Is it possible for rural communities to develop entire radio dramas through oral processes only, without writing a script?
Our dramas have not only been able to reflect the complexity of life and the consequences of sinful attitudes and behaviour, but also the power of God at work and the attitudes and readiness to help that Christians can and should be displaying.
In this article, Andreas Ernst (based in Cameroon) presents a participatory oral approach for producing audio dramas. He argues that "Scripture engagement is all about dialogue, about interactivity", and shows how a wide range of people from a local community can be involved in developing a radio drama, without a written script.
Audio dramas can transmit educational content in an emotionally engaging way, leading to positive social change. For Scripture engagement, a participatory approach to developing such dramas offers a powerful way to let the Holy Spirit work in the hearts and minds of participants and audiences as they discover just how tangible the presence and guidance of God can be in their lives. The author has witnessed the joy and excitement of participants as they were able to share their personal experiences, views and creative ideas in the process of developing the story and while acting out their roles. [more...]
"When local arts call to people at a deep level, they see the relevance of God’s word to their spiritual hunger and are free to commit to Christ while remaining members of their culture."
"The word that gives life rightly lives in all parts of our lives as it is sung, danced, dramatized, drawn, and told in stories and poems, as well as being studied and read."
Article abstract:
Because languages and arts are means of communication, principles from the field of language development that communities apply to strengthen language vitality also strengthen the vitality of local artistic genres. Arts development expands a community’s existing uses of orality and arts to new topics and functions to better meet community goals together.
Status development activities increase the number of domains of use and the level of respect given local artistic genres. Corpus development activities describe genre forms and create new works in them. Acquisition development activities add to the number of people who perform or experience new works, and increase people’s interest in them.
When communities work together to meet their Kingdom goals, arts development activities add to the number of people who encounter God’s word in life-transforming ways. [more...]
From the Bible Society:
"Accessible and interactive, it will enhance and inform your ongoing Bible study, whether you are new to the Bible or want to go deeper. Using a unique storyline, the course shows how the key events, books and characters all fit together. You’ll get to see the BIG picture and discover how the Bible applies to your life."
The Bible Course Content
A typical session includes:
- Welcome from the Course host
- 15 minute teaching video
- 25 minute discussion time
- 15 minute teaching video
- 10 minute personal reflection to finish
- Daily readings between sessions
The content of the course over eight sessions includes: Introducing the Bible, Creation & Covenant, Exodus & Promised Land, Judges & Kings, Exile & Prophets, Jesus & the Gospels, Acts & the Church, Revelation & Review
Who is the Bible Course for?
The Bible Course is ideal for 1-2-1 coaching, small groups and larger gatherings and can be used anywhere from homes, workplaces or prisons. It can also be used by older youth groups, student groups and in churches. The course is accessible for people new to Christianity, ideal as a follow-on from courses like Alpha or for mature Christians wanting to increase their understanding of the Bible. [more...]
The most popular global reading format is comics. In almost every area of the world, sequential art is an effective inroad into Scripture engagement and bridge to Scripture explanation and reading. Super Bible.TV hosts the most complete graphic adaptation of the Bible ever done in numerous languages. With over 2,000 pages and 10,000 panels this graphic translation of Scripture covers all 66 books of the Bible and is a key Scripture bridge for Bible-less peoples, non-believers and the functionally illiterate.
The decline in Bible reading among millennials and teens has been documented by a recent Barna Report funded by the American Bible Society, demonstrating that 32% of Millennials never read the Bible but the percentage is even more drastic among teens at 48%. Meanwhile, in the greater public sphere comics readership has grown 42% the last five years. The Comic Bible Society sees the continuing growth in comics readership but the plummeting Bible engagement as a dynamic intersection to enter with Holy Writ.
In this article, Comic Bible Society President Art Ayris shares the top ten Scripture engagement keys his non-profit organization uses to engage various languages in Scripture: cultural acceptance, reader engagement, efficiency of format, educational, literacy, effectiveness, evangelism, transcultural, social media and Scripture engagement. [more...]