Do the Most Successful Immigrants Assimilate or Negotiate?

In Kinship and Continuity , Alison Shaw (2000) studies how Pakistani immigrants to Oxford, England preserve their culture while adapting in many creative ways to their new context. This work counters many of the troupes common in the West regarding immigrant communities. On the one hand, these groups are often seen as either immutably “stuck” in their traditional ways, causing lack of integration and development. The corollary to this perspective is that immigrants that assimilate most comprehensively bear the most benefits of the modern Western world. But Shaw’s (2000) work indicates a much more complex and nuanced reality, showing how cultural enclaves develop creative hybridity. 

Immigrant Communities in Portugal Today

The insights from Shaw’s (2000) study  indicate several possible applications  for the multicultural Lisbon metro area where I live. It is important to recognize  “general restlessness” and “desire for social advancement” generated by colonialism among immigrant communities (p. 25). A 2023 study showed the number of foreigners living in Portugal had doubled over the past decade, significantly impacting demographics (Foreign Population in Portugal Sees Dramatic Rise, n.d.). The jobless rate for foreigners is almost twice as much as the national average, and nearly a third of immigrants live in conditions of “poverty or social exclusion”. On the other hand, one third of all graduate students at the doctoral level are immigrants (Foreign Population in Portugal Sees Dramatic Rise, n.d.). 

A 2024 study indicates that in the Lisbon metropolitan area 43% of the population is from an immigrant background with 41% being first-generation residents (Monteiro, 2024). As a whole, the country has an exceptionally high percentage of repatriated immigrants, with 63% being ethnic Portuguese. These entered the country by way of family reunification or having come with their parents when they were children (Monteiro, 2024). Besides these, a 2021 study showed that the largest group of immigrants was Brazilians at 25.6% followed, by Portuguese speaking African countries at 9.2% (Imigração e emigração em Portugal | Eurocid – Informação europeia ao cidadão, n.d.). 

On the other hand, the flow of native Portuguese emigrants remains high, with other E.U. countries being the primary destinations (Vidigal & Pires, n.d.). And Portuguese moving overseas tend to be the empowered and upwardly mobile. 47.6% of  emigrants have higher education degrees, and 66% are men (Foreign Population in Portugal Sees Dramatic Rise, n.d.). 

What Cultural Hybridity Teaches us About Immigrant Communities

Shaw’s (2000) analysis demonstrates how Pakistanis coming to Oxford were neither mere pawns of international labor nor fully autonomous agents (p. 38). While these immigrants were subject to wider economic and political forces, they acted upon their own aspirations and principles (p. 38). For the families that grew up, socio-economic circumstances changed for the better. In part this depended on adapting traditional forms of family organization. Some women took up work outside the home while also fulfilling the role of maintaining community ties which they traditionally held (Shaw, 2000, p. 68, 227-8).

Shaw (2000) also describes the conversion of the Isai, known within Hinduism as untouchables (p. 79). This phenomena is relevant to the evangelization of immigrant communities in Lisbon by Evangelicals. The Isai were latrine cleaners in Pakistan but were considered equal to all brethren in a Christian worldview. However, evangelism targeting groups of marginal status must consider whether religious change is tied to material and social ambitions. This can  undermine the unity of  church community where doubts arise regarding its members motivation to convert. Evangelistic efforts that target the marginalized of society can be seen as exploitative, with new proselytes being the goal of the first party and new social status being the goal of the second party. On the other hand, liberation theology would argue that converting to Christianity that hopes for social and material betterment is not a contradiction of interests. 

The renegotiation of caste among Pakistani immigrants in Oxford is an example of intersectionality causing hybridity, rather than mere assimilation (Shaw, 2000, p. 113-115). Property ownership and business enterprise allowed some men of “low caste or middle-ranking landowning backgrounds” to exceed high caste men financially. But this does not amount to caste being “shrugged off as irrelevant” (p. 114). Rather, the rankings are renegotiated regarding “which caste fits each Brod category” related to occupation and wealth (p. 115). I believe that in this regard Pakistani immigrants in Oxford will increasingly assimilate to egalitarian Western views of individual status. The strength of Enlightenment notions of human freedom without reference to outside authorities may not eliminate caste but it will most likely alter it. This type of renegotiation of cultural concepts is helpful in majority Catholic Lisbon as young people intermarry with other religious traditions. The legacy of racism towards African immigrants in Portugal is an unfortunate legacy of colonialism. However, Africans who are devout Catholics experience an intersection of race and religion where the latter benefits them socially. Inversely, a significant percentage of Brazilian immigrants are Evangelical, which can hurt them socially. Even though many of these Brazilian Evangelicals share a close ethnic matrix with the Portuguese, their religious affiliation creates a cultural barrier. Recognizing these dynamics of intersectionality and being able to dialogue openly about them is helpful for interfaith relations and evangelism. 

Shaw (2000) emphasizes the constant change undergone by constellations of culture including “social structures, economic activities, religious beliefs, health beliefs, and so on” (p. 290). The sum of these phenomena can inadequately be referred to as “ethnic” attempting an “overall explanation of difference” which ignores constant internal change (p. 290). Shaw (2000) seeks to demonstrate that what characterizes and defines a group “may alter over time as circumstances change (p. 290). I feel this is adequately demonstrated by the Pakistani-Oxford immigration study. Several aspects of their cultural constellation are seen to be preservable and adaptable in ways that affect the immigrant, the host community, as well as the sending community. 

Shaw’s (2000) research shows how Pakistani immigrants weigh their interests in ways that permit changes within traditional social structures while adapting to new circumstances (p. 293). This is an alternative to assimilation to Western individualistic values, which I believe the Pakistanis can sustain in the future. On the other hand, the Pakistanis will have to accommodate to the limits of modern Britain’s doctrine of multiculturalism. As Shaw observes, “Protection of, and respect for, minority values and customs does not extend to ideas and practices that contradict civil rights (p. 295).

Lastly, I see potential in the tendency of Pakistani immigrants’ “turning to Islam as a more significant source of identity than ethnicity” for its universal appeal (Shaw, 2000, p. 300). In the process, however, they are challenging traditional Islamic practices in search of innovations that fit their own goals and values. Their creativity is impressively able to do so while articulating faithfulness to Islamic doctrine (p. 300). This approach can serve as a positive model for Evangelical immigrants to majority Catholic Portugal who want to maintain their faith tradition while seeking to be relevant. Traditionally, Evangelical missions in Portugal have yielded humble results, especially in terms of conversions among native Portuguese. Examples of immigrants who are able to adapt their religious practice to a new environment in search of greater compatibility and relevance are inspiring. Even more so when such innovation streams from a genuine sense of lessons leaned from the “host” culture, rather than simple a means to subversively manipulate it for individual gains. 

References

Foreign Population in Portugal Sees Dramatic Rise. (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://etias.com/articles/portugal-foreign-population-growth-2023

Imigração e emigração em Portugal | Eurocid—Informação europeia ao cidadão. (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2024, from http://eurocid.mne.gov.pt/artigos/imigracao-e-emigracao-em-portugal

Monteiro, C. (2024, April 16). Migração: Factos e Números 2024. EAPN. https://www.eapn.pt/centro-de-documentacao/migracao-factos-e-numeros-2024/

Vidigal, I., & Pires, R. P. (n.d.). Portuguese emigration: Trends and forecasts.

What Ancient Societies Teach us about Giving?

Can Contemporary Societies Learn from Ancient Economic Systems

            The Gift is as an excerpt from Marcel Mauss’ (2000) studies of economic systems in primitive societies (p. 3). Among diverse social phenomenon, the book addresses the question “What rule of legality and self-interest, in societies of a backward or archaic type, compels the gift that has been received to be obligatorily reciprocated” (Mauss, 2000, p. 4). Mauss (2000) contends that the market is a human phenomenon common to all societies, but with differing systems (p. 5). Mauss seeks to explore how the market functioned before modern forms of contract and sale to shed light on how primordial forms of “morality and organization still function in our own societies”. It is hoped that this inquiry may yield helpful conclusions regarding contemporary challenges related to modern economic systems (Mauss, 2000, p. 5). By exploring “primitive” economic institutions still extant today, we can better understand how our modern societies developed (Mauss, 2000, p. 60). Indeed, Mauss (2000) intends to show how modern systems of law and economies emerged from archaic ones (p. 61). 

Examples of “Archaic” or “Primitive” Societies and Activities

            In ancient Germanic societies, a system of exchange was “clearly defined and well developed” by which clans, tribes, and kings made and maintained alliances (p. 77-8). The obligation to reciprocate was known as the angebinde, and the term gaben refers to gifts given on special occasions that the whole village participated (p. 78). Transactions resulted in each part possessing something of the other, creating a bond by virtue of the inherent power of the object (p. 79). The significance of this obligation is expressed in the fact that diverse Germanic languages have a term for gift that also implies poison (p. 81). A ubiquitous theme in Germanic folklore is the “fatal gift, the present or item of property that is changed into poison” (p. 81). 

In classical Hindu societies, the danadharma – “law of the gift” – determined the duty of giving among the elite Brahmin class (Mauss, 2000, p. 70). A gift generates an equivalent reward for the giver in this life and an increased reward in the next life (Mauss, 2000, p. 72). Gifts are personified as “living creatures with whom one enters into a dialogue”, who desire to be given away and with whom an agreement is established (Mauss, 2000, p. 72). A Brahmin’s property is identified with himself, which can visit harm upon a transgressor (Mauss, 2000, p. 73). Many sanctions exist related to gift giving, such as being directed to another member of the Brahmin caste (p. 73). Brahmins take care to avoid residual benefits from receiving a gift because this makes him dependent on the donor, which would be demeaning (p. 75-6). Thus, “all kinds of archaic precautions are taken” so that “no error is committed” in the gift giving (p. 77). 

            In traditional Chinese law, an unalterable link exists between a think and its original owner (p. 81). Therefore, even after an item has been passed on, a contracted alliance puts the giver or seller and receiver or buyer in “perpetual dependence towards one another” (p. 82). 

Promising Paradigms from Antiquity for Modern Economic Systems

            Mauss sees as “fortunate” the fact that the “atmosphere of the gift” still exists in modern societies, so that everything is not defined in terms of “buying and selling” (p. 83). By analyzing ancient societies, Mauss seeks to demonstrate that charity is still “wounding for him who has accepted it”, “we must give back more than we have received”, and “things sold still have soul” (p. 83-4). The Gift argues that the “old principles react against the rigor, abstraction, and inhumanity” of modern legal codes (p. 85), and contemporary social security schemes represent attempts to return to a “group morality” (p. 87). Mauss promotes such a new morality as consisting of a “moderate blend of reality and the ideal”, amounting to a return to elements of archaic society (p. 88). Listed among the benefits of such a proposal are joy in public giving, generous sponsorship of the arts, hospitality, and private and public celebrations (p. 89). 

            Mauss advocates for a return to a time when man was not a calculating, utilitarian machine (p. 98). The most beneficial economy is not to be found in the “calculation of individual needs” which ends up harming the peace of all, ultimately rebounding upon the individual themself (p. 98). Only by considering society as an integral entity can we perceive what is essential (p. 102). The progress of societies has depended on their success in “stabilizing relationships, giving, receiving, and finally, giving in return” (p. 105). This positive development has occurred as far as societies, subgroups, and individuals succeeded in “stabilizing relationships, giving, receiving, and finally, giving in return” (p. 105). 

            Ancient economic systems teach us that societies built of clans, tribes, and elites can learn to “oppose and to give to one another without sacrificing themselves to one another” (p. 106). The principles of wisdom and solidarity found in the ancient societies Mauss’ studied represent a primordial morality for economic systems (p. 106). Mauss sees the possibility of recovering a balance of both individual and common endeavor as well as the accumulation and redistribution of wealth. Such harmony is possible only through a society-wide education program that encourages “mutual respect and reciprocating generosity” (p. 106). Mauss’ defends the value of researching “civics”, i.e., the “aesthetic, moral, religious, and economic motivations”, and “diverse material and demographic factors” which form the shared life of a society (p. 107). 

References

Mauss, M. (2000). The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. Routledge Classics.

Why Giving Causes Tension Among Friends?

Christians consider generosity to be a virtue, meaning something that is freely given and voluntary. But as someone who has served in ministry for the past 3 decades, I’ve seen how tensions between giver and receiver are common. Marcel Mauss’ (2000) The Gift explores cases of lack of gratitude as based on the error of thinking free gifts can exist. For example, a donor should not intend to be exempt from return gifts coming from the receiver. Refusing reciprocation places gift giving outside the possibility of mutual connection. In this text I comment briefly on how Mauss’ work can be applied to missionary service. 

Mauss’ (2000) anthropological research on gift giving in archaic societies and its relevance to contemporary economic systems has interesting applications to my work as a missionary. Specifically, I find Mauss’ work relevant to the challenge missionaries face today in light of postcolonialism. Willie Jennings (2010) descries the arrogant and egotistical approach to giving and receiving of Western missions during colonialism: 

Adaptability, fluidity, formation, and reformation of being were heavily weighted on the side of indigenes as their requirement for survival. As Christianity developed both in the old world of Europe and in the new worlds of the

Americas, Asia, and Africa, it was no longer able to feel this tragic imbalance. Indeed, it is as though Christianity, wherever it went in the modern colonies, inverted its sense of hospitality. It claimed to be the host, the owner of the spaces it entered, and demanded native peoples enter its cultural logics, its ways of being in the world, and its conceptualities. (p. 8)

The legacy of Western missions is ambiguous, the negative aspects of which I am unavoidably connected. In relation to Mauss’ work, one such liability lies in the church’s posture as host and owner even as it invaded the homelands of ancient peoples. I do not subscribe to a notion of a noble savage or pristine indigenous societies that were not connected to their own histories of ethnic competition, conquest, displacement, and genocide. However, I do believe part of missionaries’ task of addressing our colonial past is re-articulating a Christian vision of economic systems. In this endeavor, Mauss’ (2000) work is helpful. 

According to Greene (2024), gift giving is an essential aspect of social relations, involving three types of reciprocity: generalized (based on assumption that immediate return isn’t expected), balanced (explicit expectation of equivalent return near future), and negative (intentionally getting something for nothing such as gabling or cheating). 

Mauss (2000) describes some of the archaic economic systems he studied as existing prior to the emergence of societies where man was turned into a calculating, utilitarian machine (p. 98). In these ancient societies consisting of various groups, alliances were established and maintained through systems of exchange. Through transactions both parties accepted mutual obligation because of the inherent power resident in specific objects. According to Mauss, these primitive economies reflect a vision of society as an integral entity. In such a society, success depends on stabilizing relationships rather than each individual pursuing their own ends (p. 78,78, 98). However, Mauss’ may be critiqued for selecting societies to prove his theory and for portraying them in a naive, idyllic manner (Greene, 2024). 

Mauss (2000) envisions a return to ancient economic systems where both individual and group objectives are balanced and where accumulated wealth is redistributed (p. 106). I promote interfaith dialogue and partnership as a central aspect of postsupersessionist missions. Therefore, Mauss’ work on gift giving yields helpful principles related to intergroup partnership. Postsupersessionist missions involves identifying ourselves as pilgrims and witnesses rather than the exclusive people of God. This exclusivity was a central part of supersessionism’s Gentile appropriation of biblical promises and callings uniquely attributed to the Jews. It is not incorrect for the church to affirm its identity as the people of God. But Christianity’s association with Western imperialism and colonialism creates a need for language that repudiates the sordid legacy of these political and religious phenomena. I suggest the use of terms such as pilgrims, witnesses, and disciples to describe Christian groups. The concept of divine election should be treated as a mystery to be reflected upon within the church rather than a badge visible to outsiders. I believe the election of the Jewish people and the church of Christ is a biblical doctrine that should not be rejected. However, the concept of election is not meant to give groups ideas of superiority and inspire practices of exclusion. 

Mauss’ (2000) vision of society-wide education that fosters reciprocal respect and generosity can inform Christian endeavors to promote the role of interfaith dialogue in missions practice. Missiologists do well to study civics, which Mauss describes as a society’s “aesthetic, moral, religious, and economic motivations”, as well as “diverse material and demographic factors”. Surely such anthropological and sociological research can help the church become part of a shared project of societal development (Mauss, 2000, p. 107).  

References

Greene, Katrina (2024). Introductory Videos: Fall 2024: Social Anthropology ISAN751-01. (n.d.). Retrieved September 12, 2024, from https://biola.instructure.com/courses/58516/pages/introductory-videos?module_item_id=1167199

Jennings, W. J. (2010). The Christian imagination: Theology and the origins of race. Yale University Press; 

Mauss, M. (2000). The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. Routledge Classics.

Learning Through Problem Solving

Problem bases learning (PBL) often begins with a case study that groups work through, trying to solve a problem. The case study can be contextualized for the audience, such as a problem they might face in their setting. This involves discussion, being willing to share ideas with others, being willing to question and explore ideas, and coming to conclusions. My study begins with a brief overview of PBL, extracting some of its fruitful and complex aspects for intercultural application. As a missionary in Portugal, I share some general findings regarding PBL’s reception here where its main application has been higher education. 

My area of service in Portugal is ecumenical post-supersessionist (PS) advocacy. The Society for Post-Supersessionist Theology describes PS as “a family of theological perspectives that affirms God’s irrevocable covenant with the Jewish people as a central and coherent part of ecclesial teaching” (Society for Post-Supersessionist Theology | Jewish-Christian Relations, n.d.). PS advocacy is described as seeking “to overcome understandings of the New Covenant that entail the abrogation or obsolescence of God’s covenant with the Jewish people, of the Torah as a demarcator of Jewish communal identity, or of the Jewish people themselves” (Society for Post-Supersessionist Theology | Jewish-Christian Relations, n.d.). 

I conclude with insights and recommendations concerning the use of PBL in my work in Portugal. I consider the most daunting obstacle to PS advocacy in this context is the almost complete lack of awareness of the need. I find little evidence that Catholic leadership and laity in Portugal see supersessionism as a major problem causing consequences today. However, articulating PS advocacy in terms of problems to solve could be highly persuasive in this context. The predominantly Catholic population, and particularly its leadership, have many motives for desiring the outcomes PS advocacy purports to achieve. Most significantly, PS advocacy offers to restore the identity of the church as a community of intergroup reconciliation versus its caricature as an institution of bigotry and repression. 

            PBL offers an outsider such as me the opportunity to deal with problems in a foreign context as a facilitator of discussion, not an accuser. Its emphasis on practical real-life situations helps generate interest and is useful for teaching heterogeneous groups work together. The facilitator must explain that learning is demonstrated in the ability to participate constructively in dialogue, not in showing how much you know. In addressing the problem of supersessionism, PBL requires participants to learn understand and communicate within the paradigms of other cultural worldviews. Most significant in this case are the following interlocutors: Portuguese Catholics, Jews, and Messianic jews. The latter are the most natural dialogue partners, present as a potential dialogue partner only since the emergence of the Messianic Jewish movement in the mid 20th century. The need to engage emotional involvement in PBL participants in Portugal with PS related problems is most effectively met by a compelling telling of the consequences of supersessionism as experienced by the Jews. 

            PBL meets with cultural compatibility in Portugal in its egalitarian nature but must respect conservative values in the sphere of education. The Academy in this nation stills sees a liberal arts education as involving the ethical and epistemological formation of students. Relegating the teacher to merely an arbiter of the manifestation of students’ latent wisdom and creativity will not be accepted. 

What is Problem Based Learning

         Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical model that is learner centered and provides occasions for participating in goal-directed inquiry (Nguyen, 2018). The basis for PBL is the notion that “when we solve the many problems we face every day, learning occurs” (Barros & Tamblyn, 1980). Initially applied to medical education in the 1950s, PBL has since been use in diverse fields, primarily teacher education (de Chambeau & Ramlo, 2017). 

Generally, PBL begins by raising a bona fide problem with students, with learning occurring as they attempt to discover solutions (Nguyen, 2018; Hung et al, 2008). Of key importance is situating the learning experience in a genuine context (Barrows, 1994). The syllabus is organized around the framework of problems instead of topics or fields of study (Maggi, 2003, p. 2). Teachers thus perform the function of facilitators instead of dispensers of knowledge, guiding students in their collaborative inquiry and reflection (Wilkerson & Gijselaers, 1996). Students develop the ability to learn independently and assume responsibility for their own investigation (Bell, 2012).

Some General Drawbacks to PBL

            The liabilities of PBL lie mostly in defining the role of teachers, sometimes termed tutors or facilitators as mentioned above. Teachers have less reign over content, they are placed in a more vulnerable position, and their workload is increased (Ribeiro, 2011). Students are likely to complain if the problems they are asked to engage with are so extensive and indefinite that establishing focus and learning goals is impossible within the limits of the course (Hung, Mehl, and Holen, 2013). Research indicates that the more practical the problem cases are, the more motivated the students will be to engage in learning. In cases where students perceive the problem cases as related to real situations they might face, they are more attentive (Nguyen, 2018). 

Research also indicates that if too much detailed instruction is given in a problem-solving exercise, students’ creativity may be stifled (Nguyen, 2018). The teacher should avoid prescribing tasks related to problem cases. Further instruction can be offered by the teacher, but ideally after students have first sought information on their own. The priority is to avoid doing anything that stifles students’ creativity (Nguyen, 2018)

Some Benefits of Applying PBL Across Cultures

Although students tend to prefer working in groups of their own choice and with people like themselves, learning to cooperate with people of diverse profiles helps prepare them for real world situations (Nguyen, 2018). In culturally mixed groups, students are challenged to develop their skills of persuasion, presentation, negotiation, and group work skills (Nguyen, 2018). PBL students who interacted with persons the normally wouldn’t had higher levels of collegial learning because of differences in language and academic preparedness (Singaram et al., 2011). PBL with heterogeneous groups can accelerates a sense of “familiarity and togetherness” that fosters intergroup relations (Singaram et al., 2011). The interaction and social cohesion in PBL develop students’ ability to “adjust and comply with team members in diverse resource constraint environments” Singaram et al., 2011). Students who are used to greater access to resources can learn to comprehend colleagues from contexts where scarcity is a challenge. In general, PBL provides an opportunity for students to learn the need for unity in diversity and the ability to “define their roles and responsibilities” as they navigate intercultural contexts (Singaram et al., 2011).

Some Drawbacks of Applying PBL Across Cultures

Heterogeneous Groups

         Research has indicated some potential cultural pitfalls when using PBL. Participants feel uncomfortable with each other when sufficient ground rules are not laid down (Singaram et al., 2011). Some students resist being placed in heterogeneous groups. “Psychological divisions and past prejudices” often motivate students to segregate themselves into groups of the same culture, which decreases class morale (Singaram et al., 2011). The same can happen along lines of socioeconomic diversity leading to “unequal social status in the group”, leading to “unbalanced discussions, quiet students, withdrawing” (Singaram, et al., 2011). In mixed groups, PBL requires management of dynamics “across culture, languages, race, social class and academic background” (Singaram et al., 2011). It isn’t inappropriate for facilitators to take an active role in forming groups that reflect the right mix of diversity. Criteria for such diversity include race, gender, and academic strength (Singaram et al., 2011). Giving participants learning activities that require them to explore subjects through the eyes of the cultural “other” mitigates against the tendency to self-segregate into same-culture groups (Sweeney et al., 2008).

         Another cultural impediment to successful application of PBL occurs in cultures where speaking is privileged above listening (Remedios et al., 2012). Across cultures, a general tendency of the loss of attention to the role of listening in collaborative learning has been observed. This has been attributed to the global predominance of unidirectional learning through discourse (Remedios et al., 2012). 

Western Versus Non-Western

         International literature on PBL has tended to ignore varying effects on students of different cultural backgrounds (Remedios et al, 2012). In the West where PBL was first developed, the methodology emerged as intensely interactive and requiring substantial group dialogue (Barrows, 1986; Colby, 1986; Nash et al., 1991). PBL generally takes place in small group learning events where participants’ progress is recognized by their disposition to move from the familiar to the unfamiliar and to share their comprehension of complex theory (Remedios et al., 2012). 

         In many non-Western cultures, students are primarily rewarded for the level of knowledge they can demonstrate, not their ability to engage in critical thinking and dialogue. PBL’s dialogical nature has proven to be an impediment to implementation in some Asian cultures (Khoo, 2003; Dixon et al., 1997). Research also indicates that PBL places demands on students to perform cultural speech functions like:

demonstrating the capacity to effectively analyze clinical and theoretical data; performing smooth turn-taking; accepting creative silence; supporting views by reference to existing (even if limited) knowledge; identifying topics where personal/group knowledge may be weak or inadequate (Hawthorne et al., 2004). 

The difficulty of using these skills in PBL exercises is exacerbated for students who are learning in a second language (Remedios et al., 2012). 

         Bakhtin emphasizes the complex nature of dialogue as collaborative and ‘double-voiced’, i.e., negotiating meaning with others (Morson & Emerson, 1990; Schuster, 1985). According to Bakhtin, dialogue involves the gradual appropriation of other’s language, interpreting it through significance found in one’s own personal narrative, motivations, and morality (Morson & Emerson, 1990; Schuster, 1985). This indicates that in cross-cultural PBL applications, students must develop some level of appreciation for linguistic and cultural context to be able to express meanings and cooperate with others (Remedios et al, 2012). But due to the significance of historical, geographical, and linguistic context, the limited understanding of vocabulary and meaning will always be a challenge for cultural outsiders (Remedios et al., 2012). 

         PBL presupposes that individual students be open to learn from and teach fellow students, an ‘egalitarian’ approach where all members are deemed to have valuable contributions to make (Remedios et al., 2012). This assumes that no privilege is to be given to any participant due to age, ability, experience, position, or knowledge (Remedios et al., 2012). This egalitarian approach is more easily applied in Western contexts than in more hierarchical, power-distant cultures (Ott, 2021). Research indicates that participants in PBL whose cultural values impede them from learning from their peers (or some they deem of inferior status) will not receive the full potential benefit (Remedios et al., 2012). Therefore, it is imperative that tutors explain the need to develop cultural literacy skills, such as the ability to perceive the rules of a particular context and navigate accordingly (Schirato & Yell, 2000). 

         Research on PBL in China found that participants tended to value group solidarity and harmony over maximizing results according to the problem being addressed (Walker, 1996). Some participants were found to be reluctant to assert their own opinions of possible solutions as superior to those of others. Most of these Chinese participants spent most of time “deconstructing and clarifying the problem”, working busily on “ordering and making sense of the problem, and relating it to the readings” (Walker, 1996). According to Western standards, the Chinese PBL groups seemed overly polite, ordered, and unemotive. Walker (1996) concludes: 

Current thought in the West, for example, strongly promotes teacher involvement in school decision making, the promotion of constructive conflict and dissolution of hierarchical boundaries. Although such moves may fit evolving norms of practice in Western education systems, their utility may be impeded in Chinese settings by ingrained cultural norms which guide behavior in different directions.

Some General Findings on PBL in Portuguese Context

Shared Protagonism of Teachers and Students       

         The use of PBL in higher education in Portugal has yielded positive results relevant to possible application for my work in PS advocacy. In a study of college students developing grade-school curriculum, participants who were allowed to find “individual paths and possible solutions in a creative, critical and pondered way” progressively showed less concern with the application of “preconceived formulas” (Fragata et al., 2020). Portuguese college students responded positively to becoming active participants in the process of solving “non-routine problems” instead of adopting a passive stance or applying previously used methods (Fragata et al., 2020). 

         My study of Portuguese scholarship on PBL revealed a prevalent perspective that students’ pedagogical protagonism must be balanced with the teachers’ role (Trindade, 2014, p. 47). The general thinking is that university students still need

  1.  to learn to adhere to formal systems of knowledge, 
  2.  to learn new concepts and conventions, 
  3.  and to learn their application before facing the challenge of a new profession. (Trindade, 2014, p. 47). 

An internal debate to Portuguese academics is the point to which teaching contexts where epistemological conflicts arise between students preconceived ideas and culturally validated ideas be left up to students to resolve (Trindade, 2014, p. 48). Portuguese research on PBL also points the potential incoherence related to its goal of stimulating student participation and creativity. This lies in the fact that many students are uncomfortable with PBL, particularly the required dialogue and collaboration. Forcing students to engage in this form of learning seems to contradict the goal of promoting students’ autonomy. This study concluded with the position that a professor is not someone who only removes obstacles and provides resources, facilitating learning and promoting cooperation among students. The professor must also take responsibility for “orienting, challenging, and diagnosing” at the level of planning as well as execution. The study is critical of approaches to teaching that take away all the resources and tools that support “the instructive intensions of professors” (Trindade, 2014). 

         This, however, should not undermine the need for learning projects to be designed for students’ learning, instead of to sustain the teachers’ instructive activity (Trindade, 2014). At the end of the article comes the strongest statement, that PBL rightly argues for students’ learning being universities’ focus, not the preservation of teachers’ vocation. However, students’ learning is “a phenomenon whose cultural dimension cannot be neglected” (Trindade, 2014), and higher education should contribute to both personal and social development. Such growth depends on more than students’ ability to appropriate new information and learn new procedures. Higher education should also “establish epistemological ruptures that, corresponding to other forms of constructing and using knowledge, are a necessary condition for that appropriation to happen (Trindade, 2014). In other words, universities should preserve the initial goal of a liberal arts education: not just preparation for a vocation, but the formation of an able citizen (Currie, 2021). 

Types of Problems and Questions

         Another study was done using PBL with Portuguese high school students and teachers related to solving climate change, an intentionally complex problem. It was found that students formulate and teachers anticipate mainly the same two types of questions: “encyclopedic and meaning-oriented” (Loureiro, 2008). Both students and teachers formulated large numbers of meaning-oriented questions, that can be described as “high-level”. But the other type of high-level questions – relational, value-oriented, and solution-oriented – were rare or non-existent (Loureiro, 2008). Hence, a teacher’s ability to “anticipate students’ most frequent questions as well as the specific contents they focus on” may facilitate their application of PBL. 

         In general, PBL was found to help students “develop skills that are required to both understand and solve everyday problems and carry out lifelong learning” (Loureiro, 2008). The kind of problem selected appeared not to influence the predominant types of questions formulated by students. But the amount of information available related to the problem did affect the number of questions raised (Loureiro, 2008). Portuguese participants in PBL thrived when they had access to quality, relevant information for their individual and collective research. 

         However, this study also concluded that some subjects involve too much information to be engaged in certain classroom settings. However, complex subjects are appropriate because they tend to provoke emotional involvement and stimulate discussion (Loureiro, 2008). The contrast between extensive information and complexity related to problems seems to indicate that the former causes learner fatigue and bogs down research. Complexity, on the other hand, generates engagement and lively debate. Lastly, the study was optimistic about teachers’ ability to choose problem subjects that lead to questions that center learning on students while fulfilling the course curriculum (Loureiro, 2008). 

Insights and Recommendations for use of PBL in PS Advocacy in Portugal

Consideration of Portuguese History and Place of an Evangelical Missionary

At the outset, PBL’s application to PS advocacy is clear in that the latter addresses a problem it intends to mitigate against. In my practice of PS advocacy, the goals of solving this problem include 

  1. seeing the universal Christian church in all its diverse expressions repent of this sin,
  2. being healed of its consequences (most notably its own internal divisions), 
  3. seeing the healing of its relationship to the Jewish people, and
  4. seeing the restoration of its call to be a community of reconciliation (Eph. 2:14-18; II Cor. 5:20-21). 

In majority Roman Catholic Portugal, I believe that all four of these matters can be shown as important to church leadership as well as the laity. The biblical idea that sin curses “the land” of a nation but repentance brings healing (II Chron. 7:14) should touch the hearts of many Portuguese Catholics. The desire of Portuguese Catholics to be reconciled with the rest of the Christian churches is perhaps less distinct, and therefore will require an argument for its necessity and benefits. The healing of the Portuguese nation in relation to its Jewish population and the Jewish people worldwide is an uncomfortable subject that will require care and prayer. I consider the restoration of the Catholic church’s identity as a community of reconciliation to be the most potentially fruitful aspect of my PS advocacy. As is the case with other churches in the West, the Catholic church has been largely characterized as a throwback to colonial exploitation, oppression, bigotry, and injustice. I believe that the motif of church as intergroup reconciler should be a welcome re-imagination of its identity and vocation in our pluralistic, globalized world. 

In my research, the most helpful resources on PBL were from the field of education. My brief search for references on PBL in Christian ecumenism, interfaith dialogue, and reconciliation studies, yielded no specific cases. Nevertheless, I find several points of application of PBL in my work. 

            In my work, PS advocacy generally involves meetings of mid-level to senior leaders representing diverse Christian traditions. Looking over the minutes of a recent European PS conference, I extracted the following key problems: 

  1. Overcoming the difficulty of recruiting new participants because of complete lack of interest, or insufficient interest considering other priorities.
  2. Overcoming the doctrinal differences and resultant controversies that slow the work down. 
  3. Deep distrust between Messianic Jews and the Catholic Church.
  4. The Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East.
  5. Division in Orthodox church caused by Ukraine war.
  6. The resurgence of Antisemitism. 
  7. Passing the vision on to a new generation to continue the work. 
  8. Resolving the rift between Christian churches and Judaism when the former seeks reconciliation with Messianic Jews whom the latter overwhelmingly reject.
  9. The movement still largely Western, need for more participation from churches of the Global South. 
  10. The need to create training for PS advocacy.

European PS advocacy has flourished, mostly in the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and several nations of Eastern Europe. Portugal is part of the country cluster intercultural researchers have named “Latin Europe”, which includes Italy, Spain, and perhaps surprisingly, Israel (Jackson, 2020). This is the part of Europe where PS advocacy has made least progress. Austria is an outlier as a nation with a majority Catholic Christian tradition where PS advocacy has flourished. This illustrates the challenge of PS advocacy in the Catholic world, of which Portugal is part. Therefore, in Portugal the most relevant problems listed above are those acutely related to the Catholic church. 

In my experience, the first problem is most urgent in Portugal: Overcoming the difficulty of recruiting new participants because of complete lack of interest, or insufficient interest considering other priorities. There have been initiatives in the Catholic church recognizing the need for repentance over antisemitism, pogroms, and the Inquisition (Marujo, 2000). Much native research has been done in Portugal related to post-colonialism and Catholic antisemitism (Tavim, 2023), as well as foreign research on the connection between Iberian Imperialism and supersessionism (Jennings, 2010). 

Hypothetical Application of PBL

PBL could be effectively applied in a context of ecumenical meetings in majority Catholic Portugal. Most ecumenical gatherings in Portugal are led by a Catholic leaders with participants from Mainline Protestant, Evangelical, and Orthodox churches are also present. As a foreign evangelical participant, I would need to be careful about suggesting the use of PBL in relation to pasts sins and theological errors in Portuguese Christianity such as supersessionism. Therefore, my first step would be to explain PBL’s usefulness to teaching heterogeneous groups to work together (Nguyen, 2018), which lies at the heart of EC’s vision as an ecumenical project. 

PBL offers an outsider like me an opportunity to assume a more neutral role. I could meet privately with some ecumenical leaders to present my proposition for using PBL to broach the subject of supersessionism. If I receive a favorable response, I can ask if one of the leaders could be the dialogue facilitator, with me as a behind-the-scenes support. According to Nguyen’s (2018), the key to an effective application of PBL to this context is to demonstrate its relevance to real life situations faced by the churches in Portugal. 

I can coach the facilitator regarding the danger of PBL participants segregating into homogeneous groups, i.e., Catholics and Protestants (Singaram et al., 2011). I can suggest that the facilitator form the groups so that the right mix of diversity is present (Singaram et al., 2011). Portugal’s Western learning culture fits the ideal for PBL described by Remedios et al. (2012), privileging not only discursive teaching but listening. The facilitator in our hypothetical context will need to explain that PBL contrasts with learning approaches that reward participants for demonstrating their knowledge (Khoo, 2003; Dixon et al., 1997). In PBL, participation is evaluated positively by their ability to think critically, give others a chance to speak, and to voice criticism (Hawthorne et al., 2004). 

We have seen that productive dialogue requires participants to gradually appropriate the language of the cultural “other”, seeking to interpret it within that distinct worldview (Morson & Emerson, 1990; Schuster, 1985). In the case of PS advocacy at an ecumenical meeting, this presents the challenge that there are likely no Jewish participants. I can suggest that a first step in countering supersessionism would be to reach out to Messianic Jews in Portugal. There is a nascent Messianic Jewish community in Lisbon whose leaders could be invited to help existing ecumenical groups to begin the process of learning the worldview of these most important interlocutors as far as PS is concerned. 

The recommendation that PBL participants be open to learning from each other in an egalitarian sense (Remedios et al., 2012) does not seem to be a problem in Portuguese culture. And in the ecumenical meetings I have participated in Portugal, the leaders don’t demonstrate a tendency to privilege some participants over others. The danger cited by Walker (1996) related to over-commitment to group solidarity and harmony over the task outcome could perhaps be present in our hypothetical intervention. Contrary to the Chinese example (Walker, 1996), the Portuguese are less careful to prioritize group harmony in general, but predictably would in an ecumenical context. Also, in contrast to the Chinese case study, Portuguese would probably not be overly polite, ordered, and unemotive (Walker, 1996). 

For our hypothetical application of PBL, it is encouraging that Portuguese participants reacted positively to solving problems versus adopting previously used methods (Fragata et al., 2020). At the same time, my general impression from the literature related to PBL in Portugal is that it meets with a conservative undercurrent regarding the role of teacher as “pedagogical protagonist” (Trindade, 2014). The Portuguese educational culture still values the classic view of a liberal arts education as more than a means to achieving a vocation. The idea that the teacher is someone that actively forms the ethical and epistemological bearings of their students is still a strong theme in Portuguese higher education (Trindade, 2014). 

Lastly, it is significant that research indicates Portuguese participants in PBL tended to ask mainly “high-level” encyclopedic and meaning-oriented questions while largely omitting “low-level” relational, value, and solution-oriented questions (Loureiro, 2008). Loureiro’s (2008) recommendation is pertinent that PBL facilitators should seek to conduct participants towards problems in a way that stimulates not only a search for information but emotional involvement. As it relates to our hypothetical PS intervention with EC leadership, again perhaps the secret lies in connecting participants with the narrative of Jewish experience as it relates to Christianity. After all, this is the context of the negative consequences of supersessionism this PBL exercise intends to address. And as PS advocates have concluded worldwide, the role Messianic Judaism is key (Hocken & Schönborn, 2016; Hocken, 2009).

Conclusion

Although PBL was not developed with ecumenism and intergroup reconciliation advocacy in mind, several aspects of it make it a promising tool. I am an Evangelical missionary dealing with issues of historical injustice and hermeneutical error in church history. My PS advocacy extends beyond my local context in Portugal, but it is here where I live that my work faces most daunting barriers. As a member of a minority Christian tradition in a bastion of Catholicism, I am at a disadvantage to raise awareness of the sins and doctrinal errors of the church my Evangelical/Protestant forebears so contentiously rejected. 

            The lack of awareness of the error and consequences of supersessionism in Portuguese Christianity is an obstacle I must engage with patience. However, I contend that PS advocacy offers to restore the identity of the Portuguese church as a community of intergroup reconciliation. This is a welcome re-imagination of a Catholicism that is largely viewed as an archaic vestige of a legacy of imperial oppression and cultural repression. 

            In PBL, I find a resource full of potential for dealing with problems related to PS as a dialogue coach. The first step is convincing the gatekeepers of Christian faith in Portugal – mostly Catholic – of the real-life implications of PS. If by the power of the Spirit I see this happen, then the door is open to use PBL to help those who must take a priestly role in relation to the sins of the church in Portugal. It is not my place to confess the sins of the Portuguese church and repent for its supersessionist doctrine and practice. Portugal is one of the oldest nations in Europe, and as a missionary I must have a patient and persevering resolve. Some could see PBL as a short-cut to colonizing a foreign culture through the subterfuge of dialogue and students as the source of learning. One could manipulate the students at the ground level using PBL to undermine the academic power structures. 

            PBL is a method that can be used according to Christian principles of humility and sincerity or repeating the same imperialist tropes that malign the testimony of our faith. But I believe in PBL’s central paradigm that learning occurs as students collectively seek solutions to real-life cases. And the accelerating factor of heterogeneous groups practicing PBL makes it a useful tool missionary service. Besides the barrier of my Evangelical origin is the relative invisibility of the Jews in Portuguese consciousness. Since their expulsion in the 15th century during the pogroms of the Inquisition, a significant Jewish presence has never returned to the Iberian Peninsula. Despite this, a large portion of the Iberian population is likely of Jewish descent due to forced conversions. What motivates my PS advocacy in this ancient land is the hope that it is part of God’s key to unlocking healing and restoration. There are deep wells of devotion to Christ in the pleasant land of Portugal. I believe the Portuguese church possesses ancient treasures which the kingdom of darkness has kept repressed. Satan’s authority is only based on the curse of sin and the distortion of truth. My prayer is that this curse and deception are being removed through renewal in the Catholic church and unprecedented ecumenical reconciliation. Most surprising of all would be the participation of the Jewish people in such a miracle.

References

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Barrows, H. S. (1986). A taxonomy of problem-based learning methods. Medical Education, 20, 481–486.

Barrows, H.S. (1994). Practice-based learning: Problem-based learning applied to medicine education. Springfield, IL: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

Bell, J. (2012). Introducing problem-based learning as a learning strategy for master students. Practitioner Research in Higher Education, 6(1), 4

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Currie, A. (2021). Misaligned education. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport48(3), 332–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2021.1951612

deChambeau, A., Ramlo, S.E. (2017). STEM high school teachers’ views of implementing PBL: An investigation using anecdote circles. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, 11(1). 

Dixon, A., Lam, C., Lam, T., & Ho, R. (1997). Hong Kong students cope with small-group problem-based learning. In J. Conway, R. Fisher, L. Sheridan-Burns, & G. Ryan (Eds.), Research and development in problem-based learning. Sydney: The Australian Problem-Based Learning Network.

Fragata, N., Amaral, T., Freire, C., Mangas, C., Fragata, N., Amaral, T., Freire, C., & Mangas, C. (2020). Critical thinking to build creative solutions: Prolearn4all project contributions. Millenium – Journal of Education, Technologies, and Health11, 13–19. https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0211.01.00255

Hawthorne, L., Minas, H., & Singh, B. (2004). A case study in the globalization of medical education: Assisting overseas-born students at the University of Melbourne. Medical Teacher, 26(2), 150–159.

Hocken, P. (2009). The challenges of the Pentecostal, Charismatic and Messianic Jewish movements: The tensions of the spirit. Ashgate. 

Hocken, P., & Schönborn, C. (2016). Azusa, Rome, and Zion: Pentecostal Faith, Catholic Reform, and Jewish Roots.Wipf and Stock Publishers. 

Hung, W., Jonassen, D. H., & Liu, R. (2008). Problem-based learning. In J. M. Spector, J. G. van Merrienboer, M. D., Merrill, & M. Driscoll (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (3rd ed.), 485-506. New York, NY: Erlbaum, 486

Hung, W., Mehl, K., & Holen, J. B. (2013). The relationships between problem design and learning process in problem-based learning environments: Two cases. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 22(4), 635–645. 

Jackson, Jane (2020). Introducing Language and Intercultural Communication. Taylor & Francis. Kindle Edition., p. 284

Jennings, W. J. (2010). The Christian imagination: Theology and the origins of race. Yale University Press. 

Khoo, H. E. (2003). Implementation of problem-based learning in Asian medical schools and students’ perception of their experience. Medical Education, 37, 401–409.

Loureiro, Isménia M.G. (2008). A aprendizagem baseada na resolução de problemas e a formulação de questões a partir de contextos problemáticos: Um estudo com professores e alunos de física e química. Retrieved July 28, 2024, from https://core.ac.uk/reader/55609060, vii, vii, vii, 97, 98, 98, vii, 98

Magi, S. (2003). Facilitating Problem-Based Learning: Illuminating Perspectives. Philadelphia: The Society for Research in Higher Education and Open University Press, 2

Marujo, A. (2000, March 8). Todo o arrependimento da Igreja. PÚBLICO. https://www.publico.pt/2000/03/08/jornal/todo-o-arrependimento-da-igreja-140991

Morson, G. S., & Emerson, C. (1990). Mikhail Bakhtin: Creation of a prosaics. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

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Nguyen, Thi Minh Tam (2018). Using Problem-Based Learning To Promote Students’ Use Of Higher-Order Thinking Skills And Facilitate Their Learning. VNU University of Languages and International Studies, Pham Van Dong, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam, 90, 90, 101, 105, 105, 103, 107, 103, 101 

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From Those Who Wander to Those Who Wander

Can Good Come from Relating to People from other Religions?

A missionary must have a passion for understanding different cultures. As outsiders, we want to influence cultures in ways insiders will consider respectful and helpful. Comparative missiology analyzes how Christianity and other faith traditions have sought to expand and how they justify their efforts (Kim & Fitchett-Climenhaga, 2022, p. 11). 

Questions about Christian mission exist in the general field of religious practices and patterns of diffusion. In a steadily more religiously pluralist world, missiologists can gain insights from other missionary religions like Buddhism and Islam (Kollman, 2022, p. 49). 

Christians can also grow in their understanding of mission by dialogue with non-evangelistic religions like Hinduism, Confucianism, and Judaism (Kollman, 2022, p. 50). Learning how to relate to people from other religions productively should be part of Christian missions (Fitchett-Climenhaga, 2022, p. 10). Have different religions influenced each other in positive ways? As someone engaged in Jewish-Christian relations advocacy, I’m encouraged that Jewish theologians have begun to refer to Christianity and rabbinic Judaism as sister religions. In the first century C.E., these two great faith traditions emerged and developed in mutual influence. And I believe that Christianity and Judaism have much to discover in continued, respectful dialogue (Kedem, 2022). 

Can Good Come from Missionaries Studying the Social Sciences?

The field of missiology emerged as a research-based approach to cross-cultural evangelism which gave special place to the social sciences (Fitchett-Climenhaga, 2022, p. 8). This occurred while theology and biblical studies were becoming scientific studies (Fitchett-Climenhaga, 2022, p. 19). The Anglo-American pragmatic approach to mission studies emphasized the strategic delivery of the gospel. But the German scientific approach to mission emphasized how indigenous peoples were appropriating the gospel in diverse ways (Stanley, 2022, p. 21). As an American Evangelical, I have been steeped in the strategical, project-management orientation to evangelism. But as the baton of Christian leadership passes to the Global South – Latin America, Africa, and Asia – I’m more interested in understanding and encouraging how the gospel is being reinterpreted and reimagined today. And as a student of church history, I’m aware that reinterpretation and reimagination has defined the progress of the gospel as it travelled from culture to culture. 

Missionaries increasingly study diverse fields that are related but not central to evangelism as it has traditionally been understood (Kollman, 2022, p. 51). Some fear that Christian missions will become too fragmented by a multiplicity of terms, theories, and methods (Nagy, 2022, p. 56). The clustering of comparative, historical empirical, and hermeneutical methods across disciplines makes missions studies susceptible to “interdisciplinary miscommunication and misunderstanding” (Nagy, 2022, p. 57). The study of missions mustn’t become so nebulous and vast that it cannot be directed towards practical ends. I find this definition of missiology to be helpful: “the study of the relational, communicative (co)existence between God, humans, fellow human beings and the whole creation across space and time” (Nagy, 2022, p. 60). 

Why Care About Supersessionism?

For the past several years my work has centered on post-supersessionist (PS) advocacy. The Society for Post-Supersessionist Theology describes PS as “a family of theological perspectives that affirms God’s irrevocable covenant with the Jewish people as a central and coherent part of ecclesial teaching” (Society for Post-Supersessionist Theology | Jewish-Christian Relations, n.d.). PS advocacy is described as seeking “to overcome understandings of the New Covenant that entail the abrogation or obsolescence of God’s covenant with the Jewish people, of the Torah as a demarcator of Jewish communal identity, or of the Jewish people themselves” (Society for Post-Supersessionist Theology | Jewish-Christian Relations, n.d.). 

What 

I believe Christians need to discover how God’s particular relationship with Israel demonstrates his desire and ability to love Gentile cultures in all their diversity. This perspective can mitigate against approaches to mission that reproduce cultural Christianities – national, ethnic, or tribal (Nagy, 2022, p. 65). PS advocacy recognizes the roots of supersessionist theology in the Age of Exploration when Western Christianity claimed exclusive identity as ‘people of God’ effectively abolishing the notion of the ‘Gentile’ (Jennings, 2010). 

The history of mission studies’ interaction with colonialism is important to my PS advocacy. It is encouraging to note that voices critical of Christian mission’s connection to Western colonialist were not slow to appear. Protesting voices were heard from Spanish Catholic missionaries in the 16th century for the un-Christian way Europeans treated indigenous peoples (Robert, 2022, p. 385). And Protestant voices rose similar self-accusations targeting the West’s notion of being a Christian civilization (Robert, 2022, p. 387). The culmination of the decline of ‘West to-the-rest’ mentality came in the post-World War II era’s growing anti-colonial movements and nationalism (Robert, 2022, p. 388). I do not lament this undermining of the westernizing foundations of the missionary enterprise, but it is helpful to understand the history when it casts its shadow even today. 

Hospitality from Wanderer to Wanderer

I celebrate the freeing of Christianity from its Western captivity and the unprecedented phase of growth in what came to be known as the church of the Global South (Robert, 2022, p. 389). But I lament that even in the Global South the tendency of Christians to be isolated from people of other religions results from ignorance and fear (Zurlo et al., 2022, p. 74). The statistics reveal the work at hand if Christians are to convincingly support the common human good: 87% of Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims don’t know a Christian (Zurlo et al., 2022, p. 73). Solidarity with our fellow human beings according to the biblical worldview does not mean renouncing the gospel. The church needs to learn to engage the religious and ideological ‘other’ in a way that shows “love, respect, friendship, and hospitality” (Zurlo et al, 2022, p. 74). 

In a time un unprecedented migration and displacement of peoples, it is crucial to know that these phenomena have been foundational to the global spread of Christianity (Fredericks, 2022, p. 670). The reality of cultural diversity is nothing new, but even the most traditionally homogenous societies now feel the strain of pluralism (Wu, 2022, p. 53). And in metropolitan areas that have some of the largest refugee communities, the ease with which Christians can “isolate and occupy themselves away” must be addressed (Wu, 2022, p. 53). PS advocacy must learn from ecumenicists who have emphasized hospitality as the preferred motif of Christian witness (Frederiks, 2022, p. 678). Missionaries are particularly poised to show hospitality to marginalized members of society because of their shared liminal identity. As aliens and exiles in this world, the people of God have a liminal status similar in some ways to that of refugees and immigrants (Pohl, 2003, p. 5). By self-identifying as diaspora persons, missionaries can find solidarity with members of religions who were displaced from their homelands (Sanchez et al., 2021, p. 348). This practice is an effective way of countering the antiquated paternalistic West to-the-rest mission narrative (Sanchez et al, 2021, p. 346). Western scholars have been reminded by Christian leaders from the Global South that evangelization is not the distinct vocation of Westerners, and that even refugees can be seen as missionaries (Sanchez et al., 2021, p. 346). PS advocacy can only benefit from a posture of Christian witness that embodies such humility. 

References

Frederiks, Martha T. (2022). Mission Studies and World Christianity. In Robert, Dana L. (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies. OUP Oxford.

Kedem (Director). (2022, December 17). Christianity & Judaism – When did they actually separate? Prof. Michal Bar-Asher Siegal [Video recording]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dNFAXLC8qw

Jennings, W. J. (2010). The Christian imagination: Theology and the origins of race. Yale University Press

Kim, Kirsteen & Fitchett-Climenhaga, Alison (2022). Introduction To Mission Studies. In Kim, Kirsteen & Fitchett-Climenhaga, Alison (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies. OUP Oxford.

Kollman, Paul. (2022). Defining Mission Studies for the Third Millennium of Christianity. In Kollman, Paul (Ed.),The Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies. OUP Oxford.

Nagy, Dorottya. (2022). Theory and Method in Mission Studies / Missiology. In Nagym Dorottya (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies. OUP Oxford.

Pohl CD (2003) Biblical issues in mission and migration. Missiology: An International Review 31: 3–14.

Robert, Dana L. (2022). Mission Studies and World Christianity. In Robert, Dana L. (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies. OUP Oxford.

Sanchez, et al., (2021). Ministry Amidst the Refugee Crisis in Europe: Understanding Missionary- Refugee Relationships. Transformation, Vol. 38(4)

Society for Post-Supersessionist Theology | Jewish-Christian Relations. (n.d.). Spostst. Retrieved July 28, 2024, from https://www.spostst.org

Stanley, Brian (2022). The Changing Face Of Mission Studies Since The Nineteenth Century. In Stanley, Brian (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies. OUP Oxford. 

Wu, Cindy M. (2022). Refugees and the Mission of the Church. International Bulletin of Mission Research, Vol. 46(I)

Zurlo, Gina A.; Johnson, Todd M.; Crossing, Peter F. (2022). World Christianity and Religions 2022: A Complicated Relationship. International Bulletin of Mission Research, Vol. 46(I) 71-80 

Missionaries are Migrant Workers

Mission as a By-Product of Migration

Missiologist Martha Frederiks (2022) makes the strong claim that “mission as a by-product of migration” may be as significant to the global spread of Christianity as deliberate missions (p. 670). And the effects of migration on mission have been both positive and negative. This is based on an understanding of mission that goes beyond evangelism to include “diakonia, healing, reconciliation, presence, interfaith relations, and advocacy” (Bosch, 1991; Bevans & Schroeder, 2004; Corrie et al., 2007). Migration itself has many different definitions and is central to political debates. 

Thus, a discussion of the relationship of migration to missions is controversial (Frederiks, 2022, p. 672). The term migrant is often used as a form of othering, a “process whereby individuals and groups are treated and marked as different and inferior from the dominant social group” (Griffin, 2017). The information gleaned from interviewing migrants often ignores the probability that they don’t feel safe giving information about their experiences. Evangelism can often be seen as exploiting the vulnerability of displaced peoples. And research into migrants is predominantly done in the West, from a Western perspective. With these considerations in mind, it is undeniable that missions have been promoted through “mercantile networks, settler communities, and other forms of group migration” (Frederiks, 2022, p. 672-673). 

The term refugee has been described as migrants in foreign lands who are “unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion” (Refugees, n.d.). Missiologist Sam George states that although persecution and refugee movements have been “strategic inflection points in the history of Christianity” the current phenomena of displacement will “reshape the future of Christianity” (Adeney, 2018). 

Although cultural diversity is nothing new, increasingly even the most traditionally homogenous societies are experiencing the pressures of pluralism. In her study of forced migration, missiologist Cindy Wu (2022) studied how the church has responded to forced migration. She found that in Houston, Texas, “one of the top resettlement cities in the country”, most Christians were unaware of neighbor refugee communities. Wu (2022) found that it was easy for Christians to “isolate of occupy themselves away” from peculiar communities in their cities (p. 52-53).

Migration and Mission in Scripture and Church History

Although Christian migrants have historically proven to be effective spreaders of the gospel, this is not a given. In many cases Christian migrant’s disempowered and marginal status neutralized their influence. And the conversion of migrants to Christianity can often be seen as harmful because it enabled colonial oppression (Frederiks, 2022, p. 674). The legacy of mission and migration is ambiguous. The Jewish diaspora formed the network through which the gospel spread from Judea. The gospel spread to Germanic tribes north of the Roman Empire through their invasions and kidnapping of Christian women. And Orthodox Christianity spread as Slavic masses migrated to Central Europe (Frederiks, 2022, p. 675). 

To counter accusation of exploitation, practical forms of mission to migrants emerged that go beyond relief work to include social action and justice advocacy (Frederiks, 2022, p. 676). This aligns with the biblical injunction that the Israelites show impartiality and justice by providing for the material needs of diplaced peoples (Deut. 1:17; 24:14, 17; 27:19; Lev 19:9–10). Ecumenicists dealing with mission and migration have emphasized hospitality as the preferred motif of Christian witness (Frederiks, 2022, p. 678). 

Abraham exemplifies hospitality by hosting the stranger under the oaks of Mamre (Gen. 18). The patriarch’s actions remind us not to ignore opportunities for hospitality to foreigners (Wu, 2022, p. 55). Other biblical examples of hospitality to foreigners include the widow at Zarephath’s welcoming of Elijah (I Kg. 17), and the Gentile woman’s provision for Elisha (II Kg. 4,8). But some have pointed out the social power dynamics involved in the guest/host model of hospitality. The suggested alternative is that Christians treat migrants as neighbors with whom they have much in common (Nagy, 2015). Jesus’ inviting himself to the home of Zacchaeus the tax can also be seen as a form of hospitality. This demonstrates how showing hospitality to refugees is a “two-way Chanel of redemption” in which both giver and receiver “experience the grace of God” (Wu, 2022, p. 56). 

Missionaries are Migrants Themselves

This focus on common ground is found in missiologist Christine Pohl’s (2003) proposal that two biblical motifs should inform Christian thinking related to migration (p. 3-14). The first motif is liminality, present in the biblical image of God’s people as aliens and exiles in this world (Pohl, 2003, p. 5). Sanchez et al. (2021) found that missionaries shared a liminal identity with refugees in foreign countries where they served (p. 347). The missionaries that identified themselves as diaspora persons and were more likely to invite refugees into their homes. This was even a way for missionaries to find solidarity with Muslims who were also displaced from their cultures of origin (Sanchez et al, 2021, p. 348). Members of both communities – the missionaries and the Muslim immigrants – shared their experiences of raising children in a foreign culture. Like refugees, some of these missionaries had been forced to move with their families “five times in five years” and understood how exhausting an experience displacement is (Sanchez et al., 2021, p. 348). 

But not all missionaries shared a liminal identity with fellow migrants in the countries where they served. This was clear in the fact that they referred to themselves as missionaries, ignoring any corresponding status as migrants (Sanchez et al., 2021, p. 348). These missionaries’ sense of community was back at home with the sending organizations they represented, referring to themselves as “on loan” and “planting” a branch of those foreign entities (Sanchez et al., 2021, p. 348).

Pohl’s (2003) speaks of hospitality as the natural reaction of liminal groups meeting each other. As strangers themselves, “the people of God will welcome strangers and will embody hospitality as a way of life (p. 5). Hospitality’s true value is seen when it is offered to those who are “significantly different from ourselves”. Thus, it contrasts with our selfish tendency to be friendly to those who are “interesting, valuable, and important to us” (Pohl, 2003, p. 10). This is the opposite of the fear of refugees as detrimental to the economy and the preservation of demographical status quo (Wu, 2022, p. 55). Such an attitude among Christians is shameful, representing a scarcity mentality that seeks newcomers as a “threat or a burden” (Wu, 2022, p. 55). Often the church is complicit in a system where migrants are welcomed as cheap labor while prohibiting citizenship that would potentially change cultural identity. This is a stark contrast to the biblical mandate against mistreating or oppressing foreigners (24:19; 26:12–15; Jer. 7:5–7; 22:3; Ezek. 22:7, 29; Zech. 7:10; Mal. 3:5). 

Hospitality that Seeks Invitation Versus Giving Invitation

Sanchez et al., (2021) found that missionaries serving Muslim migrant communities overseas worked hard developing relationships and saw being invited to formal or informal events as a breakthrough (Sanchez et al., 2021, p. 349). Informal events included “afterschool programs for children and youth, language classes, food and clothing provision, and community center activities designed to help immigrants”. These missionaries participated in language classes to create a relational bridge which could lead to opportunities to share the gospel. These classes were a context where Muslim women could “socialize and connect”, which was superior to their need for language learning. In this way, a formal language class became an “informal, hospitable gathering” offering intercultural learning and relational support (Sanchez et al., 2021, p. 349-350).

Rejecting the “West to the Rest” Paradigm

Theologies of mission and migration developed by immigrants tend to focus on praxis versus theory. A “diaspora missiology” emerges that sees evangelism as something done from every place to every people (Wan, 2010). The most influential mission from migrants’ perspective has been reverse mission which encourages the sending of missionaries from the non-Western world to the former “heartlands of Christianity” in Europe and North America (Frederiks, 2022, p. 679). This last movement is described as a “re-narrativizing” project that counters the typical experiences of immigrants: marginalization, discrimination, racism, and exploitation (Frederiks, 2022, p. 679). This counters the “old paternalistic paradigm of ‘the West to the rest’” (Sanchez et al, 2021, p. 346). Majority World scholars have reminded Western scholars that “sharing the Gospel is not the sole business of Westerners”, and refugees can be seen as missionaries (Sanchez et al, 2021, p. 346). 

Missiologist Cindy Wu (2022) reminds us of the way Christian tradition has “honored the legacy of sojourners and refugees” in the Bible. Abraham was called out of Ur, the patriarchs wandered for generations in Canaan and Egypt, and Moses ultimately led Israel’s exodus in the desert. The factors which cause displacement of peoples are as old as time: “economic opportunity, environmental devastation, war, and persecution”. This has caused the development of unusual religious communities far away from their traditional homelands. Europe has experienced the most drastic demographic shifts because of asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa (Wu, 2022, p. 54). 

References

Adeney, Sam G. & Miriam Adeney, eds., (2018). Refugee Diaspora: Missions amid the Greatest Humanitarian Crisis of Our Times. William Carey Publishing, Kindle location 363.

Bosch, David (1990). Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. Maryknoll: Orbis. 

Bevans, Stephan & Schroeder, Roger. (2004). Constants in Context: A Theology of Mission for Today. Maryknoll: Orbit.

Corrie, John, Escobar, Samuel and Shenk, Wilbert R. (2007). Dictionary of Mission Theology: Evangelical Foundations. Nottingham: InterVarsity Press. 

Frederiks, Martha T. (2022). Mission Studies and World Christianity. In Robert, Dana L. (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies. OUP Oxford.

Griffin, G. (2017). Othering. In A Dictionary of Gender Studies. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780191834837.001.0001/acref-9780191834837-e-283

Nagy, D. (2015). Minding methodology: Theology-missiology and migration studies. Mission Studies, 32(2), 203–233. https://doi.org/10.1163/15733831-12341401

Pohl, Christine D. (2003) Biblical issues in mission and migration. Missiology: An International Review 31: 3–14.

Refugees. (n.d.). UNHCR US. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://www.unhcr.org/us/refugees

Sanchez, et al., (2021). Ministry Amidst the Refugee Crisis in Europe: Understanding Missionary- Refugee Relationships. Transformation, Vol. 38(4)

Wan, E. (2010). RETHINKING MISSIOLOGY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE 21ST CENTURY: GLOBAL DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS AND DIASPORA MISSIOLOGY. Great Commission Research Journal, 2(1), 7–20.

Wu, Cindy M. (2022). Refugees and the Mission of the Church. International Bulletin of Mission Research, Vol. 46(I)

Can Missionaries Change Cultures in a Good Way?

What Missiologists Think

According to missiologist Craig Ott (2021) postcolonial thought is the critique of attempts by one culture to impose their worldview onto another. But Ott warns against a naive attitude that opposes cultural change in general, contrary to the fact that this is an obvious reality in our modern, globalizing world. He also contends that cross-cultural teachers will inevitably be agents of culture change, so they must seek to do so intentionally and profitably. And since no culture perfectly represents the biblical worldview, part of Christian practice is mutual intercultural exhortation. Ott describes the impetus for worldview change as a person coming to realize that “the way they have understood the world so far can no longer account for their present experience”. And such change is not motivated merely by information, human reasoning is based on emotional narratives imbibed in our upbringing. It is only through alternative narratives that one’s conception of reality can change and cause the reshaping of an individual’s identity and values (Ott, 2021, p. 160-167). 

So people will only be persuaded by the biblical worldview if it is linked to local issues and is a story people can “identify with, remember and which will have a life changing impact” (Bartle, 2005, p. 185). For biblical concepts to influence traditional religious cultures, these concepts must be associated with indigenous symbols. Then these symbols can be used to integrate a traditional culture with the world of Scripture “into a holistic Christian application of faith to life” (Zahniser, 1997, p. 13). 

Missiologists Lingenfelter & Lingenfelter (2003) also recognize that every culture is a source of bondage and should so be challenged by teachers (p. 88). Although cultural stability and continuity are necessary for individual and community flourishing, social practices that contradict our values should be confronted. Experiential learning is a technique consisting of “doing and reflecting on what happened”, learning begins with concrete experience followed by reflective observations that lead to the formation of abstract generalizations. The motivation and ability to change behavior comes from students’ experience of discomfort or dissonance, whose cause when recognized can be mitigated against. Experiential learning is effective in promoting change because it focuses on “experience and emotional responses” rather than information. But creating powerful simulations that connect abstract concepts and concrete experiences is more challenging than just lecturing. Still, simulations of experience followed by group and personal reflection can affect change like that which long-term mentoring relationships would produce. From a Christian perspective, ultimately no educational method can produce transformation, only trials, repentance, and obedience to biblical teaching can do that (Lingenfelter & Lingenfelter 2003, p. 89-98). 

What Intercultural Education Experts Think

Geneva Gay (2018) of the University of Washington critiques “micro-level changes” made by short-term educational projects with limited influence on the wider learning culture (p. 275). Gay asserts that this approach won’t generate significant change (p. 275). And change is possible only when educators stop advocating for a return to traditions from a past that marginalized many ethnic minorities. Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) will only change the culture when it is a required part of teacher training, rather than an optional approach. Gay also advocates for holistic approaches to change in education that deal with students’ “ethic and cultural particularities, and their individual uniqueness”. Ultimately, the motivation for change through CRT is the development of students who help make society more “equitable, receptive, and reflective of diverse peoples, experiences, perspectives, and contributions”. This formation must begin in early childhood when students’ ideas about race are being shaped. Merely recognizing the value of CRT is not enough, it must be implemented, and field-based training helps knowledge and practice “reinforce and refine each other” (Gay, 2018, p. 277-290). 

In Developing Fundamental Orientations for Teaching, Villegas & Lucas (2002) advocate for teachers seeing themselves as agents of chance who see “schools and society as interconnected” (p. 55). This involves recognizing that the potential education must challenge societal injustice is more often substituted by a tendency to reproduce the thinking and behavior of the dominant cultural group (Villegas & Lucas, 2002, p. 55). 

Dealing with Controversial Issues: Social Studies in Africa

Lewis Asimeng-Boahene (2007) researched strategies for dealing with controversial issues in social studies education in African schools. He argues that the increased approximation and interdependence of nations increases the importance of social studies educators’ role in preparing children to live in “tomorrow’s global village” (p. 232). The African continent is a particular challenge involving the need to navigate controversial issues while community taboos often prevent open discussion. Asimeng-Boahene argues that decisions about what issues should or should not be discussed need to be based on what fulfills the long-term goals of the school in its community. Introducing controversial issues into classroom discussion sparks students’ interest and encourages civic participation. It also teaches students how to face and resolve conflict and controversy in a “rational, thoughtful, and sensitive manner” (Asimeng-Boahene, 2007, p. 232-233). 

I recognize the benefits of a teacher not committing to a particular position about a controversial issue. But I agree with experts that recommend a teacher never introduce a subject they are not willing to comment on personally, i.e., beliefs and values (Hoge et al., 2004; Martorella et al., 2005). 

How to Teach for Cultural Change Ethically

My context of service is primarily ecumenical meetings of Christian leaders from diverse traditions working on issues of reconciliation. Participants come from churches that have different concepts about what type of issues should be discussed publicly and how that should be conducted. This type of work requires a balance of challenging participants to step outside their comfort zones while respecting their convictions. Our gatherings have people from conservative and liberal/progressive church traditions and it is often a challenge to go beyond niceties to get real work done while avoiding unfruitful controversy. Experts in discussing controversial issues in education recommend inviting respected members of the community to participate (Adeyemi, 2000). In an ecumenical reconciliation themed event, I would apply this principle to the need for local hosts to be given a place of honor. In general, this has been the approach of the reconciliation events I have participated in. Local Christian leaders are given a role of host and convener whose presence mitigates against the appearance of indifference to community context. 

Villegas and Lucas (2002) observe the difficulty of teachers having influence outside the classroom due to the hierarchical culture of schools (p. 56). Teachers are so bogged down with teaching and bureaucratic duties that becoming change agents is an unreasonable endeavor. Making things worse is the postmodern critique of peer relations that creates “a sense of despair (…) that all actions are oppressive and that human agency is an illusion”. For this reason, I agree with the assessment that teachers must encourage “both critique and hope in equal measure” (Villegas and Lucas, 2002, p. 56-58). 

In the context of my ecumenical reconciliation work, the “teaching” is expressed in the mode of round-table discussions. Leaders representing diverse church traditions interact as equals seeking the healing of historic divisions through prayer, repentance, and advocacy. The central motif of much of our work is the Ephesians 2 vision of one new humanity describing the church as a prophetic image of intercultural reconciliation. The concept of being a teacher as an ethical Christian change agent should find direct application to the work I am involved in. Ecumenism that seeks to fulfill the vision of John 17:21 must not be introverted and concerned only with the benefits of reconciliation to the global communion of Christian faith. Our efforts at reconciliation within the church must have a clear goal to bring the fruits of this work to bear on the injustices that plague our world. 

Experts recommend that teachers as agents of social change seek to do so as part of collaborative projects (Villegas & Lucas, 2002, p. 63). I find application of this principle to the work I am involved in, where reconciliation advocates must avoid the discouragement that comes with trying to work alone. Neither schools, nor ecumenical meetings are sufficient to bring about social justice. What is needed is “collaborative communities working for change” in ways that go beyond the spheres of individual change agents. 

References

Adeyemi, M. B. (2000) Teaching conflict resolution to social studies students in Botswana, The Social Studies, 91(1), 38–41.

Hoge, J. D. et al. (2004) Real-world investigations for social studies (Columbus, OH, Pearson/Merrill/

Prentice Hall).

Ott, C. (2021). Teaching and learning across cultures: A guide to theory and practice. (Lower Level LC1099. O83 2021). Baker Academic

Bartle, Neville. 2005. Death, Witchcraft and the Spirit World in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Goroka, Papua New Guinea: Melanesian Institute.

Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. (Lower Level LC1099.3. G393 2018; Third edition.). Teachers College Press

Lewis Asimeng‐Boahene (2007) Creating strategies to deal with problems of teaching controversial issues in social studies education in African schools, Intercultural Education, 18:3, 231-242, DOI: 10.1080/14675980701463588

Lingenfelter, J., & Lingenfelter, S. (2003). Teaching cross culturally: An incarnational model for learning and teaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Martorella, P., Beal, H., Candy, M. & Bolick, C. M (2005) Teaching social studies in middle and

secondary schools (4th edn) (Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson).

Villegas, A. M., & Lucas, T. (2002). Educating culturally responsive teachers: A coherent approach. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Zahniser, A. H. Matthias. 1997. Symbol and Ceremony: Making Disciples across Cultures. Monrovia, CA: MARC.

Teaching from the Outside

The Far-reaching Perspective of the Portuguese People

As someone from a minority Christian tradition in the majority Catholic nation of Portugal, I believe that sharing the gospel here should connect with the culture’s sense of values and meaning. The Portuguese are fully engaged in modernity, but they also have a sense of the continuous history of their nation – founded in 1143 C.E., considered by some to be the oldest country in Europe (Historical Development, n.d.; (17 Fun Facts about Portugal You Probably Never Knew, n.d.). Learning activities that spark curiosity to see how class content relates to daily life and individual accomplishment of Portuguese students will be most effective. 

Evangelical missionaries like me serving in Latin Europe – Portugal, Spain, Italy – often complain of the difficulty of their work. But I believe a key is connecting the good news of Jesus’ redemptive kingdom to the felt needs and values of these Catholic, secularized societies. The last description cites a great paradox of those countries of Southern Europe that resisted the effects of modernity longer. Here we experience a culture that wants to exercise the freedoms that come with liberalism while also keeping the Catholic church as a bastion of moral reference. 

Sage on a Stage Versus Guide on the Side

The study of diverse interactive methods of teaching that unlock students’ knowledge is enough for a teacher to spend a lifetime learning. This approach is known as student-based learning (SBL), and those who got into teaching because of the love of study need not feel they will be unfulfilled by using this approach. Two cutting edge SBL methods are problem-based learning (Nurul Fadilah et al., 2024) and jigsaw learning (Usman et al., 2022). Both these approaches have the strength of generating and taking advantage of group discussion. I feel that learning approaches that emphasize group discussion have many benefits for a foreign missionary like me. Problem-based learning should be engaged with soberly by a foreign teacher because it will expose them to the pain and struggles of the culturally “other” they serve. If a missionary expects to not stay in a country a long time, or perhaps indefinitely, they can be protected from the despair inherent to any culture by always keeping their eyes on the horizon expecting to go home one day. 

When we really engage and enmesh ourselves in a local culture – marrying someone from there and raising our native-born children there – the liabilities of that nation will affect us for better or worse. The missionary must have a different perspective – that there is no worse-off person due to intercultural service for Jesus. The call of a missionary is only enriching even if not by human standards. 

Ideas of Power: Comparing our Baggage

Hierarchy and order in the Portuguese learning context are quite different from my home culture of Southern California. In the context of teaching, I find that the Portuguese are less likely to recognize someone’s authority to speak on a subject based on experience and charisma but without formal education. Higher education degrees are highly valued in my home culture, but there are many people who become persons of influence in an area due solely to their accomplishments independent of academic pedigree. 

Attractive body appearance is also a significant status defining criteria in the coastal urban context of Cascais where I live, located in the metro area of Lisbon. Dressing well and multilingual ability is highly respected in this context and even necessary depending on one’s vocation. Size of family is more of status symbol for US-Americans than Europeans who often feel the former are irresponsible and even egotistical for having such large families. This would be viewed in the opposite manner by US-Americans. The main challenge I see in engaging and influencing Portuguese culture relates to hierarchy and material status. For US-Americans like me deference to hierarchical and institutional values are harder to accept, and the Portuguese will likely be turned off if US-Americans ostentatiously demonstrate consumerism as a social elevator. 

Is it Valid to Seek Cultural Change? 

 In closing, diverse challenges exist for a foreign teacher who desires to be an agent of cultural and social change. It is imperative that members of the local community be involved in learning activities that seek to bring positive transformation. And as said at the beginning of this text, foreign agents of cultural change should seek to do so in compliance with the goals and values of their target constituencies. The institutions of Portugal still seem daunting to me after living here for four years. I take comfort in the experience of spending 16 years in Brazil, knowing that the learning curve has spikes and plateaus but continues if a missionary stays the course. Staying isn’t enough; however, many stay for decades without becoming wise navigators of culture. My prayer is that I maintain a teachable spirit before the Lord and leave a legacy of blessing – however small it may be by human estimation – that glorifies the name of Jesus. 

References

Historical development. (n.d.). Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-education-systems/portugal/historical-development#

17 fun facts about Portugal you probably never knew. (n.d.). Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://www.trafalgar.com/real-word/fun-facts-about-portugal/

Usman, M., Degeng, I. N. S., Utaya, S., & Kuswandi, D. (2022). The Influence of JIGSAW Learning Model and Discovery Learning on Learning Discipline and Learning Outcomes. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction12(2), 166–178.

Finding Hope in Narrative Learning 

Giving our Life Stories Structure and Coherence

According to Goodson et al. (2010), stories can either give our lives “structure, coherence and meaning” or inversely they can provide “the backdrop against which we experience our lives as complex, fragmented or without meaning” (p. 1). These stories don’t just help us understand ourselves, they constitute who we are(Goodson, 2010, p. 1). We create these stories, finding in them meaning, direction, and support for dealing with circumstances and our identities in them (Goodson, 2010, p. 2). Rather than consisting in learning fromthe stories of our lives and selves, narrative learning happens “in and through the narration” (Goodson, 2010, p. 2). 

We can deliberately engage in constructing narrative through autobiographical work (Goodson, 2010, p. 2). Bateson’s (1994) model for narrative learning involves “recognition of experience, reflection, and reconstruction, which are interrelated as a spiral”. Spiral learning consists of navigating complexity “with partial understanding, allowing for later returns” (Bateson, 1994, p.243). Learning as we move forward, we reflect on experiences and reconstruct them during our lives (Liu, 2015, p. 21). 

Stage theory is a common approach to understanding an individual’s life. But Cohler (1982) states that narrative “may offer a better understanding of the life course than stage theory because it closely parallels the storying process that people use in making meaning of their own lives”. This frees the exercise from constricting models of life progression, as if individual’s lives would always follow one of a set of predictable patterns. 

According to Polkinghorne (1995), narrative discourse “draws together diverse events, happenings, and actions of human lives into thematically unified goal directed purposes” (p. 5). We use narratives to “inform our decisions by constructing imaginative ‘what if’ scenarios” hopefully coming to see that what we have received outweighs what we have lost (Polkinghorne, 1998, p. 14).

Helping Explain Why Our Lives Deviate from “the Norm”

We establish coherence in our narratives by finding connections between the variety of experiences that bombard us with daily (Clark & Rossiter, 2008, p. 62). This coherence is often found in specific cultural narratives, which if identified can be critiqued and countered with alternative narratives (Clark & Rossiter, 2008, p. 62). Indeed, all narratives are situated in culture and tied to it (Clark, 2010, p. 3). However, there is also individual agency in creating narratives, as the speaker connects events into a sequence in order to act on them later and impress meaning upon their listeners (Reissman, 2008, p. 3). Events perceived by the speaker are selected, organized, connected, and evaluated as meaningful for a particular audience” (p. 3). Important to notice is that narrative is always social, i.e. “there is always an audience (real or imagined, the other or even the self) and that fact shapes the structure and determines the purpose of the narrative” (Clark, 2010, p. 4). 

Sarbin (1993) describes our world as “story-shaped” (p. 63), full of “folklore, myth, popular culture (carried by modalities such as movies, television, YouTube, music, and the like), social scripts, religious traditions and parables, political discourses, history, literature”, and so on (Clark, 2010, p. 4). All these forms embody cultural values providing “libraries of plots. . .[that] help us interpret our own and other people’s experience” (Sarbin, 1993, p. 59). These narratives “establish what constitutes normalcy by defining reasonable causality and plausibility” (Linde, 1993). 

Personal Narrative Exercises

Some educators have used imaginative role-playing to help learners encounter a tangible experience, by pretending they were someone else in a different context (Marunda-Piki, 2018, p. 109). Research indicates the effectiveness of narrative exercises where adult learners tell stories “using plenty of gestures, facial expressions, and a degree of dramatization using tone of voice and mime (Sawyer, 1965; Colwell, 1980; Grainger, 1997). 

Christian educators have used narrative learning to help students understand the stories they believed about themselves considering Christ’s work on the cross” (Foote, 2015, p. 118). The call to a new life of faith is seen as “a call for Christians to rethink their thinking”, citing Scripture attesting to how the world has blinded the unbeliever from the light of the gospel (II Cor. 4:4). Emphasis is placed on the believer’s new life in Christ (II Cor. 5:17), and their call to be transformed by the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:2) (Foote, 2015, p. 118). 

Asking adult learners to write narrative essays about their lives is a means of “connecting what they have learned from current experiences to those in the past as well to possible future situations” (Foote, 2015, p. 120). According to Kolb’s experiential learning model, “concrete experiences can lead to personal reflection on the experience. This reflection then leads to abstract conceptualization, which might manifest itself in a set of conclusions or rules of thumb derived from the experience as well as insight into applicable theories or other concepts” (Colvin, 2012, p. 94). Since adults form their identities through their experiences, by critically reflecting upon prior learning through written narratives students can “reshape and renew their identities” (Foote, 2015, p. 121). 

Psychologists use therapeutic interventions that involve “the co-construction of healing narratives in the face of personal, moral, and social adversity” (Lieblich, McAdams, and Josselson , 2004). In White and Epston’s (1990) narrative therapy process clients are helped to re-story their lives, editing the plot to better serve them. This helps the client distinguish different stories to the problem narrative that led them into therapy. Frank (1995) identifies three types of illness narratives: “restitution narrative centers around the (hoped for) return of good health; the chaos narrative has no center—it is disturbingly lacking in coherence and therefore in sense making; and the quest narrative seeks to use the illness to gain something of value”. 

Clark and Rossiter (2008) argue that the nature of experience is always prelinguistic, “it is ‘languaged’ after the fact, and the process of narrating it is how learners give meaning to the experience” (p. 64). Therefore, it is via the construction of narrative that experience becomes accessible, and the way it is constructed determines the meaning it will have for the individual or group. (Clark and Rossiter, 2008, p. 64).

Clark and Rossiter (2008) developed three modes of narrative learning. In the learning journalassignment, participants articulate what they are learning “in a sustained, regular way” by journaling (p. 67). Participants enter a conversation between themselves and the learning material in focus, connecting prior experiences with new ones, comparing prior assumptions with new ideas. In concept-focused autobiographical writing, students write a paper with their life story as the subject, to “construct a narrative of their life experience, which must cohere in terms of a given concept and illuminate that concept” (Clark and Rossiter, 2008. P. 68). In instructional case studies, a problem is presented that must be solved or an issue to be addressed, “and this is the location of the learning because the problem or issue is complex, reflecting real-world practice” (Clark and Rossiter, 2008. P. 68). The point is less finding the solution to the problem than discovering “how to decide what to do” (Clark and Rossiter, 2008. P. 68). They are “learning to think like practitioners, which involves putting theoretical concepts in conversation with prior experience to come up with new insights and interpretations” (Clark and Rossiter, 2008. P. 68).

Conclusion

            The most compelling idea in my study of narrative learning is that people either see their lives as coherent and meaningful or chaotic and absurd. What a tragedy for people who find themselves in a story whose beginning, middle, and end don’t make any sese or have purpose. The Bible states that everyone was created for a purpose (Eph. 2:10; Ps. 139:14-16), a simple message but one that so many distraught and alienated people need to know. 

            Unfortunately, the Bible is full of stories of people who knew God whose stories began so promisingly but ended up in tragedy. These were the followers of God, the heroes of the faith. If we can learn to see our lives in the perspective of the God who shapes and forms, forgives and redeems, we should always be able to find hope. 

References

Bateson, M.C. (1994). Peripheral Visions: Learning Along the Way. New York: Harper Collins. 

Bruner, Jerome S. (1990) Acts of Meaning (the Jerusalem-Harvard Lectures) , Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Clark, M. C., & Rossiter, M. (2008). Narrative learning in adulthood. New Directions for Adult & Continuing Education, 2008(119), 61–70. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.306 

Clark, M. C. (2010). Narrative Learning: Its Contours and Its Possibilities. Part of a Special Issue: Narrative Perspectives on Adult Education, (126), 3–11. https:// doi.org/10.1002/ace.367 

Cohler, B. J. “Personal Narrative and the Life Course.” In P. B. Baltes and O. G. Brim, Jr. (eds.), Life-span Development and Behavior. New York: Academic Press, 1982. 

Colwell, E. (1980) Storytelling (London, The Bodley Head).

Colvin, J. (2012). Earn college credit for what you know (5th ed.). Chicago, IL: Kendall Hunt.

Czanniawska, B (1997). Narrating the Organization. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 

Foote, L. S. (2015). Re-Storying Life as a Means of Critical Reflection: The Power of Narrative Learning. Christian Higher Education, 14(3), 116–126. Academic Search Premier.

Frank, A. W. The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness, and Ethics. Chicago: University of 

Chicago Press, 1995.

Goodson, I. F., Biesta, Gert., Tedder, M., & Adair, N. (2010). Narrative Learning. Taylor & Francis Group. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/biola-ebooks/detail.action?docID=487967

Grainger, T. (1997) Traditional storytelling in the primary classroom (Leamington Spa, Scholastic. 

Lieblich, A., McAdams, D. P., and Josselson, R. (eds.). Healing Plots: The Narrative Basis of Psychotherapy. Washington, D.C.: APA, 2004.

Linde, C. Life Stories. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.Liu, X. (2015). Narrative Generates a Learning Spiral in Education: Recognition, Reflection, and Reconstruction. International Journal for Leadership in Learning, 1(3). ERIC. 

Polkinghorne, D. (1995) ‘Narrative configuration in qualitative analysis’, in J. A. Hatch and R. Wisniewski (eds) Life History and Narrative , London: Falmer.

Polkinghorne, D. (1998). Narrative Knowing and the Human Science. Albany: SUNY

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Riessman, C. K. Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2008.

Sarbin, T. R. “The Narrative as the Root Metaphor for Contextualism.” In S. C. Hayes, 

C. J. Hayes, H. W. Reese, and T. R. Sarbin (eds.), Varieties of Scientific Contextualism

Reno, Nev.: Context Press, 1993.

Sawyer, R. (1965) The way of the storyteller (New York, The Viking Press); original work published 1942. 

White, M., and Epston, D. Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends. New York: Norton, 

1990.


 [DD1]Considering how personal narratives explain deviations from cultural patterns. In their personal narratives, participants could explore how they explain their involvement in Jewish-Christian reconciliation initiatives. (ONM)

 [DD2]Important albeit obvious point: our personal narratives are the result of the interaction of our own experiences and thoughts about them and the mutuality of these experiences and reflections within our cultures. 

 [DD3]Participants can be asked who are the most important “receivers” to their self narrative and narrative of Jewish-Christian relations (ONM), as well as as how this audience affects the narrative? 

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Challenges and Recommendations for Teaching Online

A large portion of my students are Brazilians who I teach mostly online. One positive aspect of teaching Brazilians is that large amounts of theological and missiological literature is available in Portuguese. There are excellent online social science research sources such as the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the Brazilian Institute of Research and Data Analysis (IBPAD). When some subjects are more difficult for students to source, experts recommend providing electronic files through a platform such as Moodle or Canvas (Ott, 2021, p. 235). Research indicates that many Majority World contexts primarily emphasize learning by memorization versus critical thought (Ott, 2021, p. 236). Therefore, a Western teacher like me must take care not to take for granted that students will engage texts critically. 

One of the most prevalent cognitive concepts is field articulation in which field-dependent learners perceive holistically and field-independent learners tend to isolate items from context (Ott, 2021, p. 115). Majority World learners tend to be more holistic/(FD), and Westerners more analytic/(FI) (Ott, 2021, p. 122). Research indicates that online learning favors (FI) learners, so it is helpful to provide (FD) learners clear lecture outlines and instructions on note taking (Ott, 2021, p. 238-9). Consequently, as a US-American I need to be sensitive while teaching online courses to my Brazilian students. 

No matter what the demographic of my students, certain limitations of online learning must be faced. These include the lack of empathy and human touch that today’s “cyber youth” experience. Thus, teachers face the challenge of providing what experts call “high-touch learning environments” (Goodwin, 2016, p. 81-83). Though the purpose of the internet is to connect people across the globe, it often perpetuates prejudice and superficial cultural caricatures (Levmore and Nussbaum, 2010). Analysts describe contemporary learners as “lonely but fearful of intimacy” whose digital connections offer “the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship” (Turkle, 2011, pp. xiv, 1, 3). As an online teacher, I face the task of finding texts that “deal with more authentic and substantial human experiences and contextualize specific subject-matter skills” in multiculturally meaningful ways (Gay, 2018, p. 152). 

Lessons from Western Professors in Saudi Arabia

I have lived outside my native US-American culture for most of the past 30 years. Often, I notice my fellow US-Americans overseas illustrating points with irrelevant cultural references. Sports examples are the most blatant, for example when US-Americans refer to baseball or football, aka gridiron elsewhere. For all nationalities, there is an art to teaching with a translator, which entails avoiding plays on words, culturally unique expressions, and many jokes. 

Western university teachers who sought to apply culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) in Saudia Arabia found it difficult to link students’ motivation to learn with personal ambition. Students didn’t feel that a college education would significantly impact dreams linked to profession, therefore Western teachers had to engage different aspirations (Alghamdi, 2014, p. 212-213). 

Western teachers were able to capitalize on Saudi culture’s respect for teachers. Students showed genuine excitement to learn from teachers who them esteemed as sources of valuable knowledge (Alghamdi, 2014, p. 214). One challenge, however, was the fact that over 5 years of higher education Saudi students became “disengaged from their environment”, “disconnected from the traditions of their elders”, and “adrift in uncertainty” (Alghamdi, 2014, p. 214). The primary reason Western teachers have been sought out by Saudi universities is to prepare students to engage in a knowledge-based economy. Therefore, I would recommend that Western teachers work to identify Saudi mentors who have successfully engaged in knowledge-based work locally and globally. These mentors may be few but invaluable as a resource to build upon as examples for Saudi students. 

Western teachers faced the challenge that the modernist view of knowledge contrasts with the Saudi “traditional absolutist view of knowledge” (Alghamdi, 2014, p. 216). The focus on memorization in Islamic culture conflicted with the Western curriculum aiming to teach students to view knowledge “critically and not passively” (Alghamdi, 2014, p. 216). Saudi students believed that the aim of a university degree is to “graduate and obtain jobs regardless of their knowledge content and changes in ways of thinking” (Alghamdi, 2014, p. 216). 

I agree with the position that (CRP) should aim to develop people who fully participate in their native societies producing life-enhancing knowledge and technology (Alghamdi, 2014, p. 220). I agree with the assessment that Western teachers in Majority World setting should be “exploring the communities in which their students live, connecting learning to students’ everyday lives, participating in community events, and collaborating with community members on projects both within and outside the school” (Alghamdi, 2014, p. 220). 

Culturally Relevant Teaching – Biblical Basis and Challenges

Christian advocates of culturally relevant teaching (CRT) describe the approach as a: “Pedagogy of opposition that is committed to collective empowerment” grounded on students’ academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness of the social order (Ladson-Billings, 1995, p. 159-165). James 2:1-7 on favoritism is cited as a biblical basis for opposing a pedagogy that extends favor to individuals or groups for self-serving aims (Stulac, 2003, para. 5). Christian educators rightly apply (CRT) to factors such as “race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation” (Swenson, 2016, p. 2). These teachers also give the Good Samaritan parable as convincing evidence that Christian educators should show love and mercy as they relate to students and design curriculum (Swenson, 2016, p. 3). The prophetic themes against injustice are also argued to be relevant to Christians’ call to live in contrast to “worldly standards” and “confront the injustices in their institutions” (Gilliard, 2013).

One of the weaknesses of (CRT) is the possibility of buckling under the weight of the project of collecting materials that present “diverse perspectives based on factors such as race, culture, socioeconomic status, gender, age, and profession” (Swenson, 2016, p. 6). If imagining the diverse subjects of academia, one confronts the significant additional pressure (CRT) places on Christian teachers. Then there is the question of evaluation regarding (CRT)’s goal of creating “cultural competence” in students (Swenson, 2016, p. 6). This includes the goal of leading students to recognize the liabilities of their cultural backgrounds, such as white privilege and historical injustices committed between ethnic groups present in modern nation-states (Swenson, 2016, p. 6). These are controversial issues that touch on the idea of identity and guilt, which must be treated delicately. Perhaps a dialogical approach is preferable to a didactive, prescriptive one to free teachers from the liability of imposing their perspectives on students. 

Micah 6 is cited as biblical basis for teaching students “critical consciousness of societal injustices” and calling students to be agents of change (Ladson-Billings, 1995). Visible Thinking Routines (Ritchhart et al., 2011) using various media to engage students in discussion is an excellent strategy, but one that can lead to destructive controversy if nor conducted with sensitivity. A helpful suggestion is that students interact with discussion points regarding social justice in online chat rooms prior to class (Swenson, 2016, p. 8). Also, if (CRT) only generates discussion without practical impact this is unfortunate. The suggestion that students use (CRT) to work on a “specific classroom management issue” has the potential to provide an empirical experience of what it is like to engage social justice issues in real life (Swenson, 2016). 

Helpful Insights from (CRT) for my Context

Research indicates the effectiveness of song, drama, and role playing, which is something that I feel I could employ more in my teaching (Ott, 2021, p. 248). Role-playing is something that I would like to employ more, including “improvisation around a real-life situation” or giving students a “situation (case) that they must act out” (Ott, 2021, p. 253). 

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been praised as “means of democratizing education, overcoming the elitism of higher education, and making it more universally accessible and affordable”, but dropout rates are 90 to 94 percent and nearly 80 percent are from affluent countries (Reich and Ruipérez-Valiente, 2019). In teaching Majority World students, I have observed the value placed on courses that can count toward a degree. Therefore, I would prioritize teaching MOOC courses for credit. Findings show that “students from all cultures preferred asynchronous elements over synchronous ones” (Ott, 2021, p. 276), given factors such as time zone, internet quality, and language difficulties. This runs counter to my presumption regarding Majority World learners such as Brazilians, who I would have thought preferred live online classes. But universally relevant factors leading to the asynchronous preference include “technical difficulties, low audio quality, necessity to be online at certain times, lack of opportunities to interact in live meetings, and their language abilities” (Wang, 2007, 302–3). 

Most of my teaching involves mission studies, for which establishing performance standards of culturally diverse students is a challenge. Experts suggest one way of leveling the playing field is to have students read texts from diverse cultures. I’m inspired by the method of asking students to decipher “culturally encoded messages, and convert them from one expressive form to another, such as from poetry to explanatory essays, and from narrative autobiography to conversational dialogue” (Gay, 2018, p. 158). The prospect of finding teaching materials, techniques, and assessment criteria that are responsive to the “cultural heritages and personal experiences” of students (Gay, 2018, p. 160) is an inspiring challenge for me. 

A significant discovery for me was the coping strategy described as code shifting – “altering expectations, ways of thinking, outward appearances, speech, and behaviors to accommodate situations and audiences” dominated by privileged European Americans in the U.S. (Jones and Shorter-Gooden, 2003). I was inspired by the example of teachers who “translated cues” derived from a culture’s “values, communication and social interaction patterns, and performance styles” (Gay, 2018, p. 215). In these cues, teachers found instructional methods that improved their students writing skills. I want to follow the example of teachers who used these methods to expand their students horizons with code shifting, elaborated as follows:

to learn the writing and speaking conventions of mainstream society and schools; connecting their oral creative strengths to the demands of academic reading and writing; and using their skills in storytelling, oral interpretation, role-playing, improvisation, script-reading, and call–response to improve performance in school-based reading and writing (Gay, 2018, p. 216). 

The paradigm of cooperative learning is also relevant to teaching missions studies to culturally diverse students. I often teach Latin-Americans, who research finds benefit from “working collaboratively with one another in small groups” and from feeling like they belong to a “classroom community” (Gay, 2018, p. 217). I’m encouraged by findings regarding the social benefits of cooperative learning: “improved understanding of diversity, and better helping, caring, and supportive relationships with peers” (Gay, 2018, p. 219). Studies indicating the value of “social scaffolding” that is a “network of personal supports” (Mehan et al., 1996) motivates me to encourage students to find ways of connecting their learning to their families, local communities, and faith traditions. 

References

Alghamdi, Amani K.H. (2014). “The Road to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Expatriate teachers’ pedagogical practices in the cultural context of Saudi Arabian higher education”. McGill Journal of Education / Revue des sciences de l’éducation de McGill, vol. 49, n° 1

Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. (Lower Level LC1099.3 .G393 2018; Third edition.). Teachers College Press; Biola Library Catalog. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=cat09700a&AN=blc.oai.edge.biola.folio.ebsco.com.fs00001149.5fa32307.b7c3.5027.b081.5fe7ee113c2a&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s6133893

Gilliard, D. (2013, March 23). What does Micah 6:8 really mean? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.redletterchrisians.org/what-does-micah-68-really-mean/

Goodwin, B. (2016). “High touch” is crucial for “high tech” students. Educational Leadership, 74(1), 81–83.

Jones, C., & Shorter-Gooden, K. (2003). Shifting: The double lives of Black women in America. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Ladson‐Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into Practice, 34(3), 159‐165.

Levmore, S., & Nussbaum, M. (Eds.). (2010). Offensive Internet: Speech, privacy, and reputation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Mehan, H., Hubbard, L., Villanueva, I., & Lintz, A. (1996). Constructing school success: The consequences of untracking low-achieving students. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Ott, C. (2021). Teaching and learning across cultures: A guide to theory and practice. (Lower Level LC1099 .O83 2021). Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group; Biola Library Catalog. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=cat09700a&AN=blc.oai.edge.biola.folio.ebsco.com.fs00001149.eca6bcdd.ba4a.5f1a.a161.26d8b7e3511a&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s6133893

Reich, Justin, and José A. Ruipérez-Valiente. 2019. “The MOOC Pivot.” Science 363 (6423): 130–31.

Ritchhart, R., Church, M., & Morrison, K. (2011). Making thinking visible: How to promote engagement, understanding, and independence for all learners. San Francisco, CA: Josey Bass.

Stulac, George M. (2003). IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Vol. 16). Leicester, England: IVP Academic. 

Swensen, Danny R. (2016). A Faith­Based Context for Culturally­Relevant Instruction. The ICCTE Journal. Vol. 11 (il). 

Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Wang, Minjuan. 2007. “Designing Online Courses That Effectively Engage Learners from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds.” British Journal of Educational Technology 38 (2).