Lausanne World Pulse – WORLD PERSPECTIVES – Will I Go to Heaven When I Die, Too?

By David Sills

Many, like Fortunata, do not have much theological training.

I was in Peru recently helping to train some national leaders. As always, I was thankful to be able to travel to teach humble Christian workers like these students. They are sincere believers striving to do the best they can with the little they have. It always humbles me how appreciative they are and how much they sacrifice to come and be a part of the few training opportunities that come their way.

On this occasion, I was teaching about protecting the flock from cults when the students’ questions began to turn to the topic of basic doctrines. I was glad to be scratching where it itched, so it was fine with me if they wanted to move in that direction. I stressed that we not only need to know the truth but also teach it to others. A young indigenous lady asked me how we can do this when many among them do not read or write. Since I have been interested in reaching and teaching oral cultures for years, I was thankful for the chance to address that issue.

I launched into my professor mode and shared with the class how more than seventy percent of the unreached world consists of oral-culture peoples. (Editor’s note: Read the October 2006 issue of LWP which was dedicated to reaching oral cultures with the gospel.) I told them that many of those people do not have a written alphabet, so of course, they do not have a Bible or the ability to use the discipleship and training materials we use. I shared a little about chronological Bible storying techniques and the value of telling stories to teach oral-culture learners. In fact, I was so wound up in my lecture that it took some time before I noticed that several faces were concerned.

I paused to ask what they were thinking. Their answers broke my heart. An older indigenous lady named Fortunata was obviously troubled, so I asked her to share her question. “What about me?” she asked. “Can I go to heaven when I die, too?” Seeing the confusion on my face, she clarified: “We have always been told that we could not enter into the kingdom of heaven if we could not read.” Through a voice that occasionally stopped for composure, I reminded her that in the plan of salvation the ability to read was not a requirement to be right with God. I told her that most of Jesus’ hearers and early followers were oral learners. We all smiled amid a chorus of “amens.”

David Sills is associate professor of Christian missions and cultural anthropology and director of the Great Commission Center at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. He is also director of the International Orality Network’s Theological Education Task Force.