Can culture and christianity connect, overlap, or have harmony in multicultural ministry?
Posted on October 22 2009. Comments: 4
Posted by:
Jane Prentice
Culture and Christianity.
I've worked with International students for the past 6 years or so.
Many have become Christians along the way.
It's a real delight to see what God is doing in this flood of visitors.
One of the issues I've often struggled with, and am still searching for answers to, is the intersection between Christ and Culture (I really should read the book 'Christ and Culture revisited' and see if it scratches my itch).
If I bring a ------ese student to faith, how do I help them to grow?
What does it look like to be a ____ese student in Australia? How is that different to a home culture?
What things in our Australian context will make no sense in their context, and teaching them in these ways will actually lead them to big struggles of re-intergration?
And of the plethora of faith and life issues that will face a new believer, how do you pick the right issues to deal with at the right times?
I remember hearing about two mission scenarios in which villages in different countries were converted - both polygamous cultures. In one country, the converts were told to basically go with one wife each, and the rest had to go. In the other, polygamous converts were told that they should keep their wives, but the next generation should only have one wife each. It was the latter scenario that grew and strengthened in their faith more.
What of this scenario was godly wisdom at work?
Another hot topic amongst Asian internationals - If I convert, will I be able to burn incense? How will I maintain relationships with my family who are passionate about ancestral worship?
Back to my thinking about ministry... Should I learn their language (and in that case, which sub-group of students do I learn the language of?!) and mentor in their own tongue? How about if I just train a student whose English is better than mine, and let them loose in their mother tongue training their fellow countrymen?
I love talking to missionaries who are on furlough, and asking them this question, 'What can you see more clearly about Australian Culture now, that is either positive or sinful, given you've been out of the country and have a fresh angle?'
It's so easy to forget that the bible was not written for white Australians. I mean, when I write it down it sounds absolutely ridiculous to think that it ever could have been, but that's the assumption of many international students I've met with! They often see the 'west' as equivalent with Christianity... so it's quite an eye-opener to mention that Jesus was a Jew, and so likely looked nothing like the Jesus-video style blue eyed hunk that you would trust your frail grandma with. It's quite astounding to them to hear that it's in some ways a bigger cultural jump for me to understand bible concepts than them - because of the way their culture naturally makes sense of certain cultural background differently.
I do look forward to whatever Revelation 7 will be like: believers from all nations gathered around the throne. If there are moments in eternity to ponder culture and how it shapes us, I would be very interested to know God's perspective!
The one clear thing I note when I have visited different countries and met Christians - there are passionate believers in all sorts of cultures. The challenges are many in helping someone to grow to become that, but there is a thrilling delight in meeting someone who has been transformed to be like Jesus such that they have 'Jesus culture' - a life full of fruit, a delight in Jesus, a passion for prayer... among some things. I think transcending every culture there are threads of discipleship that are clear. Actually it's becoming more and more obvious to me how important the bible is in building a 'jesus' culture. That might sound like an obvious statement for a ridley student, and rather simplistic - but I really think it's true. If myself, a Chinese and a South American are all being conformed to Christ's likeness, then we will have much to share.
May God who knows the strengths and weaknesses of each culture help us truly understand how to grow Jesus culture.
Yet my questions are still thick and fast as to what it practically looks like to grow such culturally-united, yet still so culturally-diverse disciples. This is a challenge.
Comments
Monday, 26 October 2009
Jane says:
Hey Arthur,
Thanks for the idea. I’ll check it out (might borrow yours 
).
Where are you at in your thinking?
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Arthur Davis says:
We’ll have to chat about it! 
I’ve also just finished running a 4-week workshop with Swinburne CU that tries to deal with a few of these things.
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Jane says:
Very happy to chat about it!
But I doubt anyone who reads the Ridley blog will thus benefit from your thinking!
Give us a preview
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to leave a comment.
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Arthur Davis says:
Hi Jane
Tamie and I picked up a lot of our thinking on these things from the late Geoff Morrow, a Wycliffe worker. He workshopped pretty much all these things in a course called “Operation Encounter”. I only wish there was a published version still in circulation!! (You can borrow a copy from us if you like.)