Book: CONNECTING POINTS: Bridging the Orality Gap to Minds and Hearts
Editors: Charles Madinger, Danyal Qalb
Publisher Info: Institutes for Orality Strategies, OralityResources.International, Manila, Philippines
Format: E-book. Available at https://oralityresources.international/connecting-points-1. (Note: While freely available to anyone, it is requested that the link is shared, not the file. That way, they can keep track of how many downloads of the book are carried out.)
Review/Reflection
I have been studying orality as it pertains to ministry for a few years. It is not my area of expertise, and probably never will be. My interest is in secondary orality especially— those who can read, but prefer to learn through other means than reading. This is a large percent of world population. Often religious leaders are really focused on literate forms of learning and training, but their trainees just don’t really want to learn that way. And it is more than just that they don’t want to learn that way— they are not good at learning that way. Rather than writing articles complaining about the “younger generation” (while the younger generation make videos complaining about the older generation), the teacher really has to adapt to the student.
This book is part of a three volume series. As far as I know, the other volumes are not available as of this date, but are already outlined, if not fully written. It is meant to be a tool for orality work, where different areas that relate to orality learning and training are explored.
Volume 1 explores the following areas: Story • Symbols • Rituals • Memory • Space
Stories: This section was written by Tom Steffen. If one thinks about orality in terms of learning or in terms of orality cultures, the first thing one thinks of (I believe) is stories. We remember stories, and in many ways think about and via stories. We are fascinated with stories. The idea that Eastern cultures are interested in stories and Western cultures are interested in propositions is deeply flawed. Everywhere, people love a good story— whether told in a small group, acted out in a motion picture, expressed in a song, or performed on a stage. Steffen did a great job of summarizing a lot of work, especially his own work on this subject. I have read a lot of Steffen’s books and so much of this was familiar ground for me. This chapter, then, is a good summary of a lot of the principles of storying, oral hermeneutics, character theology, and more. Those who want to know more can follow the footnotes and bibliography to more detailed sources. All of the sections have good citation work, and the sources are commonly available online with hyperlinks available.
Symbols and Rituals. I am combining them here. Symbols are talked about by Samuel Law while Rituals are discussed by Jay Moon. What Law speaks of as Symbols, I would call “Iconic Symbols” or “Discursive Symbols.” What Moon calls “Rituals” I would call “Presentative Symbols.” These sections hit home for me partly because of my upbringing. As a low church, open worship, semi-fundamentalist Christian (especially in my youth) I was taught to take a fairly dim view of these types of symbols. About the only symbols we liked were “Pure Symbols”— essentially the symbols of literacy (such as the alphabet). We sort of bought into Zwyngli”s distrust of religious symbols, icons, and such. I recall attending a church where the pastor spoke of how he would intentionally change the decor in the church sanctuary to ensure that nothing takes on some sort of “traditional” meaning (essentially a religious symbol). Liturgy was avoided for fear that it would constitute “vain repetition.” Rituals were avoided except for Baptism and the Lord’s Supper— but even with these, they were labeled “Ordinances,” suggesting that their primary purpose was an act of obedience to God’s command, rather than an activity embodying meaning. I feel that this is an area of deprivation in my spiritual upbringing. I am not really interested in being involved in a religious tradition where symbols and rituals have ossified into orthodox meanings that cannot bend and flow to context. Still, in both primary or orality cultures, people understand much through visual (and other sensory) symbols as well as participation in performance. This is an area I wish to know more about and hope to expand my understanding on in the future.
Memory. This section is by Larry Dinkins. Often when speaking of orality cultures, one hears anecdotes of the prodigious memories of those from traditional primary orality cultures. These stories help remind people (I hope at least) that people from such cultures are not only as intelligent as we (not always high praise) but can often do what we think near impossible. What, however, do these facts have to do with us today where we are at? I believe Dinkins does a good job of bringing this to our setting. He points out the importance of not merely memorization, but reflection, on learning and growth. He notes that stories are often key to “memorization.” Of course, this type of memorization may not be the “word-for-word” type that is promoted in literate societies. Of course, songs, poems, and performances can also aid in remembering.. As I was reading this section, I recall my father. He was a mathematician mostly before the age of computers. Actually, he had a job that was often called “human computer.” He could quickly multiply two 3-digit numbers in his head. And with a pen and paper (without sliderule or calculator) could work out square roots. I have forgotten how to do square roots in that way, and really struggle to multiple two 2-digit numbers in my head. On the other hand, I can drive in places I haven’t been before and often keep a pretty good mental orientation. This is probably because prior to GPS and smartphones, one had to try to keep oneself oriented to the cardinal directions on earth to avoid getting lost. I know people today whose life is guided by Waze or Google Maps who find it strange that I “just know” which direction is East. This is not about “things were better in the old days.” Rather, it is simply the acknowledgement that every gain in innovation leads to some loss. But while it may not be useful for people to learn how to do square roots without a calculator today, it will always be useful to learn, reflect on, and take in (in mind and heart) God’s Story.
Space. This section is by Jay Matenga. I feel like “space” is the wrong term. Perhaps “Physical Context” is better. Matenga called his chapter “Reading the Environment.” In some ways, this was the most interesting chapter, but also the most difficult to apply. A large percent of readers are uprooted. They were born into transient families and have stayed transient. Many cultures are deeply connected to their land, and that is a great blessing. But what about the rest of us? I can relate to both groups. I was raised on a hill in Western New York (USA). The house I grew up in was previously owned by my aunt and ncle, and before that owned by my great aunt and great uncle… going back to the 1890s. I could point out the nearby house my dad lived in as an adult before he got married. I could point out the plot of land where my grandparents lived and raised their children (the house and barn are long gone). I can point out the house that my great grandfather and family lived in after coming over from Sweden in the 1880s. The road I lived on was named after one branch of my family. The road my great grandfather lived on was and is named after him. My roots are quite deep there. But the US Navy brought me far away from there…. and job and later full-time ministry has kept me away, with the exception of brief visits. I remember the sorrow I felt when I sold the last bit of land my family owned on that hill. I remember the pain I had learning that the old barn at my family farmhouse had collapsed (one built from a frame made from virgin forest white pine logs, some of which almost certainly began their life prior to European exploration of the Americas). While I feel that connection, I have been uprooted and so many others have to. How does this chapter inform “the rest of us?” This is not a complaint– I really am hopeful that there is more on this topic to explore.
I do strongly recommend this book for those in ministry (not just missions). I believe we live in a world that in many ways is moving away from traditional literacy. We need to relearn what has been forgotten, and learn new ways to adapt to what is new.
For those curious about Volumes 2 and 3, these are the topics that relate to orality studies:
Volume 2: Arts, Logic, Grouping, Time, Respect
Volume 3: Learning, Language, Identity, Words, Change
