Traditional & Cultural Factors
in Growing and Planting Churches
How To Evangelize a People Using Their Traditions
Learning Objectives
1. The students will explain how to evangelize a people group with a knowledge of their traditions.
2. The students will discuss in a short paper how to overcome resistance to the gospel through a knowledge of people’s traditional perspectives & religious views.
Introduction - Let us learn to be learners of people’s traditions. Many people are proud of their cultural heritage. When one evangelist started preaching the gospel in a certain village, he began by condemning the people’s idol-worshipping. Within weeks the missionary had to flee for his life. Not only had the missionary failed in his efforts to start a new church in the village, but he spoiled the people’s first perception of Christianity. Paul said in Ephesians 4:15:
``But, speaking the truth in love we should grow up in all aspects into Christ.’’
Let us ask the Lord for wisdom in using people’s traditions in evangelizing them.
I. Begin By Asking the Lord for Wisdom in Understanding People’s Histories, Traditions, and Cultural Backgrounds
A. Evangelists must first learn how to move from what the people know about God to what they need to know about God for salvation.
B. The problem with many evangelists is they do not adapt their messages to fit their audience.
C. Evangelists must learn what the people value, believe, and perceive about spiritual things before they start to preach.
D. Learning the people’s language may serve as a bridge of communication to learning people’s traditions, cultures, and histories.
E. Asking questions of the elders of the village or community may provide clues for discovering the key traditions of the people.
F. Listening to people’s stories about their pasts may reveal information about traditions yet fulfilled.
Example - When Jesus witnessed to Nicodemus he knew of the Jewish historical incident where Moses lifted up a snake in the wilderness. Jesus promised Nicodemus in Jn. 3:14:
``As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’’
Example - Paul used the Jewish law of marriage and death to explain the gospel in Rom. 7:1-6. He explained that when a woman’s husband dies she is free to marry again. So likewise, when a person dies to sin (Paralleling the law with sin) he is free to marry Christ.
Rom. 7:6 says, ``Now, however, we are released from the Law; we have been dead to what once held us in its grip, so that now we serve in the new relationship of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.’’
G. Begin by trying to find out what areas of interest you might use to arrest the attention of the people.
Example - A certain tribe had a tradition that one day a man would enter their area with a black object tucked under his arm. This man would be known to be a man of truth by the black object. One day a missionary came to the village with a Bible tucked underneath his right arm. Not knowing anything about the people’s tradition, he noticed that everyone quickly gathered around him to listen. Whenever, he took the book out from under his arm, all the people leaned closer to hear everything he had to say, through a translator.
God used this people’s tradition to stir their receptivity for the gospel. He used this missionary, unknowingly to help bridge the gap between the people’s culture and the truth of the scriptures. Eventually, all of the people in that area became Christians as a result of the credibility given to the missionary’s preaching because of the link to their culture, history, and tradition.
H. Practice cultural sensitivity by refusing to condemn a cultural practice until you understand its meaning. Some people may prefer eating out of the same bowl. Rather than telling them this is not healthy discover why the people do this. It may be that the people do this for unity, cooperation, and economical reasons.
I. Learn about the context of the people: environmental, geographical, social, educational, religious, spirits, legends, folklores, traditional religions, cultural distinctions, authority channels, habits, vocational practices, and problems. It may take listening, questioning, and observing for many months before you discover those bridge points for the gospel.
J. Relevance should be an important consideration in communicating the gospel. We must learn what relate to the people’s identities, history, and culture.
Example - One man learned that a certain tribe believed in a age of peace, prosperity, and health would come in the future. After centuries of war, poverty, and oppression by near by tribes, a missionary came to their village to preach Christ. One day, the new chief of the village, after listening to the missionary tell a story of Christ, the prince of peace, rose to his feet to address his people. He said: ``My people, for many hundreds of years our people have believed in an age of peace. From what these men are teaching today, I declare that the age of peace has come to our village. How sad it is that these missionaries did not come earlier so that our fathers could have enjoyed this age of peace.’’
Then the chief turned to the missionaries asking them to show his people how they could usher in this age of peace permanently. Within months, several other warring tribes around also accepted the peace of Christ as their Savior and Lord. In a matter of a few short years, the whole area turned to Christ. Others saw that what the missionaries were preaching also fulfilled their traditions of a better era in the future. The missionaries were lead by God’s Spirit to touch a nerve of traditional beliefs in the people’s hearts.
II. Overcoming Resistance Through Knowledge of Traditions
A. Most people naturally resist change. Many people are proud of their cultural heritage. Rather than deny the validity of people’s background, learn to use it as a springboard (A jumping off point) for the gospel.
B. Do not use complicated, spiritual language that the people do understand, initially, in your gospel presentation. For example, do not insist that the people must be ``born again’’ unless they understand thoroughly what the term means. Even Jesus had to describe in detail the meaning of born again to Nicodemus in John 3.
C. Learn why the people have resisted the gospel in the past. There may be some hindrances, misunderstandings, prejudices, or areas of ignorance about the gospel.
D. Learn to emphasize similarities between a people’s traditions and the gospel first. Later, you may help explain the differences.
E. Learn to probe into the people’s legends to discover areas of doubt, uncertainty, or suspicion. Paul did this with the Athenians when he said in Acts 17, ``I observe that you have a monument with an inscription to an unknown God, now what you worship in ignorance, I will tell you the truth.’’
Example - One tribe proved particularly difficult to reach with the gospel. During one journey into the area, two missionaries were killed with arrows and their bodies left for the vultures to consume in the hot sun. When the government heard about the tribes violent ways, they sent soldiers to bring an external peace to the area. This allowed the missionaries to go back to the people asking them what myths, legends, and traditions they had that made them act the way they did. One young man told a missionary:
One day a bunch of men from an opposing village tried to kill me so I ran away. They chased me for many miles until I hid in a big circular rock called the ’osuwa.’ Immediately, the men ran back to their village afraid that if they killed me while hiding in that rock, their villagers would kill them. The ’osuwa’ was sacred rock that meant a refuge from trouble, a haven, a shelter, and a safe place from all enemies.’’
When the missionary learned of this important traditional meaning attached to the osuwa rock he asked the people to come to the place of the rock. There he explained to them, that Jesus Christ is the rock of our salvation. He is the rock of ages. He is the rock within each of us can find everlasting refuge, safety, protection from all our enemies. No one can take your eternal life away when you accept Jesus Christ as your rock of salvation.
Within weeks the people of the entire area from all the surrounding tribes became Christians because they wanted to be protected by the eternal rock of ages . . . Jesus Christ! (Richardson p. 416-420)
F. Look for bonds, pledges, promises that the people make between themselves. Some people have built in traditional ways of reconciling two opposing parties together as friends.
Example - One missionary knew that two warring tribes had a custom of offering a ’peace child’ to the other tribe symbolizing the end of war. The other tribe was allowed to raise the child as they wished. As long as the child remained alive, the two tribes would not go to war against one another. One day, the missionary observed the ceremony where a peace child was offered to another tribe. He noticed that even the fiercest warriors in the village, laid their weapons down, in respect of this tremendous sacrifice.
The next day, the missionary, came to both villages explaining that many years ago, our heavenly Father gave his only son as a peace child for all of the people on the earth. He opened his Bible and read John 3:16; ``For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.’’
When the people thoroughly understood this promise, after several weeks of explanations, questions, and clarifications, the missionary asked the leaders if the people were ready to make a decision for Jesus Christ. They turned to the people, found that they all agreed and together trusted Christ as their Savior. From that day forward, the people of both villages have started numerous churches where formerly they would spend their time preparing for war. Now the people were preparing for ways to plant peace in other villages through church planting projects. (Richardson, p.416-420)
G. Look for comparison points of the main points of the gospel (Grace, Sins of Man, Forgiveness, Sacrifice of Christ, Resurrection from the dead etc.) with the traditions in a culture.
Example - One missionary learned that a certain tribe had a tradition of rebirth to make peace between two tribes. When the two opposing parties wished to make peace they would send representatives from each tribe to pas through a symbolic birth canal formed by the bodies of a number of men and women from both villages. Those who passed through the canal were considered reborn into a kinship system of their respective enemies village. As they passed through the canal of people they would be lightly stoned, hugged, and shouted at to symbolized the birth process. After they successfully made it through the tunnel of people they were considered new creatures. As long as they lived they were living bonds of peace between two formerly warring tribes.
The missionary explained how that men, without Christ, are at war with God. However, anyone who wants to be at peace with God, may become born-again through Christ so that he becomes a new creature in Christ. He explained that men will then enter God’s eternal family. The missionary then offered all the people an opportunity, after several months of instruction from the Bible, to become born-again members of God’s eternal family. Nearly, everyone in the village consented to the chance to become a member of God’s family!!! (Richardson, p.416-420)
Study Questions
1. How can we used traditions in communicating the gospel in more relevant, understandable, and communicatable ways?
2. What are some errors to avoid in using traditions to preach the gospel?
