GLST 220
GOSPEL COMMUNICATION PROJECT: GRAND NARRATIVE OUTLINE
INSTRUCTIONS
In this assignment you will practice using CQ Strategy by planning to communicate a specific message (the Grand Narrative) in a
culturally appropriate way based on the CQ Knowledge you gained in your Gospel Communication Project: Cultural Intelligence
Research Assignment. Use the chart below to outline the elements of the Grand Narrative Story. You will use this outline as your
script for your Grand Narrative Video Assignment in module 7.
•Description: In the description column, you should summarize that part of the grand narrative story as if you were telling the
story to someone from the culture you researched in your CQ Research Assignment. Focus on the most important details of
that story element that would resonate with a person from that culture and use vocabulary that would make sense to a
person from that culture. When a person reads your outline, they should have a general understanding of what happened in
that part of the story even if they have never heard the story before. You should write in complete sentences when writing
your story. Write at least 5 sentences about each element. Note that you should tell the story in your own words in this
section (do not quote scripture here). You should also focus on telling the story as it is found in scripture. Do not reference
fictitious characters or teachings from other religions.
•Scripture Reference: In the scripture reference column, list scriptures where you can find that part of the story in the Bible.
You don’t have to quote the scripture, just list the reference (i.e., Genesis 1:1). Be specific. It’s ok to list a passage or a
range/section of verses, but don’t just say “Genesis.”
•Cultural Connection: In the cultural connection column, you will practice contextualizing your story. Based on your learning
from your research assignment, name the cultural value or cultural system you think would most closely connect to that part
of the Grand Narrative Story. Then, write 3-5 sentences about how you would use your CQ knowledge to help someone
understand that part of the story. What cultural artifacts might help you to draw connections from the culture to the story?
Note: You should find a point of connection even through cultural systems and values even if you have researched a culture
that has an awareness of the Grand Narrative Story. “They are already familiar with the creation story” is not an acceptable
response. You should not be referencing other religions in this column.
Student
Name
Elizabeth Torres Course Section Number GLST220_D30_202520
GLST 220
Country Brazil Cultural Cluster (Anglo, Nordic Europe,
Germanic Europe, Latin Europe, Latin
America, Confucian Asia, Southern Asia,
Sub-Saharan Africa, Arab)
Latin America
Story
Element
Description Scripture Reference Cultural Connection
Act 1: God Establishes His Kingdom (Discuss
creation.)
In Genesis 1:1-1:31, the opening chapter of the Bible,
the creation story unfolds. In the beginning, God
created the heavens and the earth. The earth was
formless and empty, covered in darkness, but God's
Spirit was hovering over the waters. Then, God said,
"Let there be light!" and there was light. God saw that
the light was good and separated the light from the
darkness. God named the light "day" and the darkness
"night." This was the first day. (Gen 1:1-5, The Inclusive
Bible, 2007) On day two, God made the barrier to
separate the waters above from the waters below, and
called it "heaven." He covered the earth with
vegetation, when dry land emerged. Then, on the third
day, He gathered the waters below to form the seas.
Plentiful was the vegetation, created by God, of all kinds
of plants, trees, and various kinds of vegetation. He
called it "good," and it was. On the fourth day, the sun,
moon, and stars were created to control the day, night,
and the seasons. The fifth day filled the waters and the
skies with fish and with birds. On the sixth day, God
created all the animals on land and in the air, and then
you and I in His own image. We were created to70 have
dominion over all the animals in the air, and in the
water and on the land.
For six days, God created the gorgeous world we now
Genesis 1: 1-31 Systems of culture and values that assist in
making connections with the creation narrative in
Genesis include:
* Systems of religious beliefs
* Appreciation for nature
* a sense of wonder
* family/community values
* Systems of rituals of rest and reflection.
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have and declared it to be exceedingly wonderful. On the
seventh day, God stopped working and made that day a
day of rest and plenty—a stamp of approval for His
power, cleverness, and love.
Act 2: Rebellion in the Kingdom (Discuss
sin and the fall.)
In the holy book, there is a tale that relates to a unique
tree known as the \"tree of the knowledge of good and
evil.\" The omnipotent deity instructed the first humans,
Adam and Eve, to enjoy any of the trees in the garden,
save one. \"This forbidden tree,\" It was said, \"will give
your anatomy an all too unpleasurable experience when
tasted.\" Unfortunately, the first couple couldn't help
themselves. A scaly creature (serpent) tempted them
and, later on, enshrined them with godlike attributes
and told them they would suffer no such fate if they
partook of the forbidden fruit.
Genesis 2:17 In Brazil, the cultural value of obedience and
respect for authority is frequently extolled,
particularly in the domains of family and religion.
This societal veneration of obedience and the
sanctions that accompany disobedience can
assist the Brazilian populace in making sense of
the tale of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:17. They
can grasp the profundity of the situation when
they picture God handing down a command and
then watching with bated breath as it is defied.
By dipping into common biblical themes (like
temptation and the condition of humanity) that
almost everyone is privy to, we are able to shine
a new light on these age-old stories. We are
highlighting the universal experience of human
temptation and the importance of making
responsible free will choices in labs or life. And
we are linking those themes to real-life
occurrences in our mostly obedient lives.
Act 3: The King Chooses Israel
(Trace the story of Israel through the Old Testament, highlighting several key people along the way.)
At first, there was nothing but God, who then created
time and the universe by merely using His word.
Mankind was next in His creation, a pair of humans
feathered into His likeness, a man and a woman, who
were then placed into the splendid confines of the
Garden of Eden. There, they were tasked with doing
Genesis 1-25
Isaiah 14-53
Exodus 1-25
Numbers 14-35
Deuteronomy 18
Joshua 6-18 1
The of story of Israel through the Old Testament
collects from numerous cultural artifacts that
have shaped many cultures and belief systems.
One important source is sacred literature,
especially the Christian Bible, and in particular,
the Book of Genesis.
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anything but eating from the tree whose fruit taught
them judgment of good and evil. But Lucifer, who had
formerly been the brightest of all angels, led an uprising
against God and got himself, along with the other angels
who had joined his rebellion, thrown out of heaven.
Lucifer then came to Eden, where he filled up Eve and,
through her, Adam, too, with paths of reasoning that
impelled them to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge
of good and evil, which, as it turned out, was bad for
them. The battle between right and wrong kept on in
that family. The first man and the first woman produced
sons who struggled with difficult decisions. Cain chose to
murder his brother Abel, and he paid and is still paying a
heavy price for that choice. Abel, of course, didn't
deserve to die. But Cain let evil and hatred inside of him
until his human side was almost nonexistent.
After generations filled with evil following Noah, God
decided it was time to start over. He chose Noah, not
because he was perfect but because he was favored by
God, to have him and his family build a large boat, called
an ark, to survive a world-destroying flood that was
going to come as a judgment on the evil world that had
turned against God. Noah and his family, along with a
huge boatload of animals, were saved by the ark. After
the Flood, the descendants of Noah reclaimed the earth,
but they disobeyed the Lord God by trying to reach
heaven and building a monument to their power. They
did it so well that the Lord came down to see what they
were up to, and then He got very upset and confused
their languages.
Kings 17 2
Kings 2-25
Jeremiah 29-34
Daniel 2-9
Nehemiah 6
Ezra 6
Zechariah 9
Esther 8
Furthermore, the tale finds echoes in the
worldwide mythology of many cultures. The idea
of God fighting with the Devil, the use of angels
as helpers, and the casting out of Lucifer all have
close relatives in the myths of ancient societies
such as those of Greece, Scandinavia, and
Mesopotamia.
Throughout history, biblical tales have been
portrayed and interpreted by artists and writers.
Events like the fall of man, the parting of the Red
Sea, and the lives of characters like Moses and
David have been captured in paintings,
sculptures, poems, and epic narratives. These
artistic endeavors stand as cultural artifacts for
exploration and interpretation.
Additionally, the story's impact can be seen in
the formation of religious rituals and symbols.
The agreement between God and the Israelites,
the setting up of laws and sacrifices, resonates in
many culture's religious practices and serves as
an umbilical cord to these religions.
We can achieve a deeper comprehension of the
story you told and its diverse interpretations
across myriad cultural contexts by looking closely
at these cultural artifacts. They shed light on how
the story has both influenced and been
influenced by the cultures that tell it.
Act 4: The Coming of the King
(Discuss the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus)
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a fundamental part of 1 Peter 1:3 1 In Brazil, the values not only of faith but also of
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the Christian faith that resonates in deep ways within
Brazilian culture. It is the same aspect of the Christian
faith that is at the heart of the mural that the Brazilian
street artist Panmela Castro painted in the Casa do Povo,
an artist-run space in São Paulo. Like most of the artist's
works, this mural has layers of meaning. For Castro, the
mural links the resurrection of Christ to the struggle for
resurrection carried out each day by marginalized people
in Brazil.
For Brazilians, the notion of being renewed and filled
with lively hope through the resurrection of Jesus is
foundational to their faith. Day-to-day life in Brazil offers
a celebration of renewal, as the past is continually
trumped by the promise of resurrection. This concept is
not clearly visible only in the vividness of Carnival but is
a year-round sight, as Brazilians take every available
moment in day-to-day life to overcome and revel in their
constantly renewed moments of resurrection. It is a
picture-perfect scene on the Rio's bay, a scene continued
with arrival at the airport and at the gathered promise of
Carnival. A not-so-typical Rio day now offers the typical
scene of overcoming and constant renewing.
Moreover, the link in 1 Corinthians 15:21 between
death, introduced by Adam, and resurrection, provided
by Jesus, resonates with Brazilian Christians. They see in
this verse a clear statement of the hope and restoration
found in Jesus. This is something truly important to not
just Brazilian Christians, but all Christians. I would like to
close with this thought from Dr. Schneider.
Brazil's secular individuals aren't left out; even they feel
the imagery of God's mercy and the possibility of
redemption speaking to them. They aren't the ones who
society often holds up as good exemplars when going on
Corinthians 15:21 hope and renewal, which spring from the
resurrection of Jesus, exert influence in a
powerful way. This influence is manifested in the
seemingly ordinary though really quite
remarkable display of religious symbols—
especially the cross—that one encounters in a
host of settings across the public and private
landscape of daily life in Brazil.
If one were to visit a shopping mall in Brazil, for
instance, one would be likely to encounter some
kind of statement or admission concerning the
power of the resurrection at the very entrance of
the mall, issuing forth to the same public that
quite recently was being fostered with images
both of real-life and of celluloid superheroes.
and on about the merits of living a moral life and the
importance of not giving in to temptation and sin. But
these good secular Brazilians exist, and some even listen
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to and watch the pop cultural, God-centered spectacle.
The Molotov cocktails hurled at God's centenary
cathedral are harmfully effective in yet another way:
They keep Charles Graner's nautilus shell of amoral
goodness from succeeding, as Brazilians ever since the
time of Dutch artist Frans Post have painted Brazil as a
good place to live in.
Act 5: Spreading the News of the King
(Discuss the Holy Spirit, the Church, and the mission of believers today.)
God is portrayed as Jesus. Matthew 28:19-20 says this:
Jesus commanded his followers to get baptized—not just
in water, but in his essential being; that is, in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. It was to
underscore the clearness and the clarity of this act for
believers that I was taught many years ago to use the
names when performing the act of baptism. I was told
that using the names signified that those who were
being baptized were not just entering some kind of faith
sect, but were entering a community formed by the
Triune God.
Another significant facet is the notion of God living inside
the faithful. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, it is asserted that
the faithful are the very temple of God. This means that
God's presence isn't just far-off but rather, so to speak,
next-door inside the faithful He calls to Himself. The
earth-shattering aspect of this experience brings a level
of intimacy with the kind of God who levels the entire
experience of His presence in the faithful as one with a
sense of purpose and belonging.
Matthew 28:19-20
Ephesians 4:30 1
Corinthians 6:19- 20
Carnival can help Brazilians connect with the
above biblical story. The initiation of a faith
community through baptism connects with the
value of belonging that is essential in Brazil. The
artifacts of our culture—amulets, for example—
are cultural expressions of the importance we
give to God's protection. They are like the steps
we take for a divine promise of safeguarding our
lives. Visiting a church, going on a pilgrimage, or
participating in a procession are all ways that
resemble the kind of lifestyles that guarantee
God will make His home in our lives.
This story element underscores the core tenets of
Christianity and shines a light on the all-important bond
between believers and their Creator. It spotlights
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baptism, guarantees protection, and lays out what it
means for God to dwell within a believer. In both the
story and our lives, these represent the sort of
foundations upon which a person can build a faith that
only gets stronger in the face of adversity.
Act 6: The Return of the King
(Discuss Christ’s return and our restoration)
As per the prophecy in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, it is
foretold that the Lord Himself will come down from
heaven in the future. This event will be accompanied by
a loud shout, the voice of the archangel, and the
trumpet of God. These powerful sounds, coupled with
the direct involvement of the Lord, underscore His
divine authority and presence. The ones who believed
in Him and have since died will be the first to rise,
showcasing the promise of resurrection and eternal life.
In Psalm 51:12, the psalmist—believed to be King David
—makes a heartfelt plea to God that the divinely inspired
scribe of antiquity likely hoped would be a prayer for the
ages. The psalmist asks God to restore the psalmist's joy
in God's salvation. This heartfelt petition emphasizes a
deep and desperate longing to experience the joy that
conditions the psalmist to give thanks, a psalmist who is
so consumed with and confined to the joy of God's
intimate salvation that the salvation becomes, in effect,
the condition of the psalmist's joy.
Christians connect these story elements to their faith
and beliefs. When the sky opens, and God starts coming
down, it signifies hope. Hope for the resurrection. Hope
for the fulfillment of divine promises. It reinforces the
1 Thessalonians
4:16
Psalm 51:12
This biblical narrative artfully captures the theme
of the descent of the Lord and the resurrection of
the dead in Christ, paralleling it directly with 1
Thessalonians 4:16. This verse prophetically
declares a future event where the Lord will come
from heaven, accompanied by a loud command,
the voice of the archangel, and the trumpeting of
God.
The visual of the Lord coming down conveys not
only His magnificent divine authority and
presence but also signifies the hope of
resurrection and the fulfilling of God's promises
to His followers. This moment is a key one in
Christian eschatology, pointing to the very end
times when life will truly have triumphed over
death. And that moment seems to evoke a
nextlevel enthusiasm among all believers to go
forth and preach the good news of Jesus' return,
which basically means life having triumphed over
death. The theme is profoundly in harmony with
the basic principles of Christianity. It especially
highlights faith and how it can transform a
person's life as well as the hope that is placed in
belief in the ultimate life-over-death victory that we can
expect when Jesus returns.
Moreover, the restoration of joy in Psalm 51:12 is more
than an Old Testament isolation of personal joy, which
the promises of salvation that come with the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Somber as it may be,
the narrative holds up a mirror to the characters
it involves and encourages the reader to take an
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actually might seem somewhat selfish. (Joy in relation to
personal revival is plenty selfish for Christians when
weighed against the communal nature of joy as it
appears in the Psalms.) The Christian manner of
understanding that verse makes it about the way
wayfarers in both the personal and communal senses
relate to God.
The elements use the language and vocabulary that are
familiar to those of the Christian culture and focus on the
themes of salvation, resurrection, joy, and a deeply
personal connection with God. The core values and
beliefs that are central to the Christian faith and provide
comfort, hope, and inspiration are what this is really all
about.
introspective look at their own lives.
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