Behind the Stories

by Kent Annan

There’s a theory about good newsletters, just like there’s a theory about everything else. And part of newsletter theory is that people don’t want to hear about... that’s right, theory! But practice and theory are so intertwined that it seems worth sharing a bit about the relationship between theory and our work at Beyond Borders.

Paulo Freire’s book Pedagogy of the Oppressed advocated a theory that has influenced Beyond Borders’ approach to education since its founding fifteen years ago. Freire suggested that literacy must involve more than learning to read and write; it should liberate people toward having more power to engage in society. Freire also contended that both the oppressed and the oppressors need liberation from a fundamentally damaging relationship. This thinking has not only had a direct influence on our literacy programs, it has also rippled throughout our work for “transformative learning” on all sides.

Just as there are many theories of education, there are also various theories about missions. Recently I was reading Translating the Message by Lamin Sanneh, an African theologian. Sanneh writes in exciting (if also quite academic at times) ways about the importance of local language, culture, and leadership for the church—and how to encourage Christianity’s growth in this way. We talk about these issues often in our Living Words Christian education program. Sanneh said some things in fresh ways that will lead to some good conversations with my Haitian colleagues as part of our ongoing evaluations.

(Engaging new theories helps us to pull back from the busyness to see that we’re planting the right kinds of seeds in the right soil in the right location.)

Sanneh uses the phrase “conscious critical reflection.” Our programs aim for educational experiences that nurture that kind of thinking that leads to people being able to change their lives and communities—through leadership training, through education for adults and children, through Christian education materials, through literacy.

And then we see changes. These are the individuals we tell stories about (when we’re following good newsletter theory!) Women and men are able to find new capacity and conviction to change their own lives, to change the way society treats its most vulnerable children, to become better at their work, to become better leaders, to help create a better environment in their schools, churches, and communities.

A theory behind our Apprenticeship in Shared Living program is that you develop deeper relationships by moving immediately into a Haitian family’s home in a rural community, without knowing much about the culture and not knowing how to speak a lick of Creole. (Language Acquisition Made Practical by Tom and Elizabeth Brewster gives insight on this.) During the first few months of my own time in Haiti, to be honest, that sometimes seemed like a crackpot theory to me. But five years later, I treasure the relationships my wife and I have with the family we began living with on our second day in Haiti. We’re in touch regularly, my wife is godmother of one of the family’s grandchildren, and I always spend the night with them when I’m in their area.

Just as the book of James says faith without works is dead, so theory isn’t worth much unless it leads to good practice. But the reverse is also true. Practice without good theory, to use another biblical image, can be like scattering seeds in shallow, dry ground. With so many challenges and opportunities, we need deep roots if our work is to grow and flourish.