Teaching in the Life of the Church

. . . I chose to publish my dissertation for two reasons. First, though quite narrow in scope (as good qualitative research should be), this research makes a modest contribution to the growing scholarship on Christianity in Cambodia. Second, this research makes an empirical contribution to the field of nonformal Christian Education from an Asian context in which Christians are a tiny minority. As my literature review indicates, the field of nonformal CE is dominated by a North American point of view (which ironically is facing a general breakdown of historical CE institutions like Sunday school). While much of the literature is useful in the Majority World, it does not take into account the education levels, educational contexts, and social dynamics of places like Cambodia. For example, the findings from my cases indicate that nonformal CE in Cambodia has more in common with the Sunday school movement in the 19th century than with the functions, organizational structures, and teaching approaches discussed in current literature. As I have presented these ideas in class, feedback from students has consistently confirmed that my findings resonate with contexts across Asia Pacific.