Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.
Synopsis
Wayne Harvey tells how he once used a stirring illustration about an Austrian gold-medal shooter named 'Johann' who lost his hand and retrained himself to win again — only to discover almost every detail was false. From that embarrassment he built a check-up of questions to keep illustrations healthy. Am I inserting myself into someone else's illustration, claiming another's experience as my own? Is a person unfairly identified as 'a member of my former church'? Should this illustration be checked for accuracy, since some stories, like a Coca-Cola-in-Korea legend, are too good to be true? Will it be sensitive to gender, age, and ethnicity in the room? Will this particular congregation relate to it, or would a king be better recast as a CEO? Is it too detailed, when only relevant details actually add impact, as in the Glenn Cunningham story? And finally, is the line between true and imagined details clearly marked, since embellishing Scripture (as with Gomer at the auction block) can be legitimate imaginative reconstruction if it is offered as imagination, not fact. Accuracy matters because hearers remember illustrations longer than sermon points, and integrity in the small things protects a preacher's credibility in everything else.
Key points
- Telling half-true or untrue stories as fact threatens a preacher's integrity, as the fictional 'Johann' story shows.
- Taking someone else's personal experience and presenting it as your own is theft; attribute it instead.
- Verify illustrations that sound too good to be true, since sermon material is often recycled and inaccurate.
- Be sensitive to gender, age and ethnicity, and adapt illustrations so a congregation can relate to them.
- Relevant details strengthen an illustration; excessive or invented details that alter the substance of a true story mislead hearers.
Key texts
- Hosea 3:2-3
From the course book
Appendix G — Illustrating with Integrity and Sensitivity · pp. 117-120 (reader pages 117-120) · Open the reader
- “But telling half-true or untrue stories to our congregations can threaten our integrity.” (p. 117)
- “To take someone else's personal experience and make it yours is theft. If you find someone else's good personal illustration, don't say that it happened to you.” (p. 117)
- “Some illustrations are like investments: If they seem too good to be true, they probably are.” (p. 117)
Put it into practice
- Before using a striking illustration, verify its facts rather than trusting the source you heard it from.
- Never claim another person's experience as your own; say 'I once knew someone who...' instead.
- Mark clearly when you are imagining details of a biblical story rather than presenting them as fact.
- Comprehension
1. What happened when Harvey investigated the story about 'Johann' the Austrian shooter?
- Comprehension
2. Why does Harvey say inserting yourself into someone else's illustration is 'theft'?
- Doctrinal Clarity
3. What problem does describing someone as 'a member of my former church' create?
- Scripture
4. Use the Coca-Cola-in-Korea story to explain why illustrations should be checked for accuracy.
- Doctrinal Clarity
5. How does the Glenn Cunningham example show the value of relevant detail over exhaustive detail?
- Contrast
6. Contrast the invented detail about David's stones with the imagined description of Gomer on the auction block.
- Comprehension
7. Why does Harvey say accuracy is 'critical' beyond the moral question of honesty?
- Doctrinal Clarity
8. How does adapting a king in a story into a CEO or union boss serve the congregation?
- Application
9. Review a sermon illustration you have used recently. Would it pass Harvey's seven questions?
- Application
10. Identify one 'too good to be true' story circulating in your preaching circles and verify it before you use it again.