You do NOT need to be a biblical scholar or well-versed in the Bible to share your faith.
Often, people will connect more with you and your story of what God is doing in your life compared to connecting with all the Bible verses you can quote to them.
There is a time and place for well-versed Christian apologetics.
The problem is, the longer you are a Christian, the more likely you are to use “Christianese” or “Church” language in serving your faith and the Gospel.
Be honest, did you read “Christian apologetics” and think Christians are apologizing for the faith? Many might, especially the society becomes anti-Christian.
Christian Apologetics is simply the reasoned and intellectual defense of the truth of the Christianity.
S.T.A.R.T. Sharing Your Faith With Films
Other training materials on this site will show you how to share your unique story with others. This training will briefly share the >S.T.A.R.T. Process I use in creating devotions based on movies.
The acronym helps me remember, S= story/scene/quote, T= Taking place, A= action taken or not, R= Result, and T= Teach.
S= story/scene/quote
The story we pick helps sets the tone and can help us connect with the person we are sharing our faith with.
There are not that many types of stories templates in movies. The most popular is the Hero’s Journey.
JK did not write a masterpiece JK wrote Star Wars with sucky lightsabers… look at the evidence. What do we have here? Oh it’s a young male orphan protagonist, who for his own safety, has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle until a mysterious bearded stranger who was actually the one to deliver him to his aunt and uncle when he was a baby comes into his life starts to teach him about this ancient kind of magic. Granted, he’s going to learn a lot more about this magic from an older wiser Wizard who’s high most of the time. Regardless, his uncle iss totally against this magic stuff. Won’t even tell him what really happened to his parents. But against his uncle’s wishes, he leaves home for the very first time. Makes new friends. Meets a pretty young impetuous girl. And while there will be an odd sexual tension between the two of them he will only ever love her like a sister while she struggles with the feelings that she has for his best friend the scruffy comic.
by ~Comedian Aaron Woodall
T= Taking place
After picking a scene or quote from a movie, talk with the person about what’s happening in the scene.
The more you can get the person to remember and agree with you, the better the conversation will go, especially when you get to the last point, teach.
While talking about what’s happening, try to connect it with a transformational or timeless truth.
A= action taken or not
The vast majority of movies end with a “good ending” even if things go awry before the last scene. Talk about the scene and what action is or is not taken.
Sometime the lead character’s action or lack of action moves the story along. They disarmed the bomb and saved people. Now it’s time to get the bad guy. Or they didn’t get there in time to save the hostage. Now it’s time to get the bad guy.
R= Result
What is the result of that scene or quote?
Why is it in the movie? Put on your detective’s hat and propose your reasons or share the reasons the director shared. Better yet, ask the person you’re talking with to share their ideas.
T= Teach
Finally it is time to teach.
We connect it with a biblical story or biblical truth.
There are several themes in Scripture.
- God exists
- Man’s sin and separation from God
- Humanity’s need for a savior
- Jesus is the Savior we all need
- Jesus will return
- Christian living
- and more…
