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Restoring the Arts to the Church - Colin Harbinson
Restoring the Arts to the Church: The Role of Creativity in the Expression of Truth
by Colin Harbinson
This article was edited from a chapter in The Complete Evangelism Guidebook. Scott Dawson, ed. 2006. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA: Baker Books. Permission granted by author.
Introduction
As the biblical story unfolds, it does so in stories and poetry. In fact, approximately seventy-five percent of scripture consists of narrative, fifteen percent is expressed in poetic forms and only ten percent is propositional and overtly instructional in nature. In our retelling of the same story, we have reversed this biblical pattern. Today an estimated ten percent of our communication is designed to capture the imagination of the listener, while ninety percent is purely instructive.
As the biblical story unfolds, it does so in stories and poetry. In fact, approximately seventy-five percent of scripture consists of narrative, fifteen percent is expressed in poetic forms and only ten percent is propositional and overtly instructional in nature. In our retelling of the same story, we have reversed this biblical pattern. Today an estimated ten percent of our communication is designed to capture the imagination of the listener, while ninety percent is purely instructive.