Critical Review

Posted: March 27th, 2020

Critical Review

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Critical Review

The article, “Harnessing the Power of Narrative: Literacy and Orality in Christian Education,” by Jennifer Jagerson offers an informed viewpoint on the approaches that can be used to distribute Christian teachings to illiterate and semi-literate populaces across the globe. The premise of the argument has its derivation in oral tactics that mission movements and organizations have been implementing to satisfy their key objectives. Presently, most of the strategies that these groups apply to spread the Good News have their foundation on storytelling, which has been proven to be effective as far as understanding the subject is concerned (Jagerson, 2014). With the basis in question, the author expands on the opportunities that storytelling provides by concentrating on the implications of digital media and the way such tactics can be used to harness the delivery of Christian education in the post-modern environment.  

The article also argues that sharing the Good News should focus on the prospects that the contemporary setting offers. Rather than impose the mandate on her audience, Jagerson offers merely a plethora of innovative techniques that people can utilize, especially in areas whereby literacy is a problem. For example, Jagerson (2014) posits that approaches such as songs, ceremonies, discourses, and performances can be used to endorse oral communication with semi-illiterate or non-literate populations. Consequently, the author’s argument focuses on distinguishing between oral cultures and literature cultures with the former inclining towards tactics such as reading and the latter predisposed towards aspects such as recollection, speaking, and listening (Jagerson, 2014). The basis for the contrast is the point of definition and differentiating the dimensions that can be applied to develop effective communicators. In this respect, mission organizations and stakeholders can design differentiated strategies that appeal to the respective groups by musing on their unique needs.

The methodology that the author applies in the article is a cross-cultural qualitative review of existing literature. Since the argument is purely theoretical, Jagerson relies on peer-reviewed journals and scholarly publications to establish oral communication as the best alternative approach for enhancing Christian education among illiterate people. The article looks at the distinguished groups to provide a fair and unbiased argument on the tactics that apply to oral and literature groups. Even though she bases her claim on the former, Jagerson’s conjectures incline towards the factors that establish verbal storytelling as a productive way of spreading the Gospel. For instance, using a study that was conducted in 2013, the author establishes that the application of the respective strategy among students in a seminary based in North America was 47.5 percent more successful contrary to the implementation of literate approaches (Jagerson, 2014). The dependence on past literature on the advantage of oral communication largely informs the article’s methodology.

The impartiality applied in the article enhances Jagerson’s thesis. While the composition is dedicated to supporting oral communication as a useful educational strategy, the article also focuses considerably on literate interactive tactics. The incorporation of an unbiased stance usually provides research studies and essays with reliability and enhances the author’s credibility as far as the argument is concerned (Maxwell, 2016). In this respect, Jagerson’s inclination towards both measures facilitates the article’s position as appropriate literature for further investigation. The article also integrates statistical information as well as real-life examples, which enhance its verifiability and persuasiveness to the target audience. With these elements, the author was able to communicate her thesis and establish her position on the use of oral communication strategies for Christian education, especially in illiterate contexts. Nonetheless, Jagerson’s argument may have been enhanced by the performance of an actual investigate study.

References

Jagerson, Jennifer. (2014). Harnessing the power of narrative: Literacy and orality in Christian education. Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry, 11(2), 259-275.

Maxwell, J. A. (2016). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

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