capture the imagination of small children for limited periods of time. There are a few possible explanations for why this cultural shift has occurred. Chief among them is that with the dawn of the early modern period, came a heightened emphasis on rationality, which simultaneously downplayed areas of inquiry related to emotion, aesthetics, and more.

The tide has shifted since the Enlightenment, however. Thanks to popular Christian writers like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, the rediscovered power of biblical narrative is making inroads, particularly in the fields of evangelism and apologetics. More Christian scholars today are beginning to realize that, as British theologian Alister McGrath puts it, “We both tell stories, and dwell within stories.” [3] Christians of all stripes need to recover the concept of a storied view of reality, recognizing that we are part of God’s story. Only then can we begin to engage nonbelievers on the shortcomings of the story they inhabit.

A First-Hand Account of the Evangelistic Power of Biblical Narratives

This summer, I had the privilege of going on a SEBTS mission trip to Madagascar. One of the first things the International Mission Board missionary told us was that the primary means by which we would be evangelizing in the local community would be through biblical storytelling.

While my initial reaction was, admittedly, skepticism, I quickly saw the raw power of storytelling among those we were engaging with. After sharing the story “The Boy Jesus in the Temple” from Luke chapter 2 with a woman in a remote village, she looked at me, smiled, and said, “I was feeling very sad today. Now I feel happy.” A local pastor working with us then presented the full gospel message, drawing from the parable I shared, at which point the woman came forward and told us that she wanted to follow Christ. What a joy it was to see the saving power of Christ at work through His Word!

See, this is the beauty of Scripture: every story in the Bible points—either directly or indirectly—to God’s overarching salvation story. You and I, fellow believer, get to bear witness to this story.

Apologetics: The Christian Narrative and Its Rivals

The pressing question, then, is this: Is the Christian story actually better than rival worldview narratives? The answer is a resounding yes.

First, as Christian philosopher James Sire notes, “There is something inherently attractive about the story of Jesus.” [4] Indeed, the person of Jesus is Himself a bottomless well of wonder and majesty, never to be fully comprehended by us. As church historian Jaroslav Pelikan once memorably put it, “…there is more in him than is dreamt of in the philosophy and Christology of the theologians.” [5] The person of Jesus and the path He offers His followers are truly unmatched in the purpose and fulfillment they provide.

Can non-Christian worldviews compete with the Christian story? The answer is a resounding no. A full examination of every competing worldview is impossible here, but it is sufficient to say that no rival worldview has Jesus at its center. Rival religions fall short in various areas, ranging from corrupted scriptures (Mormonism, Islam) to blatant misreadings of Christianity’s own Scriptures (Unitarianism, Jehovah’s Witnesses) to failed conceptions of God and reality (Hinduism, Buddhism).

Atheism (and agnosticism) likewise fail to offer a compelling story of reality. In fact, atheism on its own terms is no story at all. This simple fact largely explains why atheism consistently lived out often leads to nihilism and despair. As Baptist theologian Gavin Ortlund surmises, “On naturalism, there is no hope for life beyond this realm… reality is headed towards simple extinction, not a Happy Ending.” The difference between this picture of reality and the Christian view of reality, Ortlund continues, “…is stark indeed. The stakes couldn’t be higher.” [6]

You Can Do This: Living and Telling the Biblical Story

As highlighted above, telling the biblical story can be as simple as sharing a specific sub-story from the Bible with someone and then connecting it to the Bible’s broader metanarrative of redemption and salvation. This strategy works in places like Madagascar, and there is no reason to think God would not also use narrative evangelism here in our own Western, American context. Humans—including Westerners—are inherently storytelling creatures, after all. Start by memorizing shorter biblical stories and practicing them in front of family and friends. The story itself matters, but so does how you present it. Get feedback, improve, and then share with others.

You can also practice engaging competing worldviews at the narrative level. Pose questions about purpose and meaning to those you are in conversation with. Ask the Muslim who they think Jesus is. Ask the atheist if they believe life has an ultimate purpose. Listen to their answers, then engage with the biblical story readily at hand.

By doing this, you will both live out and proclaim the true Christian way of life.