Communicating with relevance between cultures

Now disciples of Jesus are people who want to take into their being the order of the Kingdom of God that is among us. They wish to live their life in that Kingdom as Jesus himself would, and that requires internalization of its order. Study is the chief way in which they accomplish that. They devote their attention, their thoughtful inquiry, and their practical experimentation to the order of the kingdom as seen in Jesus, in the written word of scripture, in others who walk in the way, and, indeed, in every good thing in nature, history, and culture.

"Because man is God's creature, some of his culture is rich in beauty and goodness. Because he is fallen, all of it is tainted with sin and some of it is demonic." (Lausanne Covenant, para. 10)

God created male and female in His own likeness by endowing them with distinctive human faculties—rational, moral, social, creative and spiritual. He also told them to have children, to fill the earth and to subdue it (Gen. 1:26-28). These divine commands are the origin of human culture. For basic to culture are our control of nature (that is, our environment) and our development of forms of social organisation. Insofar as we use our creative powers to obey God's commands, we glorify God, serve others and fulfill an important part of our destiny on earth.

Now however, we are fallen. All our work is accompanied by sweat and struggle (Gen. 3:17-19), and is disfigured by selfishness. So none of our culture is perfect in truth, beauty or goodness. At the heart of every culture—whether we identify this heart as religion or world-view—is an element of self-centredness, of our worship of our self. Therefore a culture cannot be brought under the Lordship of Christ without a radical change of allegiance.

The Christian in the modern world has problems with culture. One of our greatest problems as
missionaries is that we don't recognize the extent to which our own culture colours all we do, feel, and
say. Everyone, sometime or another, will experience the confusion of clashing cultures, but few will be
able to overcome, and even explain such conflicts and difficulties.

A more subtle problem then emerges. Problems with cultural differences can be blamed on the reality
of different cultures. The cultural diversity of humanity is often viewed as the prime impediment of the
programs of the Gospel. When resistance is encountered, culture is usually considered the enemy of the
Gospel. The attitude then emerges that culture is something to be overcome or broken in order that
Christ might reign. Mission endeavors have often fought to conquer "culture," and when successful, find
the victory empty and fruitless — for there has not been victory but total destruction of lives and
personalities.

Cultural differences are without question a barrier to communication, but if Gospel communication is to
take place, culture cannot be fought on every count or every step of the way.

Culture can be understood and can be an ally to the work of God.

Faith traditions formed the living context for the literary activity of the authors of sacred Scripture. Their insertion into this context also involved a sharing in both the liturgical and external life of the communities, in their intellectual world, in their culture and in the ups and downs of their shared history. In like manner, the interpretation of sacred Scripture requires full participation on the part of exegetes in the life and faith of the believing community of their own time.

The meanings that are attributed to verbal and nonverbal behaviour are determined by the society as a whole. Culture may be taken to be a consensus about the meanings of symbols, verbal and nonverbal, held by the members of a community