Two professors have their communication styles challenged
Dr Bill Bjoraker and Dr Larry Dinkins met in 2004 but they were so different in their thinking that they didn’t really connect. This disconnect might have continued except that Larry invited Bill to attend an International Orality Conference and a Simply the Story training event in Texas in 2008.
Larry shares, “I had been hounding Bill about Simply the Story method for around two years. Bill had been leading a weekly Jewish seekers Bible study for two years. He kept talking about how difficult it was to debate with these Jewish people, since they were very sharp and opinionated and could hold their own in any debate. Bill had tried a propositional and apologetic approach which tried to prove Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. I kept talking to Bill about taking a narrative approach and pushed him to get some training in storytelling. Finally Bill relented and flew with me to Dallas for the training.”
“Rarely have I found someone make such a radical paradigm shift as Bill. He instinctively knew that the roots and core values of his (secular) Jewish seekers were in the stories of the Old Testament. All he needed was a compelling tool that could re-connect these Jewish people to the ancient narratives of their ancestors. He found that tool in STS and started experimenting with the method. Bill reaped immediate results and the rather confrontational atmosphere of his previous Bible studies was replaced with winsome dialogue and discussion the rather confrontational atmosphere of his previous Bible studies was replaced with winsome dialogue and discussion on key OT stories, starting from Genesis. By the time they got to Exodus, Bill had trained a few of the group to actually facilitate story sessions (before Bill only lectured to the group).”
“In the ensuing four years, Bill and I were ‘comrades in story’ and immediately set up weekly training in STS, Bill and I are constantly on email discussing orality and how to teach it more effectively, especially in academia.”
“I continue to marvel and how two such mismatched missionaries could become closest friends. One explanation of our friendship is the unifying nature and power of Biblical narratives. When Bill and I discussed theology, politics or philosophies of missiology we would often disagree. I’ve noticed over the years that when you discuss Bible in a topical or systematic way, especially on controversial subjects, the discussion often degenerates into a disagreement if not an all-out argument. Yet in my six years of exposure to over 20 STS workshops, I have yet to see such altercations. At times we do run into disagreements over which version to use or interpretive problems within stories, but on the whole we are able to have edifying discussions of what I call ‘pure Bible.’ You see, the facilitator and small group participants cannot preach, summarize, cross-reference or otherwise pontificate during the STS session. You end up with everyone being brought back to the story in front of them. We find that there are plenty of treasures and theology embedded in these seemingly simple stories. There is no need to go outside of the story or rely on an ‘enlightened expert’ in order to discover deep truths. And when you start chronologically and build your repertoire of stories from the beginning of the Bible, you end up with what amounts to a balanced library of solid Biblical truth.”
“Bill and my target groups couldn’t be more diverse. I work with oral learners who are mostly Thai Buddhists or tribal animists. Bill works with highly educated Jewish urbanites. Yet we have been able to help one another develop story tools from our respective groups as well as crossover into the other’s people group. Both of us ministered for over twenty years with a highly propositional, expositional and cognitive approach to ministry. Such an approach did impact people primarily in the intellectual realm. Now we are having the joy of seeing the Bible impact not just the head but also the heart. We consistently see people touched in their emotions, but it doesn’t stop there, since a person who is moved in their ‘heart’ is also moved to action and obedience. Adding the tool of story telling to our communication belt has allowed us the joy of seeing both pre-modern and post-modern people find holism, integration and transformation in their lives.”
Testimony from LD & WB, used with permission.
