African Literacies and Western Oralities?

“Has Western Christianity been too book-centered for African tastes? There is plenty of evidence to support this oft-repeated contention, but Coppedge’s fascinating analysis of the reception of the Orality Movement in a Ugandan church turns on its head any simple juxtaposition between Western literacy and African orality.”


—Brian Stanley, Professor of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh





“William Coppedge provides a major clarion call to reconsider the whole relationship of materiality in the contexts of orality. Coppedge challenges many widely held assumptions about the relationship between material-based and orality-based churches and, in the process, shows the interconnectedness of these two worlds in remarkable and insightful ways. While his focus is on Africa Gospel Church of Uganda, this research should be read widely by all those interested in the vibrancy of the gospel in oral contexts.”


—Timothy C. Tennent, President and Professor of World Christianity, Asbury Theological Seminary





“Coppedge's research of the interplay of orality, ritual, and material components in discipleship is of utmost significance. Though some might presuppose that Christians in the Global South predominantly prefer orality and storytelling, Coppedge's study demonstrates an interesting cultural association between literary education and economic empowerment. Simply put, we must not underestimate the holistic benefits for those individuals and communities who can access the written word for themselves. I highly recommend this insightful work.”


—E. D. Burns, director, MA in Global Leadership program, Western Seminary





“The modern-day Orality Movement (OM), claims Coppedge, inadvertently transfers Western proclivities. He then masterfully peels back layers of the onion that sometimes bring tears to the Majority World, in this case, Ugandans. While seeking a script/print world identity that adds social and material value to their lives, they find themselves under the tutelage of regressive oral champions. African Literacies and Western Oralities? offers constructive criticism to the renascent OM in this well-researched read. Timely.”


—Tom Steffen, coauthor of The Return of Oral Hermeneutic





“In this book, William Asbury Coppedge has made significant contribution to the study of missions in the twenty-first century. He provides very clear analysis of the tension between Protestant evangelical commitment to the literary text and the personal and oral embodiment of the message of the gospel in the communication process. . . . As an insider, he has capably demonstrated in this research how Orality Movement’s approach has worked well through storytelling and narratives in improving Bible literacy and discipleship for members of the Africa Gospel Church in Uganda. I highly recommend this work for readership by seminarians, missions theorists and practitioners, church and mission leaders, Bible scholars, and those interested in studies in global Christianity.”


—Robert K. Lang’at, Bishop, Africa Gospel Church, Kenya