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Redeeming every culture
The story is told that, after many years of laboring in the South African province where I grew up, the Scandinavian missionaries finally had their first convert, a Zulu woman. After an intensive period of preparation, the woman, in the presence of many members of her clan, was asked the usual questions prior to baptism: Do you confess Jesus as Lord? … Have you renounced the works of sin and the devil? … and so on. Her reply was, "Basho njalo," or literally, "They say like that." This answer was not what the missionaries were expecting, so they became irritated and repeatedly asked the same questions, to which her response was the same each time, …Basho njalo.… Her baptism was delayed for a while, but it ultimately happened. These Western missionaries of the late 19th century failed to grasp that, in the culture to which they had come, a person is a person in the context of other persons. Instead of understanding the communitarian nature of that culture, they sought to impose their notions of individualistic personhood. And what a wonderful thing the Zulu woman’s response conveyed: Others were willing to testify that they had seen a change in her since she had begun seeking to know Jesus. Too bad the missionaries could not see that as well! In mission, we have paid a large price for our cultural insensitivity and failure to distinguish between the imposition of our Western cultural practices and the core of the gospel, which both affirms and challenges all cultures. Too often we have challenged those elements of culture that did not reflect our own and failed to affirm those that were consistent with the gospel. The upshot has been that people have read books like Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible and have wanted to "throw out the baby with the bathwater." Too many people experience discomfort with the legacy of mission in the past and, on that basis, want to disavow any mission in the present. That is really too bad! Today when I see our mission workers in Botswana extend both hands to receive something or our workers in Afghanistan refrain from blowing their noses in public, I realize that while these may be small gestures of respect, they represent a profound transformation and commitment. Our workers have learned important lessons from the past and are finding ways of sharing the gospel that are generous, affirming and respectful of the cultures to which they go. As they build trust and credibility through that respect and refusal to reflexively impose their Western cultural notions, trusted insiders find the courage to challenge the culture in light of new insights from the gospel. The biblical witness is clear: God’s purpose is to redeem every culture (Rev. 7:9), and our calling is to go to "all peoples" to bear witness to that good news. That mandate continues to be our charge. We may not surrender that invitation and opportunity to be partners with God in this cosmic design of restoring all people and all things to their true purpose — a reconciled relationship with God. We must find new ways of sharing the good news that affirm, respect and dignify other cultures. I thank God as I observe those who are serving through Mennonite Mission Network in more than 55 countries around the world. I am heartened that they are bearing witness to the life-affirming message of the gospel among the many cultures of the world where we are privileged to serve in a way that builds up. Thank you for your support on this journey to reclaim the imperative of sharing the good news of Jesus with all cultures. May God continue to inspire us all to bear witness in ways
that commend the gospel and do not invoke condemnation — till all peoples come to know Jesus! In this issue: Features Highlights Viewpoints |
