Witness as dialogue and invitation
by Willis Horst

Willis and Byrdalene Horst enjoy conversation with Abelino Santo Photo: Linda Shelly/Mennonite Mission Network

We have learned from First Nation believers in the Argentine Chaco that an important dimension of Jesus’ model of mission is sharing in dialogue with others in such a way that they experience the truth as an invitation rather than an imposition. This is doubly important in a setting where people have survived 500 years of domination by so-called Christian benefactors. Working alongside leaders of independent indigenous churches strengthens our faith in God’s spirit as the guiding light of the church. The shape of the authentic church should be determined by believers thoroughly at home in the spirituality of the receptor culture. The reality of an autonomous church may seem scandalous to those who still believe in a conquering model of transforming the world into the kingdom of God.

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$100 helps to translate and distribute Bibles in the Argentine Chaco. Donate to project #0810

From an earlier concept of unidirectional communication of the gospel in which the missionary crosses cultural boundaries and contextualizes the message to be transmitted to those in a radically different culture, we have moved to a multidirectional concept of the process of evangelization that may be called an intercultural communication of the gospel. Each culturally based way of understanding God’s message in Christ is a contribution to the whole, without which other perceptions are less than complete. We cannot rob new believers of the dignity of seeing Jesus through their own cultural eyes.

Sent by predecessor agencies of Mennonite Mission Network, Willis and Byrdalene Horst have lived as guests among indigenous believers since 1968. Within that culture they have both shared the good news of Jesus Christ and deepened their own faith. Read more about their work in the article, Weaving theology.

Highlights

Viewpoints

Return to Beyond Ourselves—Winter 2007