ORALITY
 
Next Wave of Missions Advance
The Kuy of Cambodia have a primarily oral culture. They have a low rate of literacy. If we are to present the gospel in ways that will make sense to them, we must consider carefully how they communicate and learn new things. We have concluded that storytelling is an important way for the gospel to be presented in their context.
 

One of our next steps is to choose Bible stories that would communicate well, put them in simple Khmer, translate them to simple, clear Kuy and begin to train Kuy people to tell these stories. Please pray for God’s wisdom and the right helpers for us to do this job.

 

(For more on Orality check out :  www.communication-strategy.net.)

FACTS

·         There are about 1.5 billion illiterate people in the world

·         The proportion of illiterate people is significantly higher among the 5,000 unreached people groups in the world

·         Not everyone who can read, reads. It is estimated that two thirds of the world’s population (about 4 billion people) have oral preferences (can’t, won’t or don’t read).

·         Many current mission strategies are literate strategies. Those of us from literate cultures have made the mistake of assuming that even oral learners can learn from principles presented in the form of an outline. This is a misconception.

·         Oral communicators process life’s lessons by observation, participation and verbal communication.

·         Oral cultures pass on information primarily in the form of stories.
A STORY

          Everyone who takes the words of Jesus and truths about God and works them into his life is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The storm came and the strong winds blew against the house; yet it held firm because its foundation was the rock. But everyone who just studies Jesus’ words and makes fine outlines and forgets them without working them into his life is like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. The storm came, the wind blew against the house, flood waters rose and it fell with a great crash. (paraphrased from Matthew 7:24-27)

 

          Have we understood the meaning of every word clearly, and yet lost sight of how they should impact us? What about how we communicate to others? Are we sharing the Gospel in a way that others will be able to remember and that will transform their lives?