Chiang Mai Orality Network

Thai people love to eat and have even coined a phrase, “gin prumprua”. It is hard to translate, but basically means that the Thai love to snack throughout the day and center their social interaction around food. I recently read an article entitled, “A Surprising Reason Not to Ban Coffee and Donuts From the Sanctuary”. The article concluded with, “When others eat food or drink coffee while they listen to your sermon, it may actually make your message stick better.” The Thai would heartily support that assertion. When I lead seminars in the west I do try to make sure there are some treats provided, but here in Thailand I need to be extra careful to factor in the “food element” when planning for most any teaching event, meeting or activity. God was aware of the power of food, fellowship and celebration and planned not just a couple of long feasts for Israel, but a total of seven (Lev. 23). Pray that western missionaries will be sensitive to such cultural traits and use them to enhance the communication of the gospel.

There is a peculiar village outside of Chiang Mai called “Village of Two Gods”. At first I wondered if there had been some kind of mythical battle in the past between two rival gods … a kind of Buddhist version of the “Battle of the Titans”. But it turns out there is a temple in this village that has two Buddhist images made out of different metals (usually there is just one main Buddhist image in a temple). As I reflected more, it reminded me of the tendency of the Thai to absorb and adopt whatever god they think can be of help. That is the reason why many Thai wonder if you can simply add Jesus to their pantheon of dieties. The exclusive nature of our faith (John 14:6) often ends up being a stumbling block to a Thai world view. To counter this, I often use a series of Thai proverbs to help them see why it is necessary to make a firm decision about who you follow as your master in life: 1) Step each foot into two canoes (chances are you’ll split right down the middle); 2)Love the older sister, but forfeit the younger sister (you may fall in love with the older one, but forfeit the cuter younger one); 3)Catch a fish with two hands (trying to do two things simultaneously).

In each case, the lesson is that one must make a clear choice in life, you cannot vacillate. Lot was sternly warned by two angels to flee Sodom, but in Genesis 19:16 it says he “hesitated”. Fortunately the angels pulled his whole family out of the city and even with that, Lot’s wife hesitated again and turned to a pillar of salt. Pray that our message to the Thai will be clear enough that they can easily see the uniqueness of the gospel and be able to make the correct and eternal choice of Jesus.

I just read a fascinating article called, “In Thailand, blood sacrifice is out, Strawberry Fanta is in. (https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-04-06/thailand-blood-sacrifice-out-strawberry-fanta) Most all Thai homes have a “spirit house” in which resident ghosts reside in order to protect a person’s property and in exchange for this service are served a variety of fruits, sweet meats, rice, coconuts, but especially Strawberry Fanta. If you see a number of bottles displayed, then no doubt someone in the residence is asking for a particularly important favor. None of this comes from the teaching of the Buddha, but instead can be traced to original animistic beliefs.

No one is sure why red is the preferred color, but in the article this explanation is given, “Bangkok office worker wishing for a raise isn’t going to slaughter a chicken and lay it upon an altar outside her condo. But she may very well swing by the 7-Eleven and buy the next-best thing — blood-red Fanta — to placate her guardian angels.” Some Buddhist take offense at this idea maintaining that these “angels” are strictly vegetarian and only demons would demand a blood sacrifice.  With such world views you can imagine how difficult it is to communicate why it was necessary for Jesus to shed his precious blood in order to satisfy the just wrath of God against sinners (1 Pet 1:18-19). Pray that the Thai will see that “ … without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Heb. 9:22).

I was teaching a Bible class in the evenings in Phuket, South Thailand. I had extra time during the day and so would frequent a Roti shop run by a young Muslim man. This man impressed me because he had a large Koran set out prominently on the table. I told him I enjoyed telling the stories concerning the various Nabi (prophets) of the Bible. I started by sharing the story of Abraham and Isaac from Genesis 22. He then asked me if I knew any story about Joseph and so I told him Genesis 39:16-28 (encounter with Potiphar’s wife). Next he wondered about Solomon, so I told him 1 Kings 3:16-28 (two prostitutes and a baby). After that he began to give me free rotis in exchange for a story like that of the flood of Noah. Do pray that the church in Phuket will follow up on this young man so that he might truly come to know Isa Al-Masih.

I was asked to preach on Thanksgiving/Harvest Sunday in a mainly tribal church in Chiang Mai called “Beulah Church”. It was impressive to see a huge mound of fruit pilled up at the pulpit that morning (Thailand is known for its abundance and variety of fruits – 28 varieties of Bananas!). I did not inform the pastor of my sermon topic, but since it was Thanksgiving I decided on Luke 17:11-19, the 10 Lepers Story. You can imagine my surprise when I entered the church and saw a huge poster of a scene from that exact story which had just been put up! I could have chosen a number of passages from various parts of the Bible that day to expand on a thanksgiving theme, but amazingly was led to this one. It was gratifying to have a few of the tribals come up to me after the sermon expressing an appreciation for presenting the story in a more oral/dramatic way. Do pray for communicators of the gospel in Thailand, that they would be able to incorporate drama, dance, music, proverbs and Biblical story telling into their presentations in such a way that it will really resonate with their listeners … Christmas is especially a good time of the year to use all of these approaches.