Illiteracy Challenge

Sulad Jhun Cardeinte

“Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19,20

In the cross-cultural ministry, especially in the illiterate community, pressures are great in shaping the members spiritually, since there communication largely verbally based. Distribution of religious books or any printed page will not do for their spiritual nourishment. In Philippines alone, time and money were seem wasted for many years, thousands of translated materials for them seem of no use.
Missionary presence seems their only way of getting spiritual food, since they are “no-read no-write.” Depending largely on what they hear and see, their spiritual maturity is a challenge that we need to pray for God’s wisdom on how to nourish them properly.

Sad thing is when we treat the illiterate as non-persons and neglect them. Thinking they are too ordinary people in our sight and we are not interested to see details in their life and listen to their story but sometimes in a hurry. “Talk as though they were as good a piece of humanity as you are. They have little enough light and joy, and why not carry additional joy and light to shine in upon them and fill their hearts.” WM 90. Missionaries who are always interested to listen to them often rewarded with success.

We must understand that they are students of the “school of practical experience.” Though they are illiterate in the eyes the world but they are not ignorance at all. For example, the Manobo hill tribe in the Philippines they are not following written rules but they have oral rules to ensure and maintain peace order and to solve problems, which is sometimes better than our way. They have unwritten rules and experience that we can learn from them. When the Holy Spirit will work in their heart, they can be intelligent for God’s cause. Formal school may produce leaders but may not produce humble servants. It may produce scholars but may not produce diehard missionary frontliners. It may produce teachers but may not produce teachables. It may produce dominant-like but may not produce Christ-like. It may produce intellectual but may not produce spiritual, which is the greatest need of the world to see among us.

We can discover from the theology program even here in Asia that almost all of the books are labeled by western. Look at Asian churches today, they seem a reflection of a western culture. Sad to say some church practices seem going out from the Biblical culture.

It seems that western culture became the source of form and authority, because many Asian ministers and missionaries try to get education from the west. This may establish pride and obviously one of the evil of global mission, which will endanger our solemn task.

Nowadays, it seems to appear that the basic qualification for ministry is educational degree and no longer spirituality. Sad to say that this measuring rod of qualification in the world of business has been strongly going inside the church. This seems contrary to the Bible record of the early church, “Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.” Acts 6:3.

Let me tell you a fact, in the Philippines alone, there are hundreds if not thousand of illiterate laymen who became powerful witnesses. And we cannot deny that some of them have a higher number of baptisms than that of the high educated pastors.
We must take note that they have the equal ability to grow spiritually if they are rightly nurtured. Though it may vary by responsibilities, illiterate are equally able to that of formal schooled members for God. This is the reality if we look at the record in Acts;

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.” Acts 4: 13,14
We can see that when the Holy Spirit will work in their heart they are equally useful for God. As the pen of inspiration says, “No amount of education, no advantages, however great, can make one a channel of light without the co-operation of the Spirit of God. The sowing of the gospel seed will not be a success unless the seed is quickened into life by the dew of heaven.” DA 172. The amazing thing is that this illiterate people can hardly be stopped telling about Jesus! Let’s look again the record in Acts;

“The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand…Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:1-4,18-20.

Today, some movements which are reaching the illiterate community miss the most important point. We need to understand that the most important we should do in this non-reader communities are not teaching them how to read and write. Sometimes we imitate the western trend. And we are of no difference from the humanitarian programs. Sometimes, we forced them to join in the adult class when they are not interested anymore. Remember that when people grow old, mostly, their interests in formal schooling were already lapsed.

How much more to them where influences of schools are very slim. It is not necessary that we will teach them how to read and write. This may even bring dangers to some since this will eventually lead them to self-confidence and pride. Instead that they will depend upon the guidance and wisdom from the Holy Spirit to used them in the ministry. The early church became effective not because they are intelligence but because they were full of the Holy Spirit.

It doesn’t mean we will no longer build a school for them anymore. School is also important as a center for evangelism and will serve as a starter of our mission goal since the parents love to send their kids in school and we can introduce Jesus. And so that from there we can start to move on build our relationship with the villagers as a whole. But it must not be a prerequisite plan for the adults, unless it is requested. Reading and writing are not so important to them than learning some healthy and practical things that they should not be ignorance. For example, in the Philippines there are unhealthy practices such as defecating anywhere and along the river banks where they get water for drinking, washing, and bathing. They never brush their teeth, and wear no slippers, seldom bath and never use soap in bathing and laundering their clothes. These are necessary things they need to know, so that education in hygiene to improve their health and lives must not be overlook.
Another thing, some hill tribe people think they are saving money when they will not buy slippers or boots, which is not true. They must know that the more they are losing money, if they stepped something like sharp nails, broken glass or they will be bitten by the snake. It may cost them a lot than buying a pair of boots or slippers. But teaching lessons such as health, farming, and education, will just improve their lives but it will not change them. So practical lessons must only be a secondary. We do believe that through our personal example they can be taught lessons of a normal living. If they be only spiritualized firstly, then everything will follow. What is the most important is not more than our careful and sensitive in giving a personal example with them. A missionary must be one with them. “What we want is the tender sympathy of Jesus Christ, and then we can melt our way right into their hearts. We want to clothe ourselves, not with pomposity, but with plain simple dress, so that they will feel that we are an equal with them and as though we considered that they were worth saving, and we can melt our way into their hearts.” WM 90
They have more emphasis on what they see, hear and experience. Though they are not word- readers but they are life readers. They cannot read Bible but they can read your life! That’s why it is important to make ourselves a Bible for them. They need to be cared as often as possible since paper guide will not do to them. What can actually help them is the spiritual person that can guide them.

Lastly, let me end this up by mentioning the six factors which illiterate people can gain learning;

1. By their own doing
2. By their own mistakes
3. Through your doing
4. Through someone guiding
5. By working with them together
6. By listening to what you are saying

God bless.