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Should Popular Stories Be Used To Tell Christian Stories?

Children love popular stories and fairy tales, since they are universally known and read as they have always been. Hansel and Gretel will sound the same, whether it is read in the UK or in Asia. Given the universal nature of these stories, do they have the potential to be used in teaching Christian Values?

It would be great if one could walk into a Christian Bookstore and find one of these popular books which has been adapted to fit certain Christian values. One should note that the stories do not have to change at all, but their summary can be used to teach a different lesson, other than the fact that good wins over evil.

A look at some stories that have the potential to teach Christian values

When you walk into a Christian bookstore and find the book about Hansel and Gretel, you immediately think of the “entertaining value” of the book and do not see much value from a Christian point of view.

Now imagine that the story is told just as it has been for centuries. Hansel and Gretel are lured into the lair of the wicked witch by the sweets and yummy stuff that she had laid out for them. Little did they know that they were to be fattened so they could be eaten.

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Hansel and Gretel eventually defeat the witch and escape with their lives. The Christian value here is about how temptation looks very sweet at the start. How temptation can lead a person into a life that could eventually have serious consequences. It tells of how one should rely on the good lessons learned from a Christian point of view to defeat the temptation.

The challenges to be addressed

Publishers who would like to see such popular stories end up in a Christian Bookstore have a lot of challenges to face.

The first is the copyright issue, which should be addressed with the publishers holding the rights for such stories. With such partnerships, popular stories can be used to teach Christian values to young children.

Publishers and authors also need to sensitize parents and children that the stories now have a new lesson to teach and they should visit a Christ bookstore to get the new versions. This means proper marketing to Christians through social media and other online avenues.

What other stories can be used to teach the same values?

Various cultures have their own popular stories that they tell their children. A Christian Bookstore should explore stories from several cultures all over the world. Pastor Andy Yiangou has a book, Jungle Tales, which has stories from the Karoomba Jungle, a popular jungle in Asian Folklore.

Kingdom Publishers is a Christian Bookstore that has a wide range of books that use popular stories to teach Christian values to children and adults alike. Visit their online store and check from their extensive catalog and see which books would be great for you and your children. Popular stories and characters can play a crucial role in shaping the Christian lives of both adults and children alike.