In the beginning was the Word.
And almost since the beginning, famous stories from the Word have been depicted at church camps around the world—often with fascinating script changes.
What if the Bible writers had first witnessed the events not in their original settings, but at Bible drama night at church camp? Now that would have produced a different version of the Scriptures—a very different version indeed….
The Good Samaritan
Luke 10 (RCV, Revised Camp Version)
A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he fell among his team members, who were yet angry at not being cast in the lead role. They stripped him of his raiment and left him, wounded and covered in ketchup.
By chance, two men came down wearing bulky clerical robes of old tablecloths and draperies. The wounded man giggled in spite of his injuries, and the ministers quickly passed by on the other side. After that, a certain Samaritan had compassion on the wounded man. He poured way too much Mazola oil on the man’s wounds and bound them in a linen-like cloth, on which were inscribed the words “I’ve been to Gatlinburg!”
At length, he set the man on his own donkey—a mythical beast that was one half Billy Whitaker, one half Curly Jenkins, and one half a gray loop rug donated to the costume closet by Margaret Connelly.
Heading toward the sign marked “HOteL,” the beast labored under its burden. For the path was long and dark; yea, marked with a set of steep stairs, whose negotiation had not been rehearsed.
After much uncertainty and wobbling (and contemptuous dialogue between the beast’s front half and rear half), the beast was rent asunder.
The wounded man fell on cold hard concrete and was immediately healed. He jumped up and fled eastward with a rejoicing that sounded exceedingly like giggling. The three halves of the beast were scattered to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Go thou and do likewise.
Click to read Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. Download a pdf of all four stories here.
