A Study of Stories: Biblically-Based Creative Writing Exercises as Tools for Recognizing and Learning from Life's Holy Moments

Abstract

God speaks to us through the stories of our lives. But in the information age, technology and external narratives have become pervasive, making it difficult to find the space and tools to reflect on our experiences. Technology has changed the way we engage in business, shop, earn degrees, network, and it has changed the ways we tell our stories. For example, the social media site Facebook promotes telling life stories in short and positive ways. Technology encourages writing for response, not writing for reflection, which can be a powerful learning tool. When we do not reflect on our lives, we miss out on an opportunity to experience personal growth. And, we miss out on the opportunity to see in new ways how the holy is present in our lives. The current project evaluates whether biblically-based creative non-fiction writing exercises, specifically, exercises inspired by the book of Ruth, can serve as tools for people to engage in theological reflection. The research asked whether the nine participants in a two-day writing workshop were able to write about and reflect on their life stories. The writing exercises were designed for participants to write about stories related to change in their lives. The hope, then, was that through writing life stories, participants would be led to reflect to their lives, recognize the holy, and experience spiritual growth. If effective, this model for storytelling might provide an alternative to the trends of modern technology, such as Facebook. The results of the project indicate that biblically-based creative non-fiction writing exercises can serve as tools for theological reflection. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone [phone]. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]