The Mix That Works
Sometimes, I describe our ministry niche as employing technology to bring Christian education as close to "the village" as possible. Sounds simple. But yesterday a few of us met with a family exploring membership with MAF. Somewhere in the conversation I mused that we in Learning Technologies offer a unique blend of art, on one hand and technology, on the other.
The technology aspects show up easily. Computers, networks, software development, audio players and cell phones from the IT side. Curriculum development, course writing, pedagogical theory, and distance education considerations from the instructional side. But what about art? Are we just a coalition of baud rates and constructivism? Or, does human creativity factor into our work as well?
As a jungle pilot I called on isolated villages every day. And, I quickly learned the peril of ignoring social subtleties. If I (in my 2nd language) said, "I'm sorry I forgot to bring your mail," they heard (also in their 2nd language) "I didn't bring it on purpose and if you don't like it you can lump it!" Kind of a bummer to realize that I'd come such a great distance only to educate them that Christians were mean, insensitive bullies.
So, I set the dictionary aside, listened, prayed, and spent lots of creative juice. Slowly, the Holy Spirit reshaped my thinking to include their worldview. I finally grasped that, to convey my intended meaning, I had to say, "Your mail forgot itself and I happened to be near by." Neither technically correct nor logically consistent. But, the message was delivered and understood.
Likewise, delivering distance education to a Sub-Sahara African village demands far more than translating Christian courses into the local language and then pasting them onto a computer program. Translating Christ's culture into effective training for Earth's cultural menagerie requires a level of artistry only the Lord Himself can work in us. Fortunately, He's interested. After all, God did send the good news to all people.
