Using Visuals Without Losing the Message
Have you ever thought about how Bible stories are presented in today’s generation? There’s no denying that many incredible creations now use stunning visuals, but it’s worth asking, do we sometimes lose the true essence of God’s Word in the process?
Sam Doherty addresses this concern by answering a question about presenting Bible stories in cartoon form through video and film.
“I have no problem with any of these so long as they follow three conditions:
1) The Bible stories should stick to the Bible narrative and should not introduce imaginary characters or situations into the stories themselves. This is the age of all kinds of attractive visuals, and we need to use them in our ministry to children. But we must be careful and selective in how we use them. A good and well produced video can well take the place of the flashcard for some people and become like a “moving flashcard” even though it lacks the personal touch of the person who uses the flashcards.
2) The artwork should be reverent and reasonably realistic. I have a problem when cartoon-type figures are used for biblical characters. Such figures give children the impression that what they are seeing did not actually happen. Children see cartoons and cartoon figures in the realm of fantasy and imagination. We don’t want them to have that view of Bible stories. Also, such cartoon figures will often give rise to laughter. Our presentation of the Word of God should lead to reverence not laughter.
3) It is vital that incidents and characters, which are not in Scripture, should not be introduced into the pictures. I have seen this done and it takes away from the truthfulness and the value of the story and brings the children into the realm of fantasy.
It’s important to remember that God has promised to bless His Word. Isaiah 55:11 “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” It is His Word — not ours or our efforts — that will go out and accomplish His purpose. Because of this, we must be careful not to let methods or techniques consume more of our focus than the Bible message itself. The Word of God must remain central to everything we do.”
* This is an extract from Mini Mag by Sam Doherty. Sam, who introduced the work of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) in Ireland and later served as Regional Director in Europe, shares his insights on 75 years of ministry in this publication. You can subscribe to receive this publication here
Image from Pixabay.com
