The use of drama in worship services used to be relatively rare. When it was used, drama was usually limited to a children's Christmas pageant or disciples in bathrobes and sandals appearing at the Easter sunrise service.

That was then. This is now.

Today, dramatic presentations in Sunday morning worship services are becoming as common as praise choruses or keyboards. Crossing geographical and doctrinal boundaries, the use of drama has mushroomed in recent years. There's no question that the media have helped create a taste for drama. People today are so bombarded with images and fast-paced appeal that we have to speak that language to be fully understood.

Drama is one of those "cultural cues" the church needs to read and take advantage of in reaching people. It has become an attractive option to those asking, "How can we do a better job in reaching people, both the churched and the unchurched, in a creative fashion, without compromising the gospel?"

For too long the church has relied on talking ...