My interest in this post is not to critique the ideas communicated in Pullman’s book or in the movie based on the book. My interest is to argue that any story, including Pullman’s book, communicates a message. Certainly Pullman knows this. I assume that he was using over-statement to make his defense. Now why quibble over this? Well, this issue is important to preachers for two reasons.

First, so much of the Scripture comes to us in the form of story. If we believe that Bible stories – particularly those in the Old Testament – simply illustrate God’s truth or provide a record of what God did in the past, we will neglect or misuse them. Twenty-five years ago, Robert Alter wrote: “The biblical authors are of course constantly, urgently conscious of telling a story in order to reveal the imperative truth of God’s works in history and of Israel’s hopes and failings” (The Art of Biblical Narrative, p. 46).

A second reason to challenge the assertion that stories do not send messages is the damage done when God’s people fail to identify what stories in popular culture are actually saying. Novels and movies convey ideas. When we fail to identify these ideas, we let them creep unfiltered into our thinking over time. For example, I don’t worry about the person who watches The Golden Compass with senses alert to the ideas being communicated. I worry about the person who thinks it’s merely a story. Of course, watching one movie will likely not shipwreck anyone’s faith. But believers who indulge in countless movies, sit-coms, and novels without critical reflection will eventually succumb to some of the ideas (about sex, money, etc.) which are subtly communicated in them.

That’s the challenge! Stories communicate with stealth. They are subtle in they way they deliver their meaning. That’s why it’s often hard to nail down exactly what a Bible story is saying. That’s why it’s often hard to recognize the ideas which well-crafted movies or novels try to sneak past our defenses. But make no mistake about it: stories communicate messages . . . for better or for worse!