Real People, Real Faith
Preaching Biblical Characters
- Preaching & Worship
- Publisher: Fortress Press (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2022
FritzSearch.com earns a commission on purchases made through Bookshop.org links.
Publisher's Description
The characters in Scripture are often portrayed as one-dimensional--as caricatures instead of human beings with real needs, authentic pain, and compelling fears. When their problems are viewed as one-dimensional, so is their faith. Approaching biblical characters in this way can inhibit listeners' ability to hear the biblical witness as relevant to their own lives and can minimize the impact of Scripture on their faith journey. Real People, Real Faith provides practical tools to portray biblical characters as multidimensional human beings who encountered and journeyed with God. Placing high value on historical, cultural, and scriptural contexts, Cindy Halvorson demonstrates techniques for generating holistic characters, particularly by exploring archetypical human reactions and spiritual longings. She shows how the preacher can use this method to reimagine the biblical characters, present figures with whom listeners relate and empathize, and draw portraits of real people whose relationship with God is in many ways like listeners' own--people with whom they may sojourn and grow. When listeners are touched by a biblical character's story and shown how their relationship with God was transformed, they too may experience the Divine's love and care for them.
Endorsements (3)
“Cindy Halvorson’s love of people overflows in this gentle and inviting volume. She teaches preachers not just how to read biblical texts better, but how to read people in those texts. Using context and characterization details, she shows how to make movies with words, so the biblical people come alive. More important and unusual on this topic, she focuses on their faith. She ministers Christ to them in the details of their needs and, in so doing, ministers joy and hope to readers.”
“Having heard Cindy Halvorson preach about the wine steward’s amazement when Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1–12), I was eager to learn from her. Real People, Real Faith delivers. Cindy understands the power of story over facts. She offers a pathway into the biblical narrative that gives the preacher a unique style, one that invites the listener to encounter God in a personal way.”
“Preaching is not simply a cognitive or academic experience. Those who hear a sermon have meaningful questions, real needs, and deep joys and sorrows. Cindy Halvorson helps us understand that to preach to the whole person, we need to preach the whole story. Context, personality, and spirit all matter. Her book gives insights into a wholistic way to connect God’s story to our story and share a word of hope, love, and grace.”
See something wrong on this page? Report a problem