My journey into the world of narrative

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My journey into the world of narrative

By Larry Dinkins ⋅ January 1, 2008 ⋅

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The careful exegetical preaching of professors at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) drew me to that institution in 1975. During the next four years I was trained to be a critical thinker who could analyze the minutiae of a text in both Hebrew and Greek. My exposition of a biblical text was logical, purposeful, abstract and weighted heavily in the doctrinal sections of the epistles. As an assistant pastor I honed my cognitive skills at a Bible church that valued detailed exposition.

My initial “pipe dream” was to return to DTS to train others as I had been trained. However, after meeting a missionary to Thailand, that dream was changed to a strong desire to teach at the Bangkok Bible College (BBC) After arriving in Bangkok and taking a year of language study, the time came for my interview with the area director to determine my anticipated designation to BBC:

Larry: “David, I’m ready to begin teaching at the Bible school. When do I start?”
David (laughing): “We have no policy to send new workers to the Bible school.”
Larry: “Then where will I be working?”
David: “If you really want to train nationals, you must first understand what ministering in rural Thailand is all about. We are going to send you to Lamnaria, Central Thailand.”

The core group of believers in Lamnarai was leprosy patients who were at best semi-literate. They were not at all impressed with my degrees, nor were they overly enthusiastic when I preached my expository sermons taken from outlines I had used in the United States They did, however, respond to stories. When a poster was pulled out or the Jesus Movie was started, I noticed a visible change in their demeanor. They would inch closer to the speaker or screen and seemed to hang on every word. The most intense interest was reserved for the periodic visits we received from a Christian likae troupe.

Likae is a Thai dramatic and musical theatre production that is performed on a stage in an open square or temple site. Lay members of a rural church performed the first one I observed before four hundred captivated Thai. The actors, bedecked in colorful costumes, told the story of the Bible from Genesis to the resurrection using traditional musical instruments, chants, songs, and dialogue. The climax came when a sequin encrusted Jesus (played by the best actor - a woman) was raised dramatically from the ground on a rough wooden cross. That dramatic moment proved to be a kind of cultural and missiological epiphany of sorts. For the first time I saw how powerful a culturally-relevant narrative presentation can be. A story told with passion and drama does not need lengthy explanations of its meaning or application to life. I was surprised to find that theology and life applications are actually imbedded within stories.

After six years I was released to my “dream job” at the Bangkok Bible College. As academic dean, I quickly learned how our status as an accredited school forced us to provide courses that matched the accepted western curriculum. Our lecturers taught as they had been taught and as a result promoted a western teaching style, which proved inappropriate in the Thai context where the learning style is very different. Years later, when it was apparent that Thai churches were not receiving our graduates as we had expected, we did surveys to determine the cause. One underlying reason was that we were not matching our teaching style with Thai learning styles. Although officially a highly literate culture, Thailand at its core was an oral culture, which preferred narrative, drama, proverbs and music to propositional and analytical thought patterns common in the West.

This educational mismatch was most pronounced when we took young tribal converts, who grew up in a rural, illiterate area and transplanted them to our mega city where we taught them systematic theology in a classroom setting. After convincing them over three or four years of the “right” way to study and proclaim the Bible, we sent them back to their home village. Although they had our “coveted degree” they lacked the seniority, experience, or communication style that was acceptable in their villages.

After six years of church planting and six years of Bible teaching, I longed for a sabbatical in order to sort out my misgivings about Thai biblical education. It just so happened that Dr. Tom Steffen was starting a new class on Narrative at Biola University. This course came into being because of Dr. Steffen’s personal frustration while reaching the Ifagao tribe of the Philippines. Dr. Steffen (2005) said, “The Ifagao wanted stories and I gave them systematic theology, they wanted relationships and I gave them reasons, they wanted characters and I gave them categories”. Dr. Steffen reminded me that at least 65% of the Bible was narrative while only 10% was propositional. I discovered that 70% of the world either cannot read or prefers to communicate using oral methods.1 A few classes with Dr. Steffen were sufficient for me to conclude that what was needed to reach the vast majority on our planet was a much better understanding of orality and the power of stories.

Jim Bowman (2005) substantiated the pressing need to reach oral learners with these sobering statistics:

“Over one-third of the population of the world receives information only through oral communication. Traditional western models of communication really have been relevant to only about 10% of the population. And we are doing a very good job with that 10%. And if you look at statistics, we have reached about 10% of the world. But what about the 90% of the four billion that have not had a chance to really hear appropriately?”

In my mission career I had naturally gravitated to the 10% that Jim Bowman referred to and had taught the Thai in the systematic and abstract way that I had been taught. My narrative course with Dr. Steffen was a new revelation to me and gave me a new direction for my doctoral studies.

With Dr. Steffen’s encouragement, I chose the Walk Thru the Bible (WTB) approach as the subject for my thesis. The beginnings of the Walk Thru method can be traced back to 1963, when Ralph G. Braun began a home Bible study using a chronological approach, hand signs, and a map laid out in his living room. Braun called this unique method, An Old and New Testament Walk-Through (1970).

As a first year student at Dallas Theological Seminary, I had a chance to meet Bruce Wilkinson, who had taken Braun’s prototype and stretched it into a day-long teaching seminar he called Walk Thru the Bible. In 1975 I attended my first Walk Thru seminar with Bruce. I had taken survey courses in seminary, but none of them were able to put the Old Testament together so coherently in such a short time frame. Bruce was able to cover a 110-point outline of the Old Testament in six hours by placing us in the geography of the Middle East and physically moving us from point to point. I was intrigued at this approach but never realized the impact that the WTB method would have on my future ministry in Thailand.

While church planting in Central Thailand I was appalled at the level of biblical illiteracy among Thai lay leaders. This concern was heightened when, as a teacher at the bible college, I discovered students who were unable to piece together even a rudimentary picture of the plan of God as found in the Old and New Testaments. Steffen finds this to be a universal problem, “Bible training institutes often promote fragmentation . . . A fragmented grasp of the Bible often results in some people missing the big picture. Caught up in the details and minutiae, Bible students often fail to see God’s overall plan” (1996: 45,46). This disjointed view of scripture by leaders has had a direct affect on the laity. A Thai leader commented, “Thai Christians are unable to put events in the Bible into any sort of a timeline. This affects negatively both their ability to understand sermons and to do their own personal study” (Jaengmuk, 1992, 23).

Dr. Steffen had convinced me that a “missing link” in the training of Thai ministers was narrative storying of the bible. WTB method was a time tested and international model, which put together all the best aspects of a narrative presentation. It had been used on every continent with favorable results.2 I wondered if the WTB method could be part of the answer to the Thai’s disjointed and piecemeal understanding of the Bible? Would the Thai see it as a relevant seminar or just another novel farang (foreign) method, unsuited and untested in Thailand? There was only one-way to tell: translate the seminar, research the method and evaluate the results.

After seven years, forty seminars, numerous interviews and group testing in all parts of Thailand, I was able to publish my results. My initial hypothesis concerning the Thai’s interest in narrative was substantiated—the Thai simply love stories. The way that WTB packages key stories in the Bible only enhances the Thai’s natural propensity to narrative. Bruce Wilkinson describes it best in his own four point summary of WTB which he gave in a interview to Hunt and McCauley (1988):

Synthetic - gives an overview of the “forest” (broad sweep of Bible) with little stress on the “trees” (details);
Participatory - teacher accepts responsibility for the student’s learning;
Memorable - contains a variety of mnemonic aids, and
Fun.

My research allowed me to test these four aspects in the Thai context.

Synthetic

A simple test that I used on numerous occasions before teaching the class was to have 15-20 Thai stand in a line holding pictures of key Bible events. I would then ask them to rearrange the pictures in their proper chronological order. I discovered that the majority of Thai believers could identify isolated characters or stories from the Bible but were hopelessly lost when asked to put them in order. The WTB method is especially helpful to the Thai since it creates mental pegs for major people, places and events of the Bible and arranges them in the right order. Instead of a disjointed line of confused Bible events, the participant in the seminar is given a composite picture of the whole with each piece placed in its proper chronological position.

Participatory

One thing I have learned from my study is the need to honor adult learners and allow them to participate in the learning process. The lecture method may be the most efficient in delivering volumes of material, but it does not engage the learner holistically. During a six-hour seminar it is especially important for the teacher to keep the students actively involved. Wilhoit states: “Educational research has shown again and again that students learn best when they enter into class activities and take an active role in learning as the teacher does in teaching” (1990, 67). One key WTB activity is hand signs, which accompany each point in the outline. For instance, the first hand sign is to form a ball with your hands (creation), followed by a downward motion (fall), and then hands raised (flood). The Thai are highly expressive and graceful with their hands and take a special interest in this part of the seminar. Such hand signs, however, must be checked carefully to make sure they are appropriate. The book “Dos and Taboos Around the World” states: “Gestures pack the power to punctuate, to dramatize, to speak a more colorful language than mere words. Yet, you may discover that those innocent winks and well-meaning nods are anything but universal” (1985, 39).

Memorable

People in oral cultures are able to memorize vast amounts of material. That is why we can talk of an “oral Bible”. Jim Bowman (2005) describes it as: “50 to 225 stories that fit the world view of the people group.” A pastor or evangelist who masters these stories can apply them to a given situation at a moment’s notice. While evangelizing in Central Thailand it would not be unusual to encounter spiritual warfare, demonization, sickness and leprosy patients. Just knowing the key stories in Mark chapter 1 would allow the Thai evangelist to address these issues through a narrative approach, rather than a logical apologetic based on systematic theology. The Old and New Testament outline of WTB has over 140 points, which can be memorized in just a few sessions. The Thai are taught from their youth to learn orally and to recite facts to their teachers in a group setting. This fits in well with an integral part of the seminar, repeating the outline out loud together. The outline and key words are reviewed throughout the seminar using different oral and visual memory aids. To insure variety, a teacher can choose from numerous review methods. Students stop often to review the outline and hand-signs in groups of eight or with a partner. Acrostics, songs, pictures and object lessons are also used to improve retention of the story line.

Fun

Without the element of fun, a six-hour seminar can become quite boring. This is especially true in Thailand, which is known as “The Land of Smiles.” The concept of fun or enjoyment is a core Thai value that they call sanuk. Mole gives this description: “Happiness seems to be the apex and sum of the other Thai qualities, values and behaviorism. It is descriptive of the noncompulsive enjoyment of life, which is the ideal of the Thai” (1973, 85). Ukosakul shows why it is important to maintain a sanuk atmosphere: “The concept of sanuk is closely tied with the level of interest in the activity at hand. If the Thai do anything and do not feel sanuk, they will become bored and have no desire to continue with it” (1994, 79). In the same way as with gestures, cross-cultural humor is tricky and should be spontaneous and transparent, not contrived or canned.

Flexibility, Adaptability and Transferability

Besides the above four aspects that Wilkinson relates concerning WTB we could add flexibility, adaptability and transferability. People often ask me, “How long does it take to teach the Walk Thru?” I usually answer, “What length do you need? WTB is like a sausage which can be cut to most any length.” It is usually taught as a 5-6 hour seminar but can be reduced to 2 hours and 30 minutes if necessary. I have also expanded it to a forty hour TEE class. The adaptability of the method can be seen from the numerous cultures and climes it is taught in. When WTB was first taught in Russia the handbook was only two pages long and the outline was cut in half due to a scarcity of materials and time. One innovative WTB teacher in Australia taught the Old Testament to aboriginals using picture graphs hung on large sheets under the trees.

At least 50 participants are preferred to create group dynamics, but the seminar has been taught to only a handful or to thousands, as at Willow Creek Community Church. WTB is easily translated into other languages as evidenced by the over 40 languages and 85 countries in which it is taught. John Hoover, who was instrumental in the expansion of WTB internationally described further adaptations: “It is used as a tool in illiterate contexts (Africa); an evangelistic tool (Kenya); a church planting tool (India); a seeker sensitive tool (aboriginal tribesmen— Australia); a 77 Step Thru the Bible (Russia) and a long-term curriculum tool (Ukraine).”

Twelve signal systems

In my studies I puzzled at how such an American method could be so effective in so many diverse countries. Often the outline and handbook was simply translated word by word from English and taught according to the American model. Yet people of different learning styles and ages have affirmed its cross-cultural appeal. Smith in his study on the twelve signal systems of communication gave the most satisfying answer (1992, 144). Smith maintains that all human communication occurs through twelve signal systems or “pipes.” Using several signal systems in combination is similar to adding more pipes to a water system. A larger number of pipes carries more water. Similarly, each added signal system increases the information load carried. If one system fails to be understood, there is not a total loss of communication, because other signals systems are carrying the same or related information.

When you compare the WTB method with the twelve signal systems you will discover that WTB uses the vast majority of the “pipes” needed for effective communication:

1. Verbal—speech the majority of the 6-hour seminar is speaking).

2. Written—symbols (the manual has both text, charts and diagrams).

3. Numeric—numbers (periods of years and dates are mentioned).

4. Pictorial—two-dimensional (the manual includes colorful pictures and graphs).

5. Artifactual—three-dimensional (object lessons).

6. Audio—nonverbal sounds and silence (music, reflection times).

7. Kinetic—body motions (hand signs).

8. Optical—light and color (the four color manual and overheads).

9. Tactile—touch (attendees sometimes give each other a back rub - in Thailand it is done only with the same sex)

10. Spatial—utilization of space (layout of room as a map).

11. Temporal—utilization of time (schedule of the day, breaks, lunch).

12. Olfactory—taste and smell

WTB works cross-culturally because it uses eleven of the twelve pipes (exception: olfactory). In order to include all twelve pipes, Walk Thru at one point actually considered adding a “scratch and smell” page to the manual. One might also include a reenactment of the Passover meal in order to include the senses such as sight, touch, and smell. Many teaching techniques are one-dimensional, stressing only one or two pipes. The broad appeal of WTB is found in the large number of teaching styles, which are bound to match at least some of the predominant learning styles in a given culture. This explains why a largely western method can “cross-over” into other cultures.

Another element, which helps WTB adapt to other cultures, is the emphasis that can be given to any one Bible story. Buddhism is a philosophy (as opposed to a religion) and as such is often analyzed by westerners from an abstract philosophical viewpoint. A small minority of educated Thai may be able to follow a philosophical apologetic, but the vast majority of the Thai can follow the apologetic embedded within a well told biblical story. Take suffering for instance. In the West this is a popular topic for deep philosophical discussion as discussed in a myriad of theoretical books. The Thai, however, will grasp the biblical teaching on suffering more quickly from a story, than from an intricate and logical argument.

When the life of Joseph is taught in the West, the most usual emphasis is placed on the sovereignty of God or forgiveness. However, in Buddhist Thailand a better stress would be on how Joseph responded to suffering. Guatama Buddha was seeking to find the source and solution to suffering. His answer was the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path. The scriptures give a much more satisfying answer to the problem of suffering and evil, which is why the life of Joseph can be used so effectively with Thai Buddhists. Another example is the book of Judges. The ending of the book, “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (21:25) fits with the Buddhist idea of working out your own salvation in your own way. The fallout from such a philosophy in the period of the Judges can be easily applied to the Buddhist context. Stories that speak to idolatry and slavery can be treated with a similar approach.

WTB has a basic story set which incorporates over 140 key people, events and locations. Such a story set is a good starting point for a generic panorama of the essential narrative elements. However, when working in an illiterate or semi-literate culture it is possible to contextualize the story set to that specific people group. The basic process is as follows:

1. Study the language and culture and gain a grasp of their world-view. Isolating their belief system will help when it comes time to pick appropriate stories that fit the way they look at life.

2. Develop a more exhaustive story list that addresses the key world-view issues.

3. Narrow the full list down to around thirty key stories that touch on essential doctrines and truths. There are many stories that would be appreciated in a culture, but it is the job of the teacher to understand the culture, language and world-view well enough to isolate the most relevant stories to make the greatest impact.

4. Field test the story set for suitability. The key is to send out a significant number of trained nationals who will share the stories in a variety of settings.

5. Evaluate and debrief the results of field-testing. When the testers return for debriefing, statistics can be gathered and patterns can be recognized, which will help in the goal of identifying the most effective stories.

6. Finalize the story list and set up a training program. The key to the training program is to have a group of nationals master 4-5 stories and then share them over a two month period before returning to be trained in another 4-5 stories. Over a couple of years you will end up with fully trained oral communicators who have a set of core stories ready to share at a moment’s notice.

Paul and Tereswa Koehler who work in India have a program which incorporates many positive aspects of effective training in storying (2004). The Koehlers do not use WTB, but their approach would be a step that could be taken after the foundation was laid through a WTB presentation:

1. Participants sign up for a four-year program, which requires four days of residential training per month. In these four years the students will learn a total of 125 stories (Genesis - Acts 28).

2. During the four days of training the students learn from 8-10 stories. They study in groups of 4-5 students and practice telling the stories in groups of two. The content of the training is reduced to only one sheet of paper.

3. All participants present their stories and are evaluated by their teachers and peers.

4. In the three weeks between training sessions, the students share their stories as often as they can in a variety of settings - family, neighbors, in church and public places.

5. After three weeks they return for more training and stories. The group of 50 that are in this program have shared in as many as 3,000 different settings in a 21-day period.

Conclusion

For most of my missionary career, I unconsciously pushed a literate agenda and bias. The TEE and bible school training I was involved with was heavily tied to the printed page and western thought patterns. The Thai went along with this emphasis since they felt that western educational models with a stress on logical, abstract ideas and systematized learning were somehow more academic and thus superior. Their term of respect, ajarn (professor), substantiated my role as their enlightened western scholastic guru. But on my journey to narrative I learned that there was a better role to play.

Larson popularized the idea that we enter a new culture as Learner, Trader and Storyteller (1978). Basically he was encouraging us to enter the culture in a learning mode and to strive to find acceptable roles and communication channels within the target group. In Thailand it is hard to follow that model since from the moment you arrive you are expected to act like a western ajarn. This term is quite flattering and can subconsciously tempt the missionary to bypass the rather “infantile” stage of learner and story teller in order to portray oneself as a experienced scholar. As an ajarn the tendency is to communicate in the expected western mode of abstractions and ideas and thus overlook the unadorned power of a simple bible story. As familiar as I am to being addressed by the Thai as ajarn, I would much prefer to be known by the Thai as phu laow reung – story teller.

Notes

1 See www.oralbible.com…

2 Walk Thru the Bible had spread to 85 countries and 40 languages by 2004.

References

Bowman, Jim. 2005. “A Story for the Nations: Making Disciples of Oral Learners” Workshop on Training Grass Roots Workers, at International Orality Network. Anaheim California Sept 13.

Braun, Ralph. 1975. Old and New Testament Walk-Through. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Dos and Taboos Around the World. 1985. Elmsford, NY: The Benjamin Company.

Hunt, Angela E. and Laurie McCauley. 1988. “Bruce Wilkinson Makes the Bible Come Alive.” Fundamentalist Journal 7:7-13¸Å.

Jaengmuk, Manot. 1992. Walk Thru the Bible Study Program and the Local Thai Church. Unpublished bachelor’s thesis, Bangkok Bible College, Thailand.

Koehler, Paul and Teresa. 2004. The Oral Bible: Biblical Storytelling for Today DVD. www.fullfaith.com…

Larson, Donald N. 1978. “The Viable Missionary: Learner, Trader, Story Teller.” Missiology: An International Review 6(2): 155-163.

Mole, Robert. 1973. Thai Values and Behavior Patterns. Rutland, VT: C. E. Tuttle Co.

Slack, Jim. 2005. “Findings from Field Research into the Effectiveness of Oral Strategies.” Workshop at the 4th Conference on Reaching Oral Communicators. Anaheim, California July 13.

Smith, Donald K. 1992. A Handbook for Christian Communication across Cultural Landscapes. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Steffen, Tom. 1996. Reconnecting God’s Story to Ministry: Cross-cultural Storytelling at Home and Abroad. La Habra, CA: Center for Organizational & Ministry Development.

Steffen, Tom. 2005. “My Reluctant Journey into Orality.” Address to the 4th Conference on Reaching Oral Communicators. Anaheim, California July 13, 2005.

Ukosakul, Chaiyun. 1994. A Study of the Patterns of Detachment in Interpersonal Relationships in a Local Thai Church. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois.

Wilhoit, Jim and Leland Ryken.1990. Effective Bible Teaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

Larry Dinkins and his wife Paula began as church planters in Thailand in 1980 and transitioned into Bible teaching. Larry has written two books and a number of articles on mission themes. His PhD thesis was an adaptation of the WTB method for the Thai. Larry and Paula are presently mobilizers in California but the Dinkins plan to return to Thailand.

This article is used by permission, and was originally published as “My journey into the world of narrative” in Mission Round Table: the Occasional Bulletin of OMF Mission Research, August 2006, Vol 2. No.2., p. 15-19.