1. CONTEXTUALIZING WORSHIP IN THE ANDES USING RELEVANCE THEORY AND THE CORPUS CHRISTI FESTIVAL: A CASE STUDY IN EL-TINGO, ECUADOR Alan D. Gordon October 2009

2. Chapter 1 - Introduction: Evangelical worship the rural Andes of Ecuador Chapter 2 - Communication theory: cognitive environment Chapter 3 - Ethnomusicological theory: the music ritual Chapter 4 - Epistemology: phenomenology in academic research Summary: Contextualization of worship must take place at the deep level, by understanding the Indian's cognitive environment. Music ritual is one method to discover cognitive environment. Phenomenology will be the epistemology. PART I – INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE Chapter 1 – Contextualization theory: which paradigm?

3. Evangelical worship Change the form of our music ritual to theirs Indigenous festivals CONTEXTUALIZING MUSIC-WORSHIP Change our understanding to that of their music ritual Leave our cognitive environment Adopt their cognitive environment Traditional route Proposed route

4. Evangelical worship Is not understood by the indigenous folk Indigenous folk MUSIC-WORSHIP COMMUNICATES ? Evangelical worship Must change Evangelical worship Is now understood by the indigenous folk Indigenous folk

5. The Principle Theory for the Dissertation: (Relevance Theory) Cognitive Environment COMMUNICATOR Intent Meaning Evidence Context Cross-cultural communication: the communicator must adapt/convert to a new context in order to communicate effectively. Cognitive Environment RECEIVER Context Conversion Chapter 2

6. Music-Ritual Beliefs Extract 1 2 The Secondary Theory for the Dissertation: (Ethnomusicological Theory) Ethnomusicological theory: music ritual is one way to discover deep-level beliefs. Chapter 3

7. THE THEORY Cross-cultural communication: the communicator must adapt/convert to a new context in order to communicate effectively. THE MISSIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE THEORY In order to adapt/convert, the communicator must FIRST understand: BOTH the receptor’s cognitive environment AND his/her own cognitive environment. But just how does one go about doing this? MY PROPOSAL To discover cognitive environments through music-ritual (EM theory). EM theory proposes that deep-level beliefs produce the music-ritual. I propose using the reverse process. Assume: “cognitive environment” = “deep-level beliefs” The following is a diagram of my research: (My dissertation has only reached step #3.) Chapter 5 - Methodology: The structure of the research

8. Music-Ritual New forms Beliefs Extract Beliefs Evangelicals Rural folk 1 2 3 4 5 1.Use music-ritual to discover one’s own beliefs. 2.Extract these from one’s cultural context. 3.Participate with rural folk in their music-ritual to discover, with them, their beliefs. 4.Dialogue with them about their beliefs and one’s own. 5.Create new forms of music-ritual. Beliefs Music-Ritual New forms Chapter 5

9. Chapter 6 – Data Collection and Analysis Context Analysis STRATEGYSTRATEGY RESULTRESULT 1.Compare evangelical and indigenous music-rituals. 1. The two are very different! 2. Focus on one indigenous festival. 2. Their mentality is concrete, communal, and identity based. 3. Personal reflection as a 20-year veteran missionary. 3. My mentality is abstract, individual, and proposition based. 2006 2007 2008 Conclusion: a North-American missionary may need to change from an abstract, individualistic, proposition-based mentality to a concrete, communal, identity-based mentality in order to effectively communicate the gospel in the rural Andes of Ecuador. (The Evangelical Church in Ecuador may need to do the same!)