A few years ago a doctor took to The New York Times to share his disgust with the loss of storytelling in medicine. Peter Kramer says, "The inclusion of a single anecdote in a research overview can lead to a reprimand, for reliance on storytelling." But Kramer says that stories are needed for a few reasons. "I have been surprised," he writes, "by the impact that even lightly sketched case histories can have on readers." This gives the readers the understanding that they are not alone in their battle and the encouragement to continue.

Kramer echoes the conclusion of a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine: "Data are important, of course, but numbers sometimes imply an order to what is happening that can be misleading. Stories are better at capturing a different type of 'big picture.'"

Possible Preaching Angle:

As Christians, we have data to share, but we also have a story of God's incredible redemption in Christ.