In his classic
work, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, David Bosch writes:
“The Christian faith is
intrinsically incarnational; therefore, unless the church chooses to remain a
foreign entity, it will always enter into the context in which it happens to
find itself.”
What is culture? Culture is the way
of life for an entire society. As such, it includes "codes of manners,
dress, language,
religion,
rituals,
norms of behavior such as law and
morality,
and systems of belief."
Usually when “culture” is
discussed in religious literature, it is considered as an opponent to be
overcome. Culture often carries a
negative connotation. Reggie McNeal in A
Work of the Heart points out that culture also serves God’s purposes. We are not born into a vacuum; we depend on
culture to give us a beginning point in understanding ourselves. As a result,
we are both products of culture and interpreters of culture. McNeal encourages spiritual leaders not only
to connect with culture, but also “to influence culture rather than insulate
against it.”
Our first challenge is to see
culture through the lens of scripture.
Using a theological perspective as a means of analysis, what in our
culture is life-giving and what promotes death?
What gives hope and what creates lethargy? We dissect our culture and find ways to use
it to propagate the faith.
The second opportunity is to
appropriate the symbols and themes of our culture that will help interpret the
gospel for today. McNeal also writes, “The
intended outcome . . . is that you as a leader treat culture as a gift and lead
those you influence to missionally interface with culture.”
Consider the
culture in which the Gospel began to spread beyond Palestine. How did the missionaries of the young
Christian movement deal with the Greco-Roman culture they encountered? Would they attack it or use it to further their
task? Their choice was to find elements
in that culture that would interpret and spread the Good News in that time and
place. Where appropriate, they embraced
culture; where necessary, they stood against it.
Our challenge is to develop a
mindset that allows us to engage our culture without being threatened by it,
seeing it as a gift rather than an impediment to our ministry.
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