Close

How to Know God

Do you ever wonder what Christians believe? Who Jesus is, what he did and why it matters? Get answers to these questions and more.

Spiritual Growth

Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth.

Life & Relationships

Explore resources to help you live out your life and relationships in a way that honors God.

Bible Studies

Find resources for personal or group Bible study.

Share the Gospel

Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus.

Help Others Grow

Help others in their faith journey through discipleship and mentoring.

Leadership Training

Develop your leadership skills and learn how to launch a ministry wherever you are.

Video

Browse videos designed to help you grow spiritually, share your faith, and lead others well.

Language Resources

View our top Cru resources in more than 20 languages.

Quizzes & Assessments

Have some fun taking various quizzes and assessments to learn about yourself and others.

Campus

Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others.

City

Reflecting Jesus together for the good of the city.

Inner City

Partnering with urban churches to meet physical and spiritual needs.

Athletes

Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation.

Families

Equipping families with practical approaches to parenting and marriage.

High School

Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school.

Military

Bringing hope and resources to military families worldwide.

Locate Cru Near You

Explore Cru's global presence and discover how you can get involved in communities worldwide.

Mission Trips

Volunteer abroad this year on a short term global missions trip offered by one of the best, most-reliable Christian missions organizations in the world.

1-Year Full-Time Internships

Internship opportunities with Cru's ministries.

Careers

If you're looking for the best Christian jobs and careers, check out Cru's ministry job openings for full- and part-time missionaries and professionals.

Go International

Live in another country building relationships and ministries with eternal impact.

Volunteer Opportunities

Would you like to give your time to work with Cru? We need you.

Events

Find a Cru event near you.

Explore Your Interests

Use your hobbies and interests to find the best place for you to serve.

What We Do

How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus.

Donor Relations

Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Cru’s annual report and more.

Our Leadership

Learn about Cru's global leadership team.

Cru Partnerships

When the global church comes together then powerful things can happen.

Storylines

Showing God in action in and through His people.

Press

Access Cru's latest news releases, media contacts, and background information on our global ministries and leadership.

0

Backstory: iPad Version

Download Backstory in this PDF format to easily share the gospel story using your iPad. Simply open the document in iBooks.

***

Backstory is the new and revised version of Life@Large . We took all the best elements of the original version, simplified it, clarified it, and made it highly intuitive to use and wonderfuly visual to look at. The result is a very simple, very graphic, very clear presentation of the gospel message.

Here is the opening premise:

There are seven billion people in the world. Seven billion stories. And yet there are themes in our stories that are universal: betrayal, love, romance, redemption, sacrifice… The question is if there’s a larger story or narrative to which all our stories relate, one that makes sense of our shared experience—a common Back Story.

The booklet goes on to explain the backstory which, of course, is the gospel:

  1. Intimacy: God created us to know him
  2. Betrayal: Humanity rebelled and sin separated us from him
  3. Anticipation: The Scriptures promise of a coming Deliverer
  4. Pursuit: The coming of Christ
  5. Sacrifice: Jesus’ death and resurrection
  6. Invitation: God invites us to return to him
  7. Reunion: The age to come—judgment and eternal life.

As you can see, Backstory provides a broader more comprehensive explanation of the gospel and thus a more compelling case for Christ.

HOW TO SHARE BACKSTORY

1. Read aloud the black pages, beginning with the white text (the summary statements), followed by the Bible passages.

To make things more interactive, you could ask them to read portions of the text.

2. To facilitate discussion of the content on the black pages, use the questions (Q///) and other content on the opposing white pages. Besides listening well to their answers, feel free to share your answers.

3. Use the gold strip background content sparingly. Encourage them to read this later.

4. When you get to 07 Reunion , be sure to cover the “Your Thoughts?” section carefully. It’s important for them to consider the questions: “Is it true?” and “Do you need Jesus?” If they believe it’s true, and express that they need Jesus, then go on to the next page.

5. Read the “End of Story, Or Beginning?” page (except the gold headings) and pause after asking:

“Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” If yes, ask if they’d like to pray the prayer right then (silently or out loud).

If not, look to continue the conversation, explore why, and give them the booklet to read over on their own. Remember, it’s a conversation, not a presentation. Ask questions and listen well!

USING BACKSTORY WITH SOULARIUM

Backstory is a tool that allows you to communicate God’s story (the Gospel) through dialogue. Think of it as a conversational guide rather than a presentation.

After you’ve finished your Soularium conversation, you can say something like this:

Thanks for sharing your story with me. Would it be OK with you if I shared how I believe God’s story intersects with your story and mine?

If yes, show them the Backstory booklet and say:

This is called Backstory, and it highlights themes from all of our stories, and shows how our stories connect with the larger story of life.

(If they don’t have time, you can give them the booklet to read on their own.)

Then turn two pages, and read aloud in its entirety the page that begins: “There are seven billion people…”

Since 1951, Cru has helped individuals who grapple with integrating faith into daily life by offering practical steps and community support. As a result, countless people in over 190 countries have been empowered to move from passive belief to active faith.