Reviews and endorsements
Endorsements
“People throughout history have been fascinated and attracted by a well-told story. The biblical story, which focuses on God’s dealings with humankind, is the greatest story ever told. In this fresh treatment of the role of storytelling in the communication of the gospel, Christine Dillon, using her extensive personal experience of working crossculturally, writes winsomely and helpfully about ways in which we can engagingly bring the gospel alive through the art of storytelling in a global generation of increasing numbers of oral learners who love to hear a good story. There is no greater story to be told than the story of God’s love for people in the person of Jesus Christ. This book will be help you be more effective in telling that story.”
— Lindsay Brown, former general secretary of IFES and former international director of the Lausanne Movement for World Evangelization
“At last, a really practical book on Bible storying! Christine Dillon gives us a step-by-step guide on how to tell Bible stories based on a carefully laid biblical foundation, nuggets of wisdom from her research and her own experiences of telling Bible stories on planes, at the hairdresser, with friends and on the streets. The result is a book that encourages, inspires and helps me to use storytelling much more often in sharing the message of the Bible with Muslims. I will be highly recommending it to all my students and Christian friends.”
— Richard Hibbert, director, School of Cross-Cultural Mission, Sydney Missionary & Bible College
“I appreciate Christine Dillon’s knowledge and experience of using storytelling in evangelism. Many people love to talk about ‘orality’ and theorize on how and why it should work. Christine learned the concepts of storytelling and immediately started using them. Over the years, she has had to improve her skills, change her approach and develop her methods. This ongoing process has been key in her success. Now she has written down what she has learned. This is a must-read for those wanting to develop these same skills.”
— John Walsh, president, Christian Storytelling Network
“Human beings make sense of our lives through stories. Yet all too often when it comes to evangelism, Christians offer some abstract theological propositions for people to agree with or not, rather than inviting them to enter the Story the Bible is narrating. Christine Dillon calls us to recapture the beauty, power and mystery of storying the gospel, and does so with the wisdom of a practitioner.”
— Sean Gladding, author of The Story of God, the Story of Us
“We live by stories. Family stories. Celebrities’ stories. Historical stories. Something happens. And then–? We stop to listen. We can’t help it. The story pulls us in. Much of God’s revelation is story. People act, but even before that, God acts. Christine Dillon knows the power of God’s never-ending story. In this book she shows us how to tell it so as to transmit truth that will transform the listeners.”
— Miriam Adeney, author of Kingdom Without Borders: The Untold Story of Global Christianity
“Christine has given us a most welcome introduction and primer in her book Telling the Gospel Through Story. While her context is crosscultural, she makes a strong case for pastors and evangelists everywhere to understand the importance of, and the ways and means to share, biblical narratives. This book will be helpful in all gospel preaching and homiletics in general.”
— Lon Allison, executive director, Billy Graham Center, Wheaton College
“This is an excellent book that I would encourage all serious Christians to read. Using moving stories, Christine shares insights she has learned about telling (gospel) stories effectively. She answers the questions that will come to the reader’s mind. Christine is honest that this method will not cause all to come to Christ, but the method may have the best chance of people hearing the whole story and wanting more. I will be recommending this book for all our workers, both new and experienced.”
— Richard Schlitt, deputy general director, OMF
“My wife and I first arrived in Taiwan with OMF in 1988. Looking back there are several things that I wish that I had known then that I know now. One of them is ‘Bible storying’. Over the last few years I have attended a couple of training seminars on using Bible stories for evangelism. These seminars have been interesting, but I was slow to start telling stories. Hearing from other missionaries who were using stories, however, encouraged me start using stories more over the last year or so. I can now attest that telling Bible stories really ‘works’.
“A few weeks ago I got a copy of Christine’s new book, Storying the Scriptures: Telling the Gospel Through Story. Christine is not an ivory tower author. She writes from her experience talking with people on the streets, and in the markets and homes of Taiwan. Christine shares her struggles of trying to share the gospel, with varying degrees of success, and why she is now so enthusiastic about telling Bible stories. This book is a must read for all missionaries. It is written by a practitioner and is eminently practical. Even those, like myself, who have been serving for many years, will find helpful tips here. I wish that I had read this book 20 years ago!”
— David Ullstrom, missionary and pastor
Reviews
Independent reviews are starting to appear in various places. If you come across one, please let us know so we can add a link.
From John at Amazon.com – “In my opinion this book is one of the most effective resources on evangelism that I have ever encountered, and I highly recommend it. ” [Read more at Amazon.com]
From Tricia S on Amazon.com – “Christine has written a book that every would-be storyteller can benefit from because it encourages them, through her own real-life experiences (instead of through theory), to go next door, start a conversation, and tell a story!” [Read more at Amazon.com]
Christianity Today – “Dillon’s method seeks, as all methods of evangelism should, to understand a hearer’s worldview. She shapes her telling of the biblical story of redemption in a way that listeners will grasp and remember. She builds narrative richly and robustly without compromise. Furthermore, she understands how to get past the barriers and preconceptions of her hearers.” [Read more at ChristianityToday.com]
From Paul Cedar at Outreach magazine: “A 2013 Outreach Resource of the Year” – “Christine Dillon has learned the art of storytelling in the trenches of both Western and non-Western ministry contexts. She believes all of us can learn to share the Good News of Jesus Christ effectively through storytelling. This wonderful ‘how to’ book is not merely a brief introduction to storytelling, but is an in-depth biblical and practical study of this important subject. Regardless of your present approach to evangelism, you will find this book to be a significant help as you have the opportunity to introduce others to Jesus Christ.” [From OutreachMagazine.com, March/April 2013 issue]
I’ve posted a review of this book on amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1EOFWYRHRV51B