So You Want To Tell Stories?
Dear Aspiring Christian Journalist,
So you want to tell stories and report events in the name of Jesus?
So did I.I came to Bible college as an applied linguistics major in hopes of becoming a Bible translator and going to an unreached people group with the gospel. Yet after my first week of Intro to Linguistics, it became clear that path wasn’t for me. Desperate to figure out what I should switch my major to, I sought the counsel of family members and friends who knew me well. Since I liked taking pictures and some people thought I could write, I switched my major to communications.And that’s when I started to think about the possibility of missions’ journalism.I considered with excitement the idea of going to the nations, taking pictures, and writing stories. If I couldn’t translate the Bible, this seemed like the next best thing. Yet as I looked around and began to see the talented storytellers surrounding me, I questioned once again if I was in the right major and if journalism was something I could ever do. As I processed through my own desires and fears, I realized whatever work I ended up pursuing should not be born out of my insecurities, but out of the freedom we have in Christ as fully loved children of God.
When our ambitions and dreams are more about proving ourselves than serving others, we’re missing out on the freedom Christ has won for us.
As I began to take classes and thought more about the power of stories, I realized how often we miss out on the stories surrounding us every day because we are looking to be entertained rather than to listen.We walk past each other every day, living stories, and stare at our screens . We hide away in our rooms binge-watching our new favorite show on Netflix. Yet if we are to report events of what is happening throughout the world and tell stories of other people,we must refuse to receive stories primarily through screens.
Before we seek to tell the stories of others, we must learn to listen to them first.
Please don’t assume that because you want to enter missions journalism you are exempt from potential pitfalls in this field. As soon as technique takes priority over character, journalism becomes not a way to serve but instead a way to entertain, to impress, or to coerce.
While technique may lead us to tell the stories people want to hear, character leads us to tell the stories people need to hear. Journalism divorced from relationships will result in misrepresentation. Incarnational ministry is an essential part of reporting others’ stories. How can we attempt to represent others if we have not walked among them? If we have not taken any time to learn their history, their culture, their lives?Sensationalizing others’ stories, dramatizing their lives to a point that is untrue, is dishonoring to them. The temptation to do this in the context of missions can become particularly strong. We may want to show how terrible situations are in order to raise awareness and receive a reaction or to show how wonderful and effective our ministries are to receive validation.
People in our pews need to be able to connect with the missionaries they support, not to see them as a category of super-Christians, but to realize their lives and their ministries are often messy and discouraging, while also rewarding and beautiful.
There is great beauty in telling stories built out of godly lives and loving relationships. We are made to share in the stories of one another, to hear, to see, to celebrate, to mourn. God can use the journalistic work you do to equip the Western Church and to serve those whose stories you are telling.
Approaching journalism with the mind of Christ allows us to tell stories in a manner that reflects the beauty of his kingdom.
We bear witness to the heavenly kingdom by approaching journalism with a recognition of the image of God in others. We do this by being a voice for the voiceless and by celebrating the renewal experienced in Christ.We bear witness to the sovereignty of our God by doing journalism in difficult and dangerous places. While this does not mean we need to run to the most violent places in the world, it does mean our willingness to step into uncomfortable and dangerous situations can testify to God’s presence in our lives.
Christ calls us to service and love:
We must consider our intentions and examine our conduct.Do we want to tell others’ stories merely to avoid our own? Do we truly want to serve others or are we seeking to convince them of our own agenda?
Christ uses imperfect people:
We must not lose heart or give up.Do you fail often in your walk with Christ? Do you feel inadequate to do his work? Then you are just the kind of person he chooses to use.So you want to tell stories? So did I. Well, maybe I still do. Right now I’m learning to listen. Learning to serve. And maybe one day I’ll pick up my camera and notebook and really dig into what God is doing throughout the world.Maybe you will want to join me.
Works Cited:
Eadicicco, Lisa. "Americans Check Their Phones 8 Billion Times a Day." Time. Time, 15 Dec.
- Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
Koblin, John. "Netflix Studied Your Binge-Watching Habit. That Didn’t Take Long." The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 June 2016. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.