Jul

7

LDS Contextualization and Christian Missions

Filed Under Communicating with those of other faiths, Great Commission, LDS, missiology, New Religious Movements | Leave a Comment

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I came across an interesting article in the Salt Lake Tribune about how the LDS church is seeking to contextualize their faith around the world. From the article, it appears that the church is trying to remove some of the American cultural trappings that have been such an important part of the LDS faith up to this point. It will be interesting to see how much contextualization can take place in light of the ecclesiastical structures that are foundational to the LDS faith.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries many Protestant missionaries failed to contextualize the Gospel. Missionaries, knowingly or unknowingly, often exported not only the Gospel message but also western culture. This often led to syncretism, theological confusion, and surface-level Christianity. Therefore, in many of these places Christianity remained a foreign religion.

Thankfully, since that time, missionaries have realized the need to contextualize the Gospel. The Gospel message stays the same, but the ways in which it is communicated should take different forms depending on the context. However, contextualizing how the Gospel is communicated is not enough.

The ways in which Christians live and worship must also be contextualized. This type of contextualization, although assisted at the start by a missionary, should ultimately be done by the local believers. Local believers, under the guidance of the Bible and the Holy Spirit, are able to best determine how the gospel and their churches are to look in their context. When local believers contextualize the Gospel and their churches, Christianity has a far greater chance of not being seen as a foreign religion. A great resource on Contextualization is David Hesselgrave’s Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally

Jun

13

Is it ok to “baptize” the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths?

Filed Under Buddhism, Communicating with those of other faiths, Great Commission | 4 Comments

The Buddha’s teachings can be boiled down to The Four Noble Truths and The Eight-fold Path. The Four Noble Truths are:

1. Life is dukkha (suffering, dislocation, transience. Life is not the way it should be)
2. Dukkha is caused by tanha (desire, thirst for permanence)
3. Dukkha can cease when tanha is removed…cessation of tanha is Nirvana.
4. Tanha is removed through the Eight-fold Path:

                1. Right views
                2. Right intent
                3. Right speech
                4. Right conduct
                5. Right livelihood
                6. Right effort
                7. Right mindfulness
                8. Right concentration

In “Evangelism in the New Millennium: An Integrated Model of Evangelism to Buddhists Using Theology, Anthropology, and Religious Studies” Ubolwan Mejudhon advocates presenting the gospel to Buddhists with a Christian version of the Four Noble Truths.* His “baptized” Four Noble Truths are:^

1. Suffering is a fact of life
2. The cause of suffering is sin
3. The cure for sins is the suffering of Christ
4. The way to deliverance is through faith in Jesus Christ

At first I thought it was a clever idea. However, I then began to question my initial judgment since these Four Noble Truths clearly do not contain the full gospel message. They contain truth but not the entire truth. Nevertheless, I still think these “baptized” Noble Truths can be useful in communicating the gospel to Buddhists as long as they are supplemented with the rest of the message.

*Article is in Sharing Jesus in the Buddhist World, edited by David Lin and Steve Spaulding (2003).
^He credits J.T. Seamand with this version of the Four Noble Truths. Seamand, J.T.. Tell It Well: Communicating the Gospel across Cultures (1981).

Jun

10

The Gospel in Chinese

Filed Under Chinese Religion, Communicating with those of other faiths, Great Commission | Leave a Comment

I just finished reading a great book on Christianity in China.  In Confucius, The Buddha, and Christ: A History of the Gospel in Chinese Ralph R. Covell presents an outstanding history of Christianity in China.  He discusses the traditional Chinese worldview, Nestorian Christianity in China, the various methods missionaries have used among the Chinese, how Christianity has interacted with Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, and modern attempts of making Christianity Chinese.

Although the book is dated (1986) and only includes limited discussion of the underground house church movement and the amazing growth of Christianity in China since the 80s (some estimate over 100 million Christians in China), it is still a great work for those who are planning on working in China or among Chinese in the Diaspora.  The book is even a great resource for those who are not planning on working among the Chinese people.  Throughout the book Covell discusses the issue of contextualization, which all cross-cultural communicators of the gospel must deal with.  At times Covell does advocate too much contextualization for my theological liking, but he does raise some good points.  I would recommend this book to anyone planning on engaging in cross-cultural gospel communication. 

Apr

4

Why Christians should study other religions (Part II)

Filed Under General religion | Leave a Comment

4. Helps us clarify our own beliefs: As we study other faiths we inevitably compare our beliefs with those of others, forcing us to think through theological issues we might not have otherwise.  For example, by studying the Hindu understanding of avatars (physical manifestations of deities), I have to think through in a more detailed fashion the implications of the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation.  Essentially, by studying other faiths you are able to better appreciate the subtleties and beauty of biblical teaching. 
 
5. Helps us communicate the gospel: Every time we tell someone about the gospel of Jesus Christ we have to contextualize the gospel.  That is, we need to present the gospel in a way in which the hearer can accurately understand the message we are trying to communicate.  The gospel message does not change, but the way in which we present it does change depending on the culture and religious views of the person we are talking to.  Clearly, you will present the gospel differently to an atheist as opposed to a Mormon.  By understanding the faith of other people you will be better equipped to engage in spiritual conversations with them.
 
6. Helps missionaries develop strategies for reaching different people groups: As missionaries attempt to engage unreached people groups they must take into account the religious beliefs of that particular group.  If missionaries do not understand the beliefs of those they are trying to reach they cannot contextualize the gospel or their methods.  Moreover, by understanding the religious beliefs of their people group missionaries are better able to identify theological “bridges” or points of contact between the gospel and the group’s beliefs.  These “bridges” will in turn facilitate communication of the gospel.