The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Christianity and culture

How big a part does the overriding culture play in how we practice our Christianity?

What made me think of this question. There was a gruesome murder of 4 in a small town 25 miles from Tallahassee this week, a Mother, two daughters and a nephew. A boyfriend of the oldest daughter killed them - apparently an argument. They are black. The reports give the impression that the Mother was a very spiritual person, being a Pentacostal minister. Other relatives and family friends spoke of her as being a spiritual leader in the family and community. All four who were shot had different last names and most of the family had different names from their parents or siblings. It was even mentioned that the Mother's boyfriend was planning on coming over for the night. All in all, it appears as if sexuality played no part in their religious life. From talking with some black coworkers who are serious about their Christian faith, not mainline nominal Christians in name only, these black coworkers appear to have different practices on sexuality in their Christian walk - at least inconsistencies. It is probably a cultural thing, but how can that be?

Now, I wonder two things.

1) When missionaries go into different cultural settings and present the gospel, do the ones receiving salvation still hang on to their cultural appendages. Would western Christians be shocked?

2) Which might be more foretelling is what cultural appendages do we hang on to. If we could remove ourselves from our station in life and be a regenerated fly on the wall, what would we see? What would others from different cultures frown upon in the way we conduct our lives.

Maybe it's because I just spent the last 5 hours spreading mulch around our property, but I think that folks from different cultures would frown upon the amount of money we spend on our homes and yards. My grandmother could never understand the idea of planting flowers, (although she had a vegetable garden that produced a lot of good food!)treating the lawns for weeds, setting the table with candles and tableclothes and such. It was foreign to her way of thinking. As long as your house was clean and tidy, that was enough.

I think she's probably right, but I must admit I love having a beautiful yard and flower beds. It gives me joy and a sense of satisfaction. Now that my Grandma could understand!

I've heard missionaries say that too often we bring American culture along with the Gospel. Meaning, you just don't go to wintess in Mogadishu, Somalia in a Mercedes Benz! It doesn't have to be that obvious.

Quite often cultural appendages are the toughest things to fight as a missionary, when said appendages are contrary to the gospel.

An example: Friends of ours uses to be missionaries to India. They once gave a seminar on Christian married life to a group of people. One man came up afterwards and asked them,

"Am I allowed to beat my wife?"

The couple explained thoroughly and patiently why this wasn't an acceptable practice for a Christian. The man thought for a while, then asked, quite seriously,

"But what if she needs it?"

Kind of humourous, but true. All sorts of tough situations come up with this sort of thing: What about the tribal cheif in Africa who gets saved, and has 10 wives back at home? Which is worse- divorce of polygamy? What about the South American tribe whose normal apparal is nudity, and suddenly these clothed missionaries show up? I guess each situation is different, and calls for wisdom.

When I think of the cultural appendages we have here in North America, I think we'll get to heaven one day and be shocked at how things look from the Lord's perspective. I think things go much deeper then materialism, or even modernity- down into the very fabric of our western society.

I wonder how often we don't live the gospel as we should because we've become so accustomed to socio-cultural capitulation- fitting in, not wanting to stand out at all.

I can think of one example here in B.C that I find quite frustrating.
A friend of mine who is a missionary to the native people has had a lot of success in reaching the native people with the gospel. However one thing that he finds rather frustrating (and I have experienced this as well). Is even when some native people seem to be Christians for a few years and see fruit in their lives.
You can be with them and they would see a raven or another animal and they would say something like: "I think that is my uncle".
They are not joking either, because in some native cultures they believe that when someone dies they are reincarnated into an animal.
In many cases it doesn't seem to matter how much they read the Bible, they don't seem to realize that Christianity doesn't mix with their former religions.

Tom

I once got into an argument with some missionaries on furlough from Japan. They refused to address suicide as sinful. I heard of other missionaries in India that the wives tattooed their forehead and covered themselves in Indian tradition. They goal is to reach the people by respecting their culture and adopting it to form a better rapport. To me this is assimilating the world instead.

I don't have a problem with some cultural customs, as long as they don't violate Scripture.
With the native people around where I live, part of their culture is getting together to have big feasts. I have been to a few of these feasts myself and there was nothing that I saw that violated Scripture.
In the cases you mentioned however, I don't know how these missionaries can avoid those issues. Surely they believe those customs violate Scripture?
If we are afraid to tell it like it is, then the danger of easy believism comes into play.

In 1 Cor.9:15-27, Paul says some thing on the subject of preaching the gospel.

15But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void. 16For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! 17For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. 18What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
19For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
24Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Do they believe it goes against scripture? I honestly do not know. They seem to be borderline "we cannot offend them with those beliefs" type people. It is the belief that we must slowly introduce the gospel so that we do not scare anyone away from eternal life that galls me. The Prime Directive should stay in Star Trek and keep out of Evangelism.

I would agree that sometimes in our enthusiasm we can unnecessarily turn people off. When we sound like all we are interested in is brownie points for heaven (for lack of a better way to say it), many people will not even listen to us. We should not sound like pushy sales people.
I don't know how many times sales people have tried to sell me a product and when I said "no thank you". They wouldn’t take no for an answer.
In the same way, some well meaning Christians do the same thing when they try to proclaim the Gospel. We shouldn't use the Gospel like a hammer <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bash.gif" alt="" />, we should just proclaim the Gospel as is and if they aren't interested, leave it up to God for the results.

I can remember back 24 years ago when I was just a baby Christian, I did this very thing.
For example I was trying to tell the Gospel to my uncle and when it was clear that he wasn't interested. I kept it up, until he said to me matter of factly: "If you really believed all you said, you wouldn't be harping on me like you are."
I have not been able to get those words out of my head since.

All that said, from what you have told me about these missionaries they are not talking about what I said above, they seem to want to take the edge off the offence of the Gospel itself.

Tom