Sweet Talk: Proverbs Root the Gospel in Vernacular Soil
“Proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten,”Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
As a new missionary living among the Builsa people in a rural village in Ghana, West Africa, my goal was to learn the language. I also wrestled with understanding a culture that was vastly different from the American suburban culture with which I was familiar. I often observed the Builsa people engaging in lively, entertaining and seemingly effective forms of communication. They were using traditional proverbs, which made the conversation “sweet,” meaning pleasant to listen to and easier to digest or understand. I wondered, “Could this be an effective vehicle for communicating the gospel in a way that was sweet to the listeners’ ears and also sweet to their hearts?” After ten years of exploring this question, I suggest three reasons that missionaries (both expatriates and nationals) in predominantly oral cultures should actively incorporate the use of traditional proverbs in their ministry: 1) proverbs open ears to hear the gospel; 2) proverbs clear away the fog in theological communication; 3) proverbs root the gospel in vernacular soil.
Since we have already discussed the first two in the previous blog posts, we are now left with the third one:
Proverbs Root the Gospel in Vernacular Soil
Since proverbs are often deeply treasured in oral cultures, they can also be valuable resources to help express theology that is deeply rooted in the local soil. I used to think that I simply needed to learn theology in the US and then go and deliver it in Africa. Unfortunately, this attitude contributes to the gospel being seen as a “foreign gospel.” An African proverb states, “Borrowed pants, when they are not loose at the ankle, are tight at the thigh” (Adeeko 1998, 1-27). Whenever Christianity does not root itself into the local cultural context, it is always a “borrowed religion” that never quite fits correctly. This borrowed faith may appear to fit for certain areas of life, but during times of crisis or stress one can see that the “pants are not loose at the ankle and are too tight at the thigh.” This has led to the “persistence of a two-tier Christianity around the world despite centuries of instruction and condemnation by missionaries and church leaders” (Hiebert, Shaw and Tienou 1999, 15), and has inhibited the growth of an indigenous form of Christianity. Instead, the gospel is often seen as either irrelevant to the culture or as a foreign religion. Either way, the borrowed pants do not fit!
Since proverbs are rooted in the African daily experience and way of life, they can be powerful tools for encouraging the critical reflection needed to express African Christian theology. This is more than merely adorning or “dressing Western theology in African clothing.” Proverbs can illuminate as they stimulate deeper reflection on the gospel in an African context.
An African proverbs discussion group was formed at Asbury Theological Seminary to discuss proverbs and their interaction with the gospel. During one meeting, a pastor from Kenya led a discussion of a Meru proverb: “When a man is in love, he doesn’t count how long and steep the road is to his fiancée’s house.” He told how he walked a long and dangerous path to visit his fiancée’s home, but didn’t even consider the option to stay home since his love compelled him. As he shared, the entire group started to picture the scenario back in their own context in Africa, and we entered into a very lively discussion. Some affirmed that an African often displays love through actions instead of words. The tangible expression is more meaningful than words that can easily be spoken but not sincerely felt. As the group analyzed the proverb and its cultural meaning, theologizing resulted as they reflected on God’s love expressed in an African manner. Just as an African often shows love through actions and not words alone, God also showed his love through his actions. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
The group returned to the imagery of the initial proverb, “When a man is in love, he doesn’t count how long and steep the road is to his fiancée’s home.” It was noted that God was in love with his fiancée, the church. Because of this intense love for his bride-to-be, he did not count how long or steep the road was from heaven to earth. Rather, he displayed his love by coming to earth in the form of Jesus to visit his fiancée’s home. Even suffering, rejection and death would not prevent him from coming to earth.
That day I began to understand God’s intimate and compelling love in a way that I had never considered before. The other group participants mentioned the same thing, even the one who initially offered the proverb for discussion. He was so excited about this theological understanding that he said he could not wait to return to Africa for an evangelistic ministry in summer. The use of proverbs helped him to express the gospel in a way that was African and Christian. This would surely be sweet talk in the Meru culture. It also became sweet talk to me.
“Sweet Talk” Series Conclusion
For new missionaries and more experienced ones, the serious study and use of proverbs in ministry can open ears to the gospel and then clear away the fog in theological communication. Proverbs can also help encourage the development of theology that is both indigenous and Christian so that the gospel is not worn as a set of borrowed trousers; rather, it is a set of trousers that are tailored to fit the individual context. The time has come to uncover and study these proverbs in order to engage them in ministry and theology in oral societies. As we do so, this sweet talk can be used for the purpose which God intended—to communicate the gospel to his people.
Several years after the initial experience of language learning, I was teaching a session at church. I used a few proverbs to help communicate points I was trying to make. Afterwards, a Builsa came to me and said, “When you used those proverbs, it was like you were singing a song that I wanted to hear. You can sing that song all day long and I will listen.” That is sweet talk!
References
Achebe, Chinua. 1959. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books.
Adeeko, Adeleke. 1998. Proverbs, Textuality, and Nativism in African Literature. Gainesville, Fla.: University Press of Florida.
Healey, Joseph and Donald Sybertz. 2000 [1996]. Towards an African Narrative Theology. Nairobi, Kenya: Pauline Publications Africa.
Hesselgrave, David J. 1991. Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House.
Hiebert, Paul G. , R. Daniel Shaw, and Tite Tienou. 1999. Understanding Folk Religion: A Christian Response to Popular Beliefs and Practices. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.
Lindfors, Bernth. 1973. “Wole Soyinka and the Horses of Speech.” In Essays on African Literature, ed. by W. L. Ballard, 79-97. Atlanta, Ga.: Georgia State University.
Moon, W. Jay. 2000. Analyzing Builsa Proverbs and Culture in the Light of the Gospel. M.A. Capstone Project, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, Calif.
——. 2002. “Builsa Proverbs and the Gospel.” Missiology: An International Review 30:171-186.
Nussbaum, Stan. 1996-98. The Wisdom of African Proverbs CD-ROM. Colorado Springs, Colo.: Global Mapping International.
Ong, Walter J. 1982. Orality and Literacy. London, U.K.: Routledge.
This blog is slightly revised from the original article printed in 2004 by W. Jay Moon "Sweet Talk in Africa: Using Proverbs in Ministry." Evangelical Missions Quarterly 40(2):162-169. See: http://www.emisdirect.com/emq/issue-125/422