Telling The Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale

This is book that I enjoyed reading although it is dated as well as filled with politically incorrect language and sexist examples. These could be edited out in a revised version. The book is already short (only 98 pages) so accomplishing that would make almost a short essay altogether.
This work is a topic which I enjoy reading. There is now a genre called the Bible as Literature which is engaged in linking all aspects of biblical writing or interpretation with other forms of world literature. In cultural criticism, world literature is seen as racist and biased so this type of study is fading in influence to recent revisionist histories and other types of deconstructionist ideologies. This work "Telling the Truth" is a form of Bible as show more Literature study but with the emphasis on the Gospel as story. More specifically, the Gospel as literature. This is a very narrow area of study (and banned by today's Ivy League academics) but still worth exploring due to the lasting influence of the literary canon. This book uses as standards to compare the Gospel story with: Shakespeare, Tolkien, Kierkegaard, Twain, and Dostoevsky. Published in 1977, a year after the American Bicentennial celebration (I graduated from grammar school in '76) this book is accurate to how people saw the world back then, at least in stagnation America. show less

In this slim work, Buechner primarily addresses the Christian preacher who wants to communicate the Gospel in a meaningful way. He claims that the preacher’s job is not only to relate Christianity to the public issues of the day; he must also use the Gospel to tell individual human beings the truth about themselves. Buechner then analyzes certain elements of the Gospel – from Pilate’s interrogation of Jesus to the parable of the prodigal son – in light of the three narrative structures of tragedy, comedy, and fairy tale.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and found it a refreshing way to prepare myself for Lent. The style reminds me somewhat of G. K. Chesterton, although in my opinion Chesterton is much better. There are certain show more passages that grated on me, stylistically speaking, as when Buechner modernizes Biblical characters such as Abraham and Job. However, there are also some lovely passages, and I certainly found a lot of interesting ideas to ponder in the book. I’d recommend this to people who enjoy Chesterton’s style of writing, although I think Orthodoxy is a much better book. show less

Buechner, a Christian pastor as well as a novelist presents this book as being for the preacher who "must pull the little cord that turns on the lectern light, must look out over the people and the silence, must begin to speak of a truth beyond telling."

He presents the possibilities of telling this truth (and note he does not say The Truth, but rather A truth, indicating a reality and/or authenticity rather than a narrow fundamentalist view) framed as tragedy, comedy and fairytale.

Although all three parts -- discussing such varied works as King Lear, the Wizard of Oz, Charlie Chapin's films, Mutt and Jeff, The Tempest, the Brothers Grimm and many more - are interesting, the one which interested me most was the final, on fairy tale. show more Hardly surprising since the best theological arguments I've yet to hear come from the final scenes in C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle. In this work the fairy tale section is certainly the one which best captures Buechner's idea that, "There is no less danger and darkness in the Gospel than there is in the Brother Grimm, buy beyond and above all there is the joy of it, this tale of light breaking into the world that not even the darkness can overcome." He says, "It is a world of magic and mystery, of deep darkness and flickering starlight. It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too. It is a world where goodness is pitted against evil, love against hate, order against chaos, in a great struggle where often it is hard to be sure who belongs to which side because appearances are endlessly deceptive. Yet for all its confusion and wildness, it is a world where the battle goes ultimately to the good, who live happily ever after and where in the long run everybody, good and evil alike, becomes known by his true name."

Sounds good to me. A thought-provoking read. show less

The title is an unusually straightforward description of the contents of this short book written primarily for preachers. In the introduction he discusses how and why preachers should be transparent and truthful; then in the three main chapters describes the gospel as variously in the genres of gospel, comedy, and fairy tale.

The message of and about Christ is startling, human and dramatic though it is often conveyed in a way that strips it of these elements. Buechner shows how comedy, tragedy, and fairy tale--which show up in our most beloved stories everywhere because they speak so poignantly to the human condition--are embedded in the gospel in essential ways.

This is a book not just for preachers, but for all who want to talk about show more and appreciate Christ in a winsome way. show less

This is a small book with a small story. The author tries to bring the Gospels into everyday reality: human nature is flawed (tragedy), God's overwhelming love (comedy), and transformation through God's love (fairy tale).

First Buechner book I've read, but it won't be the last. Short book, but he packs a lot in this classic. Such a creative way of expressing himself and encouraging pastors. Wonderful little book, but not a quick read!

Teaches the preacher to preach the truths of the gospels and revealing its various forms.