Articles – OralityTalks

Narrative Preaching

Ezekiel A. Ajibade — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 01:33:34 +0000

Narrative preaching connects deeply with people because everyone loves a story. Life itself unfolds through stories, and the Bible is filled with them. Ezekiel Ajibade explores how preachers can communicate God’s truth through storytelling that is artistic, rhetorical, and theological. By praying, selecting complete plots, using imagination, and structuring sermons inductively, preachers can engage listeners’ hearts and minds. Narrative preaching helps people not just hear Scripture but experience its transforming power.

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Mobility, Identity, and Mission: Rethinking the Role of NOMADs in Global Christianity

David Gargule — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 01:31:30 +0000

Nomadic communities represent a distinctive social and cultural identity built on mobility, kinship, and autonomy. While often marginalized or misunderstood by sedentary populations, nomads embody resilience, adaptability, and deep relational networks. This article examines the socio-cultural and spiritual dimensions of nomadic life through the lens of the NOMAD acronym: Not individualistic, Organized as clans, valuing Mobility, prioritizing Autonomy, and maintaining Distinctiveness. Drawing from discussions with nomadic communities, the article explores five key areas: the NOMAD/NO-AD distinction, the challenge of mobility, leadership and honor-shame dynamics, the role of digital and oral strategies, and the theological resonance of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The findings highlight that contextual engagement, oral and digital communication, and indigenous faith expressions are vital for effective mission among nomadic peoples. The article concludes that global mission must embrace nomadic wisdom and prioritize intercultural dialogue to foster authentic and sustainable faith communities.

The Logic of Retribution and Biblical Forgiveness Among the Wore People of Papua New Guinea: A Battle for Peace

Jennifer Belcher — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 01:30:40 +0000

This article is an adaptation of Dr. Belcher’s doctoral dissertation, the purpose of which was to research the Logic of Retribution and the response to teachings about biblical forgiveness after implementation of Story-Based Trauma Healing (SBTH) lesson seven, How Can We Forgive Others in the Wore people group of the Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG). In PNG, there exists a cultural norm of paying back offenses that can be violent and escalating. Though the Wore have a system in place for bringing about peace when a grievance has occurred, after implementation of the SBTH course, the Wore reasoned that their cultural road to peace lacked a personal encounter with Jesus and true forgiveness.

Gospel Joy International’s Audio Bible Study Distribution Model

Emily Pohl — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 03:13:00 +0000

Gospel Joy International produces audio Bible studies for rural African women. It has developed a distribution model that capitalizes on denominational networks and relationships to disseminate its materials and disciple women in rural villages. This paper explains its distribution model and how it has created a network of leaders across rural Africa in its effort to support the church’s mission to disciple its flock.

Rethinking the Old Wineskins of “Academic” for the New Wine of Oral and Oral-Preference Learners

Larry W. Caldwell — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 20:11:33 +0000

For too long, the West has dominated theological education worldwide. This reality is primarily due to the West’s past centuries of colonization of the non-Western world, which has ramifications for theological education even today. In light of this continuing Western theological dominance, it is critical that the “old wineskins” of the Western academy and what it considers to be “academic” be rethought today, especially in light of the new wine of oral and oral-preference learners. This article explores such necessary rethinking in four parts. First, examining the West’s hegemony of what is considered academic today and the implications of this for theological education in the non-Western world. Second, exploring the new concept of “theological intelligence” (TQ) and its implications for other understanding of what is considered academic, especially for more orally-based pedagogical models. Third, looking at how one theological institution—Kairos University—is using Competency-Based Theological Education (CBTE) to help bridge the gap between readers and non-readers in the academy. Finally, the article concludes with recommendations for theological institutions and educators. It is hoped that this rethinking of what academics is will help theological institutions worldwide better meet the training needs of the Christian constituencies that they serve, including oral and oral-preference learners.

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Oral Hermeneutics in Theological Education

Laurence Gatawa — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 19:14:03 +0000

Oral hermeneutics provides an important framework for theological education by emphasizing the oral foundations of Scripture and their relevance in contemporary interpretation. The transmission of the Gospel began in oral form before it was written, shaping the way early communities understood and communicated biblical narratives. While Walter Ong’s Great Divide Theory distinguishes between orality and literacy, recent scholarship argues for an orality-literacy continuum, recognizing the interplay between spoken and written traditions. An oral-aural hermeneutic, informed by narrative criticism and social memory, highlights the communal and dynamic nature of interpretation. Oral performance further deepens engagement with Scripture, making its message more vivid and participatory. In the digital age, oral hermeneutics bridges traditional oral cultures with emerging technologies, enriching theological education and fostering a more rounded understanding of Scripture.

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Oral Ethics: How can Oral Hermeneutics Build a Christian Ethic?

Caroline Reel — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 18:27:24 +0000

Few lay Christians routinely practice the disciplines of ethics and hermeneutics confidently and appropriately. Many who have learned to practice these disciplines often leave that knowledge to gather dust between the covers of a textbook. This paper discusses how the various folklore or literary genres in the Bible are particularly suited for the study and practice of the three branches of Christian ethics. Lessons built on spiral logic or pedagogy patterns can use the genres of myth to teach meta-ethics, prescriptive narrative, and others for normative ethics, as well as descriptive narrative to teach and enact applied ethics. The practice of oral hermeneutics may pair with this course of study to deliver that ethical material from Scripture effectively to the oral majority or anyone who desires not only to learn ethics but to live them.

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Orality and the Impact of Media

William Snider — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 01:36:55 +0000

Orality and media intersect as digital media reshapes oral traditions and communication practices, extending reach and creating new forms of engagement. Drawing from 30 years in Asia and experience in digital ministry, this article highlights how media amplifies the Gospel by addressing orality, particularly among audiences resistant to text-based methods. Using Paul’s strategy of cultural adaptation, digital platforms emerge as “common ground” for evangelism. Media allows preservation and contextualization, enhancing storytelling and connecting to cultural practices. Practical approaches, such as local leadership training, empower communities and create lasting digital ministries adaptable to diverse cultural needs.

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Orality and Religious Media in the Digital Age

Joshua Adebayo Adesina — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 01:36:43 +0000

This study explores the intersection of orality and religious media in the digital landscape, focusing on how oral traditions adapt to digital platforms, the influence of digital media on religious communities, and the ethical challenges and prospects of this digital transformation. Utilizing a methodology that combines secondary data analysis of existing literature, including books, journals, and magazines, with observational research, this paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state and trajectory of religious expression in the digital age. It reveals that while digital media offers new avenues for disseminating and preserving oral traditions, it also poses significant challenges to the authenticity and integrity of these practices. The impact on religious communities is profound, with digital media acting both as a tool for enhanced engagement and as a potential source of fragmentation. Ethical considerations arise from the digital divide and the commodification of sacred oral content. The paper identifies key trends that will shape the future of orality in religious media, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that honors tradition while embracing innovation. The findings of this study contribute to the broader discourse on digital media’s role in cultural preservation and community dynamics, offering insights for scholars, religious leaders, and media practitioners alike.

Discipleship in Oral Preference Cultures

W. Jay Moon — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 07:37:04 +0000

There are many indigenous genres available that are often overlooked for discipleship in oral preference cultures. This article explores both the Sicangu Lakota Native American culture as well as the Builsa culture in Ghana, West Africa to demonstrate the value and use of indigenous symbols, rituals, dance, proverbs, songs and stories for contextualized approaches to discipleship. Drawing from various anthropological theories, examples are provided to demonstrate how these oral genres can address excluded middle issues in order to create missiological transformation. Since these indigenous genres are embedded in culture, wise disciple makers can apply this discipleship approach for the formation of cultural and biblical identity. In the process, this can help disciples overcome the common dangers of both syncretism and split-level Christianity.

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The Iron Law of Communication

Wayne Dye — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 07:36:38 +0000

Miscommunication is a common problem in human interaction; tragically, sometimes even the Gospel is misunderstood. The root cause of most interpersonal misunderstandings is not failure to hear words that are said but differences in the cognitive environments of the speaker and hearer. Their cognitive environments are made up of their language, culture, personal histories, and their evaluation of the immediate situation between speaker and hearer. How this happens is made clear through an example of miscommunication between two people with broadly the same background. The problem is ubiquitous; without exception, every conversation depends on an adequate match between the cognitive environments of speakers and hearers. The problem can be overcome by a combination of learning about the cognitive environment of the hearer before a conversation, two-way communication, and thoughtful listening to the hearer’s responses. It also requires building on common human experiences. Because the process of learning from stories is built on common human experiences, stories are a significant way to overcome the problem of the iron law of communication.

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The Use of Narrative in Paul’s Letter to the Romans

Joshua Adebayo Adesina, Jong Angeles and Danyal Qalb — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 07:35:39 +0000

This paper explores the use of Narrative in Paul’s letter to the Romans, specifically focusing on its application across diverse cultures. Biblical narratives are foundational elements for developing systematic theology and other theological reflections. These narratives unfold various characters, leading to a deeper understanding of a particular theology. For instance, Paul employs narratives from the Old Testament, such as those of Abraham and David, in his epistle to the Romans to explain his teachings on righteousness, allowing his recipients to understand his argument better. In the same way, this concept enables the incorporation of cultural narratives, facilitating a more meaningful discussion of theological concepts. This narrative approach enriches theological reflection and promotes deeper engagement with scripture among diverse cultural and educational backgrounds.

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