Storycraft: The Art of Spiritual Narrative

by Walter Wangerin Jr.

In Storycraft , renowned author Walter Wangerin Jr. explores the power of narrative and storytelling to impact message, messenger, and hearer. Through preaching and teaching, the gospel comes alive--is incarnated--in the words, actions, and stories we tell. Well-crafted stories shape the relationship between tellers and listeners, between preachers and people. And in the telling, trust is established, faith is formed, and lives change. "A well-told story gives people eyes that see, ears that hear, tongues that taste, fingers that touch, and hearts that can be moved. But even before we start to create a story, and then to tell it, we should trust we have the abilities to craft it well enough to lead our listeners to the truth" (chapter 3). Wangerin draws on personal experience and a host of voices to make a case for the importance of embracing story as an essential tool for communicating the gospel in preaching and teaching settings. He turns to personal anecdotes, wisdom from ancient classics, and a provocative anthology of narrative types. Together, Wangerin's reflections create a theology of story that shows how the Word of God takes on flesh in practiced speech. The sections of the book focus on the effect of spoken stories and the process of building a story step by step. It then provides several examples of stories for telling and expands on the importance of theatrics in preaching and teaching. In a very real sense, preachers and teachers of the gospel are actors. Motion and meaning flow not simply from words but from the embodied presentation of the preacher, who approaches the task as script writer, director, and actor.

154 pages, Paperback

Published March 8, 2022

About the author

Walter Wangerin Jr. is widely recognized as one of the most gifted writers writing today on the issues of faith and spirituality. Starting with the renowned Book of the Dun Cow, Wangerin's writing career has encompassed most every genre: fiction, essay, short story, children's story, meditation, and biblical exposition. His writing voice is immediately recognizable, and his fans number in the millions. The author of over forty books, Wangerin has won the National Book Award, New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year Award, and several Gold Medallions, including best-fiction awards for both The Book of God and Paul: A Novel. He lives in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he is Senior Research Professor at Valparaiso University.

Reviews

[Caleb Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been searching for books to continue to grow my knowledge and skill on preaching and storytelling.

The late Walter Wangerin shares some important steps and methods to add to your sermons via storytelling. Unfortunately I found a lot do this book was quoting other authors and the Bible far to often with little new or challenging ideas.

Still some decent content and clearly someone who had a passion for preaching and storytelling.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is a spectacular book. It is the best book I’ve read on speaking and telling stories. Particularly for preachers. I loved his blending of story and practical and spiritual advice for the storyteller/preacher. It was wonderful.

[Paul Herriott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a grab-bag collection of wisdom and good practices from a master communicator by way of stories. Wangerin was likely supremely talented as a communicator and teacher, but I did find many of his ideas and suggestions to be worthy of retaining.

[Grace Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful storytelling and tips on public speaking that takes you back to classic rhetoric.