Intermission - Failed computers

There will be a brief (we hope!) intermission to the orality blogs for computer failure. Earlier this month one of our computers failed. This past week the other started failing. Wayne is trying to get all the information off of it before it fails completely. Since my orality work is on that computer it is currently unavailable. Please pray for us as there has been a number of things that have cropped up that have interfered with us getting ready for our home ministries (We leave here June 3 and return January 9).

Orality: Part Six Types of Bible Teaching:

Orality: Part Six and Seven Types of Bible Teaching:

There are a variety of terms that are used to describe different methods of sharing Bible stories. Although western style theological education tends to validate exposition more and teach it as the pattern of training for leaders and pastors, all of these methods have been used to evangelize, disciple, train leaders and plant churches. As missionaries we need to take a critical look at how we are teaching and training on order to understand where these types of sharing may be most effective in our ministries.

Exposition - an analysis process related to a body of information. In general it produces a list of teachings, ideas, concepts points or principles that are them communicated to another. Requires both the listener and the presenter to be literate and communicate literally.

Bible Storying - A general term that includes various ways and forms of telling the stories of the Bible. Stories are told chronologically, in thematic groups or individually as opportunity and need arise.

Bible Storying Toolbox – A Bible story tool box would have a variety of stories available for various situations. There would both be long term story groups or tracks as part of a strategic plan and individual stories or groups for more limited times and opportunities of ministry. Generally, although long term tracks are chronological, limited engagement stories may take several forms such as thematic and may not be chronological. It is being prepared by having different story tools available to be able to use the one that best fits the ministry opportunity.

Chronological - sequential, arranged in the order according to time. When telling stories in chronological order one can look back and refer to whet has happened, but not forward and talk about what happens after the point you are in time.

Chronological Bible Teaching - Refers to stories in a chronological order but does not necessarily tell them as intact stories. Uses explanation and exposition as teaching approaches. The hearer needs to have a fair degree of literacy in order to readily understand the presentation. The presenter must be literate. Contains too much exposition for an oral communicator.

Chronological Bible Storytelling - Presents Biblical truth chronologically in a general story format. The story may be paraphrased or interrupted for teaching or emphasis. The story may or may not be presented intact. Some exposition and instruction may follow the story, but the storytelling and narrative is more emphasized. Adapted from Chronological Bible Teaching as people realized that it was too literate and because of this not reproducible among some groups. Some literacy is required by both the listeners and presenters.

Chronological Bible Storying - Telling stories as intact stories in a chronological format without interruption to explain, interpret or clarify. After the story, the listeners are led through questioning and dialog to discover the truths in the story. Avoids exposition. Developed from Chronological Bible Storytelling as others realized that it needed to be further adapted for use with oral communicators, especially illiterates and semi literates. Both listeners and presenters do not need to be literate. Can be reproduced by oral communicators.

The next blog will have more details about the ten steps given below for Chronological Bible Storying. Much of the ten can also, with minor variations be applied to the other types of storying also.

1. Identify the Biblical principle or truth you want to communicate.

2. Know the people you are teaching.

3. Identify important bridges, barriers and gaps in their worldview.

4. Select the biblical stories that will communicate the principle or concept you want them to understand and that take into consideration their worldview.

5. Plan the story and plan the dialog that is going to precede and follow the story so they learn how this biblical story addresses a critical worldview issue that they have .

6. Tell the story in a culturally appropriate manner.

7. Facilitate the dialog that will help them discover the truths and applications, usually by asking questions.

8. Guide the group to obey the biblical principle so that it can be lived out in their lives in practical ways.

9. Establish accountability within the group to help members obey the biblical principle.

10. Encourage the group to reproduce all of this by modeling the principle in their own lives and then telling the stories to other people.

Orality: Part Five: Orality and the BIble

Part 5: Oralitly and the Bible

God created us with the capacity and ability to tell and enjoy stories. Much of the Old Testament, the Gospels and Acts are stories that teach us about God, man, and how they interact with each other. Both much of the Old Testament and Gospels are narratives of happenings presented as stories strung together over time in the order they happened. One story is linked to another by the commonality of the story of God and Man.

Jesus often taught using stories and parables. It was a form of teaching that was molded to the oral learning needs of those he taught. Literacy during the time of Jesus has been estimated to only be 3-8%. It is believed that most of the disciples had little formal education and did not know how to read, yet they they became effective leaders. We know at least part of their training was in accomplished through the stories Jesus told. Mark 4 illustrates how Jesus shares a story to teach and then maintained the focus on the story as he shared more about it with the disciples. Later, after his resurrection, Jesus uses the stories of the Old Testament to tell about himself to those with whom he walked. What do these things tell us about knowing and telling the words of Jesus as he told them – as stories?

Sharing the stories of the Bible chronologically was used by Stephen in his speech before he was stoned. We know they caused at least one of the listeners to think about what he had heard – one of the persecuters named Saul. Later the author of Hebrews presented a story of faith chronologically.

Knowing the stories and parables of the Old Testament was emphasized by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Consider the reasons he gives for knowing the stories of the Old Testament. Other reasons are given in John 20:31, 1 John 5:13, Romans 15:4 and 2 Peter 1:19. What a great resource for the Christian life, so many reasons to know what was written in stories and poems and by the prophets. Yet how many of us as literates, choose not to teach the stories of the Bible and the wisdom they contain, but, instead, to teach the more literate sounding Pauline letters?

At first the stories of the Old Testament were passed on in verbal form and later written down, although the luxury of reading them were only for a select few. In the Old Testament we again see chronological presentations like those in Psalm 138 as well as 105, 106, 78. In Nehemiah 9 Ezra recounts the major events in Israel's history to the people.

A story is a powerful way to confront and change the way a person understands their world. It can confront someone in an indirect manner, where direct confrontation would fail. Nathan uses a story to teach rather than confront directly when he approaches David about his sin. God used a story to change a heart.

From generation to generation until the 1400's God's word was heard by the masses of people. An oral Bible was all they knew. Only a select few could read and study the Bible in printed form. Each copy was painstakingly made by hand.

Since the time of Gutenberg the desire to know the word of God has led many to learn to read so that they might better understand more about God and their relationship with him. Even so more than 300 years later in the 1790's it is estimated that literacy was only 10%. But since the time of Gutenberg “Christianity has increasingly walked on literate feet”. “By the 1900's Christianity and missions were so literate that believers were required to become literate before being baptized.” Being a leader or even just growing spiritually was associated with being able to read and write and understand and operate with in a literal approach to the world.

Pastors and Church Leaders are usually highly literate and teach in a literate manner with systematic approaches and abstract and logical reasoning presented with points and outlines and steps. These forms of communication are not understood, remembered or reproduced by oral communicators. Here in Brazil we have heard teachers try to reproduce what they have heard from a literate communication style. Most do so very poorly even though when they approach communication orally they are good, interesting teachers. To a certain extent it seems as if they desire to reproduce the form of literacy because that has been the form of presentation of many of the missionaries and their guests. Missionaries can help set the stage, so to speak, for the success of the local teachers and pastors by conforming at least some of our teaching to their way of communicating instead of the literal way we are often more comfortable with. We need to relearn how to be oral communicators.

It does not come down to a question of either oral or literal ways of communication as if one is right and the other wrong, one better the other not as good. There is a need for teaching that addresses both types of learning. What one needs to realize though is that the literal way we so often approach evangelism, discipleship, teaching and traning of leaders does not reach a certain segment of people in any place around the world. We can not just read to them either. The written word is not always seen as an authoritative source where people are oral. Other verbal means like the way a story is shared or CD's or DVD's may carry more legitimacy and authority in peoples minds.

The Bible simply needs to be made available to those who are oral in a way they can hear, understand, respond to and reproduce. We need to take a critical look at what training we require of our leaders, especially in countries where literacy is low and people do not, can not or will not read. If they can fulfill the Biblical requirements, is it really necessary that they be able to read? This is not to say that we should not teach them to read. Learning to read among believers is sometimes driven by a desire to know more of te word of God for themselves. We have a developing leader here who is well respected in his town but can not read. He has the desire and the heart to share Christ, but can not use our current materials to evangelize.

Even among those here that we know that do read, are some who are leaders in their church and have the desire to to evangelize and plant churches. Under the current system, they will never become pastors even if they desire to do so. They quite simply can not do the work a seminary would require of them. They can not function well in the literal world; their literacy skills are too poor. Should we deny them the opportunity to use their talents and gifts solely for this reason? What requirements should there be for a pastor in an oral society? How can literacy and orality exist side by side? How also, can we use the differences between secondary orality (it has been termed media literate) and literacy and primary orality to reach and train people? These are questions that need to be answered both here and in other locals for our ministry to become more effective.

Both orality and literacy have existed side by side for thousands of years. At the end of his life, Moses is told by God in Deuteronomy 31 to write down the law and give it to the priests. They in turn were to read it to the people so that they could hear and learn They could not refer to print to know the word.

Then Moses used the words to compose a song in chapter 32 that was to be a witness about God. The Israelites were to take the song spoken by Moses to heart, learn from it and live it out, with the words in their hearts. But beside the Arc of the Covenant was also a written copy of the law. It was also to be a witness.

Other stories were written later to be shared with the people. Much of the Old Testament is in the form of narratives or stories, poems, songs or proverbs. In the future, when word of mouth failed, the word of God would be found written on scrolls with the understanding that those who could read would share it with those who did not.

For some, though, as in times past, an oral Bible will be the only one they will ever have. They will carry it around in their hearts and minds and not their hands. They can become effective leaders and disciples and evangelists .They will be free to share stories in places and times where Bibles would be scorned or little understood; they can tell the stories from Genesis to revelation that will tell others of Christ. Will we give them the chance?

Orality: Parts Three and Four: Secondary Orality and Communication Styles

Part 3: Orality and and Secondary Orality.

You can teach those who do not read to read and better understand the printed word; there are many good works in that area, but this will not reach the vast majority of people. Not only will it delay teaching them about Christ until they can read and understand what they read, but teaching them to read and then approaching them like they think and learn like a literate ignores the fact that simply learning to read does not automatically change the way they learn, think or communicate.

Even some of those who are what we often think of as literate because they can read are not really literate in their thinking and approach to life. Some still function as oral communicators, this may be especially true if their society functions in an oral mode. Literate ways of thinking replace oral ones only gradually and sometimes incompletely. It takes at least ten to twelve years of literate style education to produce someone who is fully comfortable with literate means of communication. If, as is the case in Brazil, the approach to education is one of rote memory, they may continue to be oral learners and communicators regardless of the years of education. Also, unless one continues to read and write regularly, literary skills and ways of thinking can be lost over time.

In some countries, thought of as literate countries, people are more influenced by audio and visual means than print. Secondary orality or post-literacy is a recent development of our technologically orientated world. It is dependent on literacy, but expressed through audio and visual means like television, radio, and the internet. It causes one ” to think, process information, make decisions, and socially organize ourselves more and more like oral people rather than literate ones” For this reason it is called secondary orality.

Some counties have gone from being oral in nature to secondary oral in nature, without going through a literate stage. This is especially true in places like Brazil where the electronic experience came before the written experience.

But Brazilians’ indifference to books has deeper roots. Centuries of slavery meant the country’s leaders long neglected education. Primary schooling became universal only in the 1990s. Radio was ubiquitous by the 1930s; libraries and bookshops have still not caught up. “The electronic experience came before the written experience,” says Marino Lobello, of the Brazilian Chamber of Books, an industry body.”

A 1999 Newsweek profile of Brazilian television suggested that many Brazilians are moving from the primary orality to the secondary orality without ever passing through the stage of print orientation that has historically separated the two”

When literates stop reading, they no longer form their conclusions through reading and abstract reasoning, but through the basis of sounds and images. They revert back to the basic primary means of communication – that of orality. Today even most of the literate people in the world no longer obtain a lot of their ideas of the world from reading. Secondary orality or being post-literate affects the way people think, make decisions, process information and organize socially. In short it shifts us in the direction of having an oral culture than a literate one.

It has a lot of implications now and in the future for the way we teach, disciple and train up leaders.

Part 4: Characteristics of Orality and Literacy

What would happen if we, with our lists and study books and Bible study guides and logical sermon outlines, exposition and notes, suddenly had no access to the printed word? How would we survive both in daily life and as Christian workers if we had to rely solely on what we remembered and could communicate by word of mouth, not on what we could reference in the printed word? How would we teach? How would it change the way we communicate, learn and even think? What do literates do that is incompatible with oral learning?

We have to ask ourselves these questions in order to answer the question of how can we help others who lack the literary skills we have, to know, understand and apply the lessons in the Bible to their lives so that they may live for Christ and reach others for Christ. We need to begin by understanding how they function within their oral world. We must ask ourselves: How do they think and learn? How do they see sounds and words different from literates? How do they use language differently? How is context, style and dialog different? How are relationships different within oral and literate communities? In order to reach those who are oral communicators we first need to understand how literate communicators and oral communicators differ.

Not only is it a question of knowing how to read or not, but one of understanding how the thought processes, values, behavior and social organization are affected by literacy. Some are so deep and significant as to be barriers to the gospel if literate communicators approach an oral communicator in the way in which they have become accustomed.

For an oral communicator, words have no visual presence. Words are sounds, used to paint pictures and talk about people and events. Words are defined by and given meaning through their context; they do not stand alone as individuals with specific definitions. When speaking, clarity, style, articulation, context and dialog are all important. Communication is not stripped down to get a point across, flowery language, repetition and redundancy are common. Set words and phrases may be used as they carry a common cultural understanding that goes beyond just the words spoken.

When sharing information, ideas concepts or facts an oral communicator will employ narratives, using stories and symbols to relate them to others. They encase and pass on information in ways they can easily remember since they must rely on only what they can recall when needed. Not only are stories more easily remembered that lists, steps or outlines for an oral communicator, so are poems, songs, proverbs and sayings. They tend to communicate in groups and learn in interaction with other people. Studying as literates know it is unknown to them, instead apprenticeships are sometimes used in order to train and pass on skills. When questions are used they are indirect in nature. They will avoid asking or answering direct questions.

Information is placed on a flow of time, so order of presentation can be important. As they organize their experiences and knowledge through narratives they string happenings together to form longer narratives. Common themes may be repeated in the different experiences strung together.

Narratives form an important part of the communication process. Stories,songs, poems and proverbs are like containers that holds those thoughts, concepts and ideas presented together. They may take them out of the narrative container to examine them, but place them back when done and store them as part of the story. Gestures or movements are used to help them express their words. Those listening may participate in the narrative, responding to the speaker while speaking. Shared stories are deeply felt. Parts or details may be left unsaid, depending instead on shared backgrounds and non-verbal methods of communication to pass on the information. They can always clarify something not understood.

If they can read they will either read aloud or imagine the sounds of the words as they read. Written forms of communication are seen as records of something spoken and a way to aid in memorization for later verbal sharing.

Oral communicators learn by hearing. They view things holistically, in the totality of their context and of those involved. They are highly relational and concrete orientated. Knowledge is passed on through what is remembered and taught to future generations.

For a literate communicator, sounds are recognized as words that are objects or symbols on paper. They are used to convey information and talk about concepts, ideas or principles. Words stand alone as individuals with specific definitions that give the what is said meaning. When speaking, clarity of reason, brevity, detailed description and logical analysis are all valued. Communication is stripped down to get the point across. Flowery language, repetition and redundancy are usually avoided, since anything not understood or missed can be read and analyzed later. Words are used more independently and set phrases are often avoided, instead they are encouraged to come up with new ways to say the same thing.

When sharing information, ideas concepts or facts, a literate communicator will employ logical arguments, analysis, charts, diagrams and lists, using stories and events just as examples to illustrate a point. They explain in detail, comparing, classifying and analyzing to break what they know into parts. They expect others to take notes, fill in blanks or remember steps and principles. Since they can rely printed matter when needed, they store and pass on information in printed forms. Memory skills are reduced because of lack of use. Verbal presentations and text are often reduced to lists, principles, steps, outlines or other similar forms of brevity for printed matter. They tend to communicate more one to one and learn alone in interaction with printed materials, studying and showing what is learned in a written form. When questions are used they are direct in nature. Order of presentation is not as important as clarity of logic.

Narratives like stories, poems songs and proverbs are not the most important part of the communication process. Narratives and events are used just as illustrations and examples of the main thought or idea. The container is the general principle encased in progression of thought and logical analysis. Gestures or movements and non-verbal communication are not used as much as for oral communicators. They can not be reduced to a written form. Those listening do not enter into the story as deeply as an oral learner, they approach it more objectively. Descriptions are detailed as one can not depend on shared backgrounds and non-verbal methods of communication to pass on the information. Ambiguity is avoided as they can not clarify something not understood by a reader.

Literal communicators learn by seeing. They view things abstractly and analytically, compartmentalizing and breaking down into pieces. Knowledge is passed on from various sources through facts, books, computers and not what is remembered. The literate approach to life is not just confined to their written materials, but permeates their speech, relationships and thought patterns.

Few people are totally exclusive to one category or the other. Those that are classified as semi-literate are in a grey area between the two types. To a certain extent they can learn to recognize, understand and use the principles and ideas and teachings of literate communicators, but they may not be comfortable there and will live day to day as oral communicators; in critical learning situations they will favor oral communication styles.

Oral communication is the basis for all print communication. It is the primary form of communication basic to humans and because of this can be understood by literate communicators as well. Literate communication and the associated learning preferences as taught responses and attitudes.

The mistake a lot of literates make is to “assume that literate presentations (especially ex positional and analytical ones) can be understood by anyone, even oral communicators.”This is simply not the case. This is why it is not enough to simply take and read materials created by literates for literates and expect an oral communicator to learn from them. Making it verbal does not make it oral communication. Although literate communicators can learn through oral means the reverse is not so. That is not to say that oral communicators can not learn and comprehend as well as a literate communicator. They can, but they must be taught in ways compatible to their learning styles.

What would happen within our ministries if we began to communicate and approach teaching as oral communicators with narratives grouped in common themes presented in the flow of time? What would happen if we verbally guided them through the process of examining what a story contains for their lives, allowing them to remove the gems from the treasure box of the story and discover what jewels are there for them and their world? What would happen if we did it in a way they could replicate?

If we want to reach those for Christ who struggle to understand the literate ways of communication we must change how we present the message of the gospel and train up disciples and leaders. We must attempt new ways of reaching the more than 50% of the people in the US and the more than 70% around the world who do not communicate as we do. To do less is to place obstacles in front of those who can not, do not or will not learn through the literate means we rely on and so often use.

Orality : Parts One and Two: Orality and LIteracy.

Several years ago we saw the need to have oral resources for some of our leaders. In conjunction with Bill Burk's Plumb Line Ministries, Wayne is involved in a recording project to make teaching CD's available to churches and people here in Brazil.

Seeing that there is a need for oral material and that it needs to be different from printed material we have been researching and studying orality and its implications for our ministry. Over the next few posts I will be sharing with you some of what we have learned.

Part 1: Literacy and Brazil

Antonio is excited about Christ and wants to help his son evangelize both in the town where he lives and in another nearby. He has seen the changes faith in Christ have brought to his own family. Antonio wants to learn more about God's words to him in the Bible. But... Antonio can't read.

The study group sat in a circle and each read a verse. Over and over again they struggled to read out loud, their voices were flat and they had problems pronouncing some of the words. They put so much effort into reading the words on the page, they did not know what they had just read.

The man, who looked to be in his thirties, had come to a study in a neighbor's house. He didn't know the stories of the Bible, even though he had been part of a church for 13 years. (not Grace Brethren). He could not read.

I asked some of the women I know, “What are some of the biggest obsticals they see when they study the Bible with others?” Again and again I was told that they do not understand what they read. In what way do they not understand it? They do not read well enough to understand the words on the page was the most common reply. They do not know how to apply it to their lives was the second.

A recent article called Brazil a nation of non-readers. It said

“MANY Brazilians cannot read. In 2000, a quarter of those aged 15 and older were functionally illiterate. Many simply do not want to. Only one literate adult in three reads books.....In a recent survey of reading habits, Brazilians came 27th out of 30 countries. Argentines, their neighbours, ranked 18th.”

“Reading in Brazil continues to be an activity reserved to a very narrow minority. from those who can read only 7 percent have the habit of reading.”

"While France and the US, for example, sell in average 10 books a year per capita, a Brazilian buys a mere 1.9 book a year. If we exclude the didactical works, this number falls to 0.9. There are only 2000 bookstores for a population of 168 million people, which means one bookstore for every 84,000 inhabitants. In the United States there are approximately 20,000 bookstores."

The literacy situation in Brazil is well summed up in this exert from a recent article.

“Last year the director of Brazil’s national library quit after a controversial tenure. He complained that he had half the librarians he needed and termites had eaten much of the collection. Along with crime and high interest rates, that ought to be a cause for national shame.”

Part 2: Orality and Literacy

Levels of learning exist on a range from illiterate to highly literate. In order to evaluate where a person is in this range it is necessary to look not only at the question of reading, but how well they perform the writing and analytical skills of literacy. While it is true that someone who is illiterate or semi-literate communicates and thinks as an oral learner, the reverse is not necessarily so. Someone who can be classified as literate, may simply prefer to remain an oral communicator. This is especially true if the community in which they live functions in an oral manner over a literate one.

Oral communicators and literary communicators quite simply approach not just learning, but life from different points of view. Each has their own culture. Oral communicators find the literate way of communication and thinking difficult to follow. Even if read aloud, or spoken, the words of a literate communicator may be difficult for an oral communicator to follow. Making something spoken does not necessarily adapt it to an oral communicator simply because they approach communication differently and think and process information differently. The characteristics of orality span cognitive, communicative and relational realms.

Pastors and Missionaries are usually part of the 10% of the population that fall into the category of highly literate. It is estimated that “ninety percent of the worlds Christian workers present the gospel using highly literate communication styles”. These ways are simply not well understood by those who are not literate or highly literate themselves. We, in effect, when we do not consider orality are limiting our message to the minority who think like as literates do. That limits our message to fewer than 30% of the world who are literate communicators.

So the question here in Brazil is not just how can you reach someone for Christ who can't read, chooses not to read, or isn't literate enough to understand what they are reading. The question is also how can we reach those who are oral communicators. How can we, in Brazil, reach the 80% who either don't read or don't care to read and how can we also reach those in the 20% who read, but who still function like an oral communicator and do not use or rely on literacy and the thinking skills it fosters?

The question for those of you in other countries, where literacy seems to be well developed is similar. Knowledge of literacy and orality and associated dynamics are not just applicable to locals we often think of as literacy poor. Studies have shown that only 20% of the US population is ranked as literate or highly literate. The rates in Canada are similar. One needs to look at not simply can someone read and how well, but how well they learn through literacy influenced forms of communication. What are the implications for your ministry?

Grant Lovejoy, an expert in the field of orality and literacy leaves us with the following point.

If researchers of orality and literacy are correct, then certain kinds of expository sermons are using thought forms and communications strategies that are foreign to half of the adults in the United States and Canada, not to mention most teens and children. We may be doing good expository preaching of certain types and failing to connect with listeners because of it” .........” We must acknowledge and accept that the ways of literacy are not the only ways to communicate in speech.”

We must learn about the different communication preferences of those we work with and how to evangelize, disciple and train up leaders in ways that reach not only those who are literate thinkers, but the greater part who have an oral culture, that may be completely foreign to those who are literate thinkers. Therein lies the challenge of Orality.