Don't Throw the Book at Them: Communicating the Christian Message to People Who Don't Read

Communicating the Christian Message to People Who Don't Read

Don't Throw the Book at Them addresses one of the most vital issues in contemporary missions. It is a manual for cross-cultural missionaries and national church leaders ministering in societies based on oral rather than written communication.

Harry Box is a former missionary and researcher in Papua New Guinea and among the Aborigines of Central Australia. In this book, he explains the distinct characteristics of oral societies, how they differ from literacy-oriented societies, Jesus' ministry to oral communicators, and why effective presentation of the Christian message demands that Western Christians change their approach to orality. He goes beyond case studies and analysis, allowing the reader to develop a detailed plan for communication.

Harry Box comes originally from Melbourne, Australia, and holds graduate degrees in missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary's School of Intercultural Studies. His research has focused on communicating to oral, event-oriented people. Harry's experience includes fifteen years in Papua New Guinea recording gospel messages in some of the eight hundred languages of that country, working among the Aborigines of Central Australia, training cross-cultural missionaries, and lecturing in missiology at theological institutions. Harry and his wife, Carole, have two sons, Darren and Kingsley.