Cultured Christianity

Author: Duncan Bell

Being a white, English South African, I have often struggled with the identity of my culture. Growing up in the church did not make that struggle any easier, because of the double standards of church and private life. On top of all this I had to decide where my allegiance lay toward Christ. Needless to say, the journey had many questions and a lot of searching about the role of culture and my Christianity. Now I want to ask you, “What is the role of culture in evangelism and reaching toward others with the gospel of Christ?”

I turned to four other people and asked them some questions about evangelism and their different cultures. Here is what I learned. One grew up in an Afrikaans culture, another in an English surrounding, another in a Tamil background, and the last one has a Tswana upbringing. What was interesting was that the person from the Tamil background and the person with the Tswana upbringing both expressed a sense of wanting greater inclusivity inside the church. Whereas all the participants expressed a strong desire for a greater commitment to living a Spirit-filled life in their cultures. Obviously this is a topic that requires a lot more discussion. So please contact us and let us talk more about Christianity.

“It is the cultural barriers that are the most formidable.”(1) A thought that has always stuck with me is how a person can be proudly African, but turn their back on so many of the cultural practices. This is where evangelism ties into the picture. The task in evangelism is to present Christ in such a way that the person values Christ above those cultural practices that they hold so dear. In other words, it is introducing a person to the love of their life, Christ. If they do not fall in love with Christ, why would they stop those practices?

I believe that the church, in general, has failed to present Christ in a way that makes it easier for people coming from different cultures. I also strongly believe that we should not dilute the gospel either; however, there is a balance to find. Throughout my short life, I have seen qualities of different cultures that seem to do Christian values better than the church does. I believe the church has failed to see great opportunities in evangelism because they train the new converts to worship in the way ‘white’ people do. Instead of learning the culture, becoming one with the culture, and then finding the connection points to show them the good in their culture that points to Christ. I believe this will make it easier for people of different cultures to come and worship at the feet of the one Saviour, Christ. Do you think this position is valuable? Do you disagree? Comment and let us have the conversation.

In conclusion, I must confess that this was far too short a piece for the fullness of just this aspect of evangelism. I also reiterate the voices of those I interviewed in saying that we need to live with a full conviction of who Christ is and the role the Holy Spirit plays in our daily lives.

I have suggested that understanding the target populations was indispensable, that the people were more responsive when they sensed that Christians understood them, and that when seekers were welcomed into Christian fellowship, before they yet believed very much or experienced very much, the faith was even more caught than taught.(2)

I believe the more we participate in one another’s cultures the better we will become in evangelising to others. This requires us to love all people, include all people, and serve all people withholding nothing from anyone. So I end with these two questions … What culture do you see in your church? What aspects of your culture do you not see in your church? Fill the comments with your answers.

References:

(1) Hesselgrave DJ 1991. Communicating Christ Cross Culturally: An Introduction to Missionary Communication. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

(2) Hunter GG III 2010. The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West … Again. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.