Backstory: The Story that Makes Sense of Our Stories

Very excited to announce the publication (and availability) of Backstory! Even more excited about the very conversation I had in which I used Backstory, two days ago on a flight between Chicago and KC . Amazing! The story will have to wait until a future (next?) post. For now, let me introduce Backstory to you.

Ten years ago we made our first attempt at telling the storyline of the gospel (creation to return) using seven themes. It was published as Life@Large. (This is an early flash version of it. Click on the yellow arrows for navigation. Notice there is both a conversational view - upper - and storyline - lower). It was featured in a chapter I wrote entitled "The Gospel for a New Generation" in D.A. Carson's book, Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns. It was fashioned using the best thinking we could assemble at the time, though much of that thinking was "theory", not "proven wisdom". Through the intervening decade, we saw it used in a variety of settings (including over a million copies distributed as part of the Fallen, Not Forgotten remembrance booklet in NYC following 9-11.) It was also translated in a handful of languages (including Italian) and used in a variety of global contexts.

But in the ten years since we have learned a lot about communicating the gospel storyline. Those lessons have helped shape Backstory. You can download a pdf to view it. But let me give you a quick idea of how to use it.

The backbone of the presentation is found the black, photo pages (left-side). These walk you through the seven themes, with brief explanation and a Bible verse.

1. Intimacy (Creation)
2. Betrayal (Fall)
3. Anticipation (OT promise of a Savior)
4. Pursuit (life of Christ)
5. Sacrifice (death and resurrection)
6. Invitation (the present age of salvation)
7. Reunion (the age to come)
   

These are the pages you would normally use as the focus of a conversation.

The corresponding white pages (right side) provide conversational questions for exploring the thoughts and experience of each other, or questions to help bring greater understanding. There are also points explanation (such as, "Crosswords" based on Romans 3:23-25) and apologetic touch points (such as, prophecies of a Messiah in Micah 5:2 and Isaiah 7:14). You use these as needed or appropriate.

If you read aloud the intro, the black theme (photo) pages, "Your Thoughts" and "Turning Point" page, there is seven and a half minutes of content. By adding the questions and explanations on the white (additional info) pages, the conversation can become as long and deep as you both desire. (My amazing plane conversation with "J." was a couple of hours.)

Hope you enjoy exploring Backstory. Hope even more that you have the privilege of helping others discover the story that makes sense their stories.