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The Word Becomes Film: A Modern Day Parable That Introduces a Radically Easy Way of Talking About God's Story
Most of us want to tell our friends about Jesus...
But our level of confidence, and our abilities, don't always match that desire. If you're a Christian, you long to share the good news of the Bible with the people in your life. Still, you worry that discussing it may be offensive, leaving you feeling frustrated and guilty. Maybe you aren't sure how to even start. In our secular, post-Christian world we need a new approach to sharing Jesus, one that's personal, creative, and engaging. In this page-turning parable, author Russ Matthews gives readers a powerful tool for evangelism that he has been using for the last The power of narrative and story through movies . This model provides an interactive screenplay for a world that doesn’t know how to talk about faith anymore. And what Russ Matthews suggests is simple, revolutionary, effective, and most importantly, tried and tested. The Reel Dialogue team and the author hope to introduce these methods to you through the pages in this book and the resources provided at the back. The Word Becomes Film is a ground-breaking model that applies wherever you find yourself. It is a storyboard for Christians who may be frustrated with established models of evangelism and want to create new culturally-friendly ways of engaging their friends with the Gospel. Simply put, stories draw people into God's story…
All that's left to do is scroll back up to the top of the page and click (or tap) "Buy Now" to get started!
But our level of confidence, and our abilities, don't always match that desire. If you're a Christian, you long to share the good news of the Bible with the people in your life. Still, you worry that discussing it may be offensive, leaving you feeling frustrated and guilty. Maybe you aren't sure how to even start. In our secular, post-Christian world we need a new approach to sharing Jesus, one that's personal, creative, and engaging. In this page-turning parable, author Russ Matthews gives readers a powerful tool for evangelism that he has been using for the last The power of narrative and story through movies . This model provides an interactive screenplay for a world that doesn’t know how to talk about faith anymore. And what Russ Matthews suggests is simple, revolutionary, effective, and most importantly, tried and tested. The Reel Dialogue team and the author hope to introduce these methods to you through the pages in this book and the resources provided at the back. The Word Becomes Film is a ground-breaking model that applies wherever you find yourself. It is a storyboard for Christians who may be frustrated with established models of evangelism and want to create new culturally-friendly ways of engaging their friends with the Gospel. Simply put, stories draw people into God's story…
All that's left to do is scroll back up to the top of the page and click (or tap) "Buy Now" to get started!
139 pages, Paperback
Published October 9, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 3, 2023
What an inspiring read. I was not expecting to read fiction (or as the cover describes, a “modern day parable”) when I got myself a copy of this book. However, I was quickly won over by the intriguing narrative, easy writing, and unfolding premise of the book.
Matthew’s uses the story of Quade— a married, middle-aged, Sydney-sider’s happenstance meeting with Finn— a film reviewer/ministry worker who is mysterious, eager and… almost Christological— to unpack a larger concept of the relationship between narrative and the Christian faith, specifically in film.
I really enjoyed the ideas this book posed, particularly the implicit ones. I think on a deeper level what was impressed on me was that for the church to engage deeply with society, and probably even with ourselves, there needs to be a greater appreciation for the role that ‘narrative’ plays in our lives. We consume narrative everyday, and in many forms. As Finn describes, narrative is more than just entertainment (although we often treat it just as such). But as Matthews coins in his introduction, all narrative are really “micro-narratives” that form some aspect of God’s meta-narrative”. This is a great framework to begin more meaningful conversations and thinking.
Thank you for your work Russ! I hope to see more work and fruit from this!
Matthew’s uses the story of Quade— a married, middle-aged, Sydney-sider’s happenstance meeting with Finn— a film reviewer/ministry worker who is mysterious, eager and… almost Christological— to unpack a larger concept of the relationship between narrative and the Christian faith, specifically in film.
I really enjoyed the ideas this book posed, particularly the implicit ones. I think on a deeper level what was impressed on me was that for the church to engage deeply with society, and probably even with ourselves, there needs to be a greater appreciation for the role that ‘narrative’ plays in our lives. We consume narrative everyday, and in many forms. As Finn describes, narrative is more than just entertainment (although we often treat it just as such). But as Matthews coins in his introduction, all narrative are really “micro-narratives” that form some aspect of God’s meta-narrative”. This is a great framework to begin more meaningful conversations and thinking.
Thank you for your work Russ! I hope to see more work and fruit from this!
March 13, 2024
Well done, Russ! ‘The Word Becomes Film’ is a well-written book, offering a fun and easy read. If you want to get a glimpse of the wonderful ministry Russ has in Australia, check it out. It’s amazing how he and his team use the Bible and film to reach those around them with the Gospel. It was fascinating to read how they used both the Bible and film in their stories. Our ABWE team is looking for more people to join them in doing creative ministry like Russ. Reach out if you are interested in joining us.
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March 25, 2024I don't rate books by people I know personally (because that just feels weird), but this was such a helpful read to learn more about how Russ and those involved in his ministry in Sydney utilize film as an on-ramp to discussing God. I've heard bits and pieces from a "big picture" perspective from Russ and others, but seeing it written out like this in an engaging narrative format was super helpful and made it seem so doable! Super thankful for the creative ministry Russ is engaged in and I hope he continues to inspire and equip others to do the same!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews