How To Use An Understanding of Culture
In Church Planting
Learning Objectives
1. The students will explain how a missionary can communicate the gospel cross-culturally effectively.
2. The students will explain how to use an understanding of a person’s world view to communicate the gospel successfully.
3. The students will write a short paper discussing how to identify with a person from another culture.
Introduction - When a missionary seeks to plant a new church he is faced with the problem of communicating between cultures. One reason why some missionaries have not been successful in the past could have been their inability to understand the people’s culture in their attempt to communicate the gospel. Out of 20 thesis written at Jos ECWA Seminary, no less than 15 theses have been written on the importance of understanding the receiving people’s culture. When Paul, the apostle went to a new area, he took time to understand the most relevant, appropriate, and contextual means of communicating the gospel in that culture. Compare and contrast the ways Paul adapted his message to the Jews in Acts 13:16-41 in a synagogue message with his appreciation for Greek culture in his address on Mars hill to the Athenians. The study will reveal many insights into the need for us to understand the best ways to communicate the gospel cross-culturally!
Let us ask the Lord for wisdom in understanding some of the main factors of culture that we aid us in communicating the gospel effectively!
I. What is Cultural?
A. Culture is the manners and customs of a people.
B. Culture implies a way of thinking, knowing, believing, valuing, and behaving characterized by the society.
C. Culture takes into account the religious, political, social, educational, spiritual, family, motivational, behavioral, economic, psychological, philosophical, racial, and national features of a people.
D. Culture can be a design for living. it is a plan that a society adapts itself to live in its environment effectively.
E. Missionaries can only communicate to a people as they understand people’s culture. Perhaps, the greatest difficulties faced by missionaries is the ability to communicate the gospel and the scriptures to people in culturally understandable ways.
II. Nida’s Three Culture Model Of Missionary Communication
A. Eugene Nida has said that a missionary must first understand his own culture, the culture of the Bible, and the responding people’s culture if he is going to communicate the gospel cross-culturally.
B. The missionary must know that he carries his own cultural perceptions of the Bible. These perceptions may not be suitable to another cultures’ perceptions. For a man from Kagoro to go to Kachia area in Kaduna state is easier than for an American missionary to go due to the cultural similarities of the Kagoro man.
C. The missionary must first study the Bible in its original context or culture as objectively as possible.
D. The missionary should avoid projecting meaning from his culture subjectively into his interpretations of the Bible’s culture or context. The Bible has one interpretation many applications.
III. How Can a Missionary Communicate the Gospel Effectively and Cross-Culturally?
A. The missionary should learn how to make the scripture appeal to cultural - felt needs of the responding people’s culture the way Jesus and Paul did with their audiences. (Acts 17 & 13; John 4)
Example - Jesus said, ``Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and open the door I will come into him and fellowship with him and he with me.’’ (Rev. 3:20) To the Zanaki people in Uganda knocking is consider evil. Only thieves knock on people’s doors. An honest man will come to a house and call the name of the person inside. A good man will identify himself by his voice and knowledge of the people’s names in the house. However, a thief would not want to let people know who he is so he will remain silent and knock. If no one is at home, he will quickly sneak into the house, steal what he wants, and leave.
In this case the missionary must teach the people that what Jesus is saying is, ``Behold, I stand at the door and call! Jesus is not a thief but a Savior who has come to deliver the people from their sins and give them eternal life! By teaching the people with cultural understanding, the message of the gospel has been communicated effectively cross-culturally! (Hesselgrave, 395)
Example - When we teach people to take communion, we often read the passage from Matt. 26;27 which says, ``Drink, all of it.’’ We may think, that this means to drink all of the juice in the cup. However, in the Biblical culture, Jesus really meant, ``All of you should drink.’’ (Williams) Jesus was encouraging everyone to accept his invitation to communion, identify, share his will for their lives, and belong to His family. In western cultures to drink from the same cup implies unsanitary conditions. However, Jesus used one cup, as many African cultures do. In this instance, the African culture would be closer to the original Bible culture than western culture. Many churches have gone the road of accepting western culture in using cups in their communion services rather than one cup as Jesus did! Let us separate out the symbol from the essential meanings behind the symbols.
Let us learn to communicate Biblical culture to the responding people’s culture in ways than correspond with their perceptions of understand, knowledge, and beliefs.
Example - When the missionaries went to Korea they discovered that the Koreans name for God was Hananim, the Great One. Rather than forgetting about their cultural, historical, and religious symbolic name for God, the missionaries refused to impose a foreign name for God. Instead, they preached Jesus Christ as the Son of Hananim. Today, 30% of Koreans are Christians; nearly 15 million people have accepted Christ as their Savior as a result of cross-cultural efforts like this to communicate Christ in relevant means!
B. Communicate the gospel to the responding people’s world views.
1). How do the people view reality? What is real to them? What are their traditions, their experiences, their authorities, their gods, their sources of strength,hope and healing?
Example - For many African societies, the world is viewed as an interacting series of forces. Force is usually seen as a being. That being may be a god, a spirit, an ancestor, a tribe, people,or a person. When leaders come to the seminary’s graduation each year, the faculty has asked that the announcing of D.C.C. chairman’s name be left out in order to save time. However, this would be a cultural offense to many. Recognizing leaders by name is in effect acknowledging their authority. Neglecting to call their names and giving them an opportunity to be noticed is in effect somehow nullifying their power, their significance, and their people’s worth. In a similar way, the manner in which we greet people is a sign of their importance. We recognize different people’s power by the way we greet them. This is one of the reasons why greetings are so important! At a recent launching ceremony, one man introduced a certain man like this:
``Governor, Representatives of the military supreme council, Chairman, visiting dignitaries, the President of ECWA, The General Secretary of ECWA, D.C.C. Chairmen, Local Overseer, Pastors, Ladies and Gentlemen. It gives me great pleasure to introduce our chief launcher today, the honorable, benevolent, Alhaji Almasihu, Mai Girma, Mai Kauna, Mai iko duka . . . !’’
This introduction gives many cultural meanings to this man’s views of reality (His view of the real people of power learned from his experiences and traditions)! What do you think they are?
Example - A person’s role in society may determine his identity, importance, and responsibilities. One man lived in harmony with the people in his village for many years. However, when he received an opportunity by the local government to collect taxes, he suddenly became an enemy. Whenever, the man visited anyone’s home, the people would act like they were not at home. Whenever, he tried to find out any information from people they suspected he was spying for the government.
Eventually, the man had to move away from the village. Even though he was an indigent from that village, the people’s realistic view of the man changed when he had a change of jobs and status. How do people view your job and status as a missionary, as a Pastor, or as a teacher?
2). What is truth to the people? What or Who is the source of truth? What criteria do they use to determine truth? How is credibility established? How can one tell if a person is honest? How does one go about finding the truth? Is truth with the elders?
Example - Jesus said, ``I am the way, the truth, and the life.’’ He also said, ``Sanctify them in the truth, thy word is truth?’’ (Jn. 14:6; 17:17)
One student from Jos seminary heard a sermon on the words of Jesus about turning the other cheek. Jesus said, ``If any man slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.’’ (Mt. 5:39)
When the student went back to his house that night, a taxi man hit his machine and knocked it to the ground. After a fierce argument arose, the taxi man hit the student on the right side of his face. The next day, the student stood in chapel to report that he had been hit by the taxi man. But he said, when the man slugged him, the Lord brought that verse from Mt. 5:39 to his mind. However he said, ``When the verse cross my mind, I knew that it was not true in that situation so I slugged the taxi man twice as hard as he hit me!’’
That student failed to put truth before the realities of his experience. Some people would call that student’s actions an example of situational ethics. His knowledge of truth did not correspond with his reality! What can we do to help people like this make the truth in their minds correspond with their realities?
3). What are the people’s beliefs? What do they believe about God? What do they believe about the Bible, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Christianity, the church, culture, traditional religions, authority figures, family, money etc.? What do they place their trust in when things become difficult? Who do they believe will forgive their sins? How do they believe they will make it to heaven?
Example - When people are facing difficult problems, they really show their true beliefs. One Christian woman grew tired of her barren condition. She prayed for many years for a child, but without any visible result. She became angry with God, her Pastor, and her beliefs that they could not provide her with an issue.
Finally, she decided to go see the local traditional doctor. He told her to gather certain herbal ingredients, a bird, and a goat to allow him to sacrifice enabling him to make a special medicine for her. This she did without results. Next, the woman went to a secret society man who told her to bring 500 plus 10 chickens so that he could pay homage to his idols who would then grant him the power to make her fertile. This she also did only to be disappointed. Several months passed until the woman went to a Muslim Malam who mixed a special solution into a bowl with which he wrote verses from the Koran on a slate and then washed the slate with water. The dirty water was then given to the woman to drink. The Malam told the woman that if she believed in the power of the words of the Koran she would be given a child. 6 months passed and the woman still had no child.
Tragically, this woman thought she could get a child by placing her faith in cults, traditional doctors, spirits, charms, fetishes, and Muslims Malams. How could an evangelist use the story of Hanah from I Samuel 1 &2 to explain the real meaning of faith in God for a barren woman?
4). What are their values? What is really important to them? What order of importance do they attach to family, money, time, education, politics, leaders, God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, relationships, the traditions of their people, celebrations, legends, stories, charms, children etc?
Example - A person shows his values by what is really important to him! One Pastor served his church faithfully for many years. One night an elder walked by the church when he heard some voices coming from the Pastor’s office. Quietly, he walked up to the window only to see the Pastor having sex with one of the young girls on a couch. When the incident was revealed to the church, it was learned that the Pastor had been stealing money from the church offerings to keep this young girl as his mistress in the town. For many years, the Pastor had preached purity, holiness, and righteous living when he was living a lie.
Jesus said, ``Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’’ (Mt. 6;21) This Pastor valued money and sex more than he valued a truthful, moral, and holy example for his flock!
Example - One tribe valued their traditions about a snake that guarded a well in Maguzawa area. When a certain son of Usman Dan Fodia killed the snake, he provided continual access for the people to the great well of water. When a certain evangelist went to the Maguzawas he learned of this historical incident. He explained that Jesus Christ has slayed the great serpent, the devil, by coming to earth, dying on a cross, and resurrecting from the dead. Now, Christ provides continual access for all people to the wells of eternal life. Jesus said, ``Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’’ (John 4:14)
5). What are their behavior, actions and customs? What actions to they habitually perform? How do they greet different people? How do they express things in their language, their dress, their actions, their eating, their farming, their walking, their conversations, their visitations, their meetings, their courts, their celebrations, their dances, their evenings, and the way they treat their families?
Example - One missionary found himself needing advice about a difficult problem of cultural practices. In one village where he was attempting to start a church the people ate dogs. In another village the people considered dog-eaters as pagan-uncivilized people. At first he thought he would eat dog in the first village when he visited them so as not to offend the people. However, when he visited the second village, he would not tell them about his dog eating practices.
One day, a man from the second village happened to be in the first village when the missionary arrived just in time to eat dog meat. When the man saw the missionary eat dog meat, he quickly reported to his friends in the second village how the missionary acted like the pagans in eating dog. The missionary had lost his credibility in preaching the gospel to the people in the second village.
The missionary should have taken advise from Paul in Romans 14:15 which says
``If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.’’
In this case the missionary should have explained his need to refrain from eating dog-meat so as to not hinder the people in the second village from coming to Christ!
Example - A missionary should attempt to discover the social patterns of governing, discipling, and ruling people. In some cultures, governing is done through the maigida, he owns the home, makes the decisions, and disciplines family members who need it. However, some tribes are run by the woman. In such cases, no man dares take a decision for himself without asking permission from his wife. When the wife decides what is best for the whole family, then the husband has permission to act.
Example - A missionary must understand what the people consider attractive, respectful, or immodest in each culture’s dress-code. One culture in Niger expects the men to dress up like women once a year with dresses, make-up, and braid their hair. By performing this ritual they are in effect telling the people around how attractive, sexually virulent, and desirable. Young women are supposed to watch for the man of their dreams during the ceremonies.
Example - LANGUAGE MUST BE UNDERSTOOD TO KNOW THE PERCEPTIONS OF THE PEOPLE! In Yoruba land, Olorun, is the judge in heaven who judges deeds in the same way a person’s deeds are tried in court. If a man has been kind and good by behaving properly on earth, his souls are sent to orun rere, the good heaven. However, if the man has been wicked, failing to do good to others or even involved himself with bad magic, his souls are condemned to orun buburu, the bad heaven. In the bad heaven, the man’s souls will be punished. Any wrongs done on earth are made right only in heaven in the Yoruba traditional religious language!
A missionary to the Yoruba people should know that Olurun, the sky god, can only be reached through traveling by walking. The evil people usually run out of food on their journeys since they have to cross broad rivers, climb mountains, and meet dangerous animals. It is for this reason that relatives are expected to provide lots of food or money for the dead at funerals.
A missionary should not condemn traditional beliefs, but ask God for help in using these beliefs to help them understand the true God in Jesus Christ. Move from the people’s partial truth to the complete truth in Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge!!! (Col. 2:3)
In this case, a missionary should be careful to dress appropriately at all times to present himself with respect to the people. Moreover, the missionary should recognize the many identities, roles, and behavioral responsibilities that a man of that society is expected to play!
6). What are the ways they express their emotions? What are the dominant emotions expressed? What are considered good, bad or neutral emotional expressions? How does a man express emotions to his wife and visa versa? How does a younger man express emotions to an older man and visa versa? How do women express their emotions? How are children allowed to express their emotions? What emotions seems to communicate intensity and attempts to persuade? What emotions express anger and rejection? What are the proper ways to react to different displays of emotions?
Example - Different people in the Bible expressed their emotions through a variety of personality types. David expressed himself in rich emotional Psalms. We may characterize David as a Sanguine-Melancholy personality type. David showed both a tendency to speak freely while possessing an ability to feel deeply about the problems in his life. Peter, a complete Sanguine, when asked by the Lord, ``Are you also going to leave me, responded by saying,
``Lord to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life and we have believed and have come to know that you are the holy one of God!’’ (John 6:68,69)
Jesus related to each disciple in emotional ways that would help communicate with them most effectively. Jesus knew what emotional buttons He would have to push to motivate each of his men in the most effective way. We must learn enough about the people we are ministering to in order to appeal to the emotional aspects of their lives that are most open, responsive, and sensitive to change!
Example - When the Japanese were defeated during World War II their souls yearned for peace. When the missionaries preached the gospel, they told them how Jesus wants to give them peace in their country, peace in their families, peace in their towns, and peace in their hearts. They explained that peace only comes by asking Christ to be the Savior and Lord of our lives. Then the Japanese, who became Christians, experienced peace with God through Jesus Christ. Let us look for these emotional needs of the people in Nigeria like: Comfort in affliction, assurance of provisions in food shortages, protection from enemies, deliverance from spiritually wicked forces, hope for a better life in heaven, and love from God that will never fail!
We may teach the people songs like, ``The man of the world may let you down, but Jesus never fails!’’
In some cultures, like British culture, it is expected that people maintain control of their emotions. However, in other cultures like Italian cultures it is reasonable for a man to be visibly upset while waving his arms in expressing his anger over a questionable call in a football match! In some cultures it is expected that if a man likes a woman he should blow smoke in her face.
In Morocco, if a man likes a woman he says, ``You have captured my liver!’’ People not only use different non-verbal signals to express emotions, but different verbal symbols to communicate emotions.
Missionaries must learn to identify the meanings in people’s emotions and adjust their communication in emotional forms that the people will most naturally understand. Follow the faith of those people who show good examples of communicating with different level of emotional effectiveness.
Paul said, ``To the Jews I became like the Jews, to win the Jews . . . to the weak I became weak that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men that by all men I may save some.’’ (I Cor. 9:20,22)
Study Questions
1. How can a missionary effectively communicate the gospel cross-culturally?
2. What things must a missionary study in order to learn about another people’s culture?
3. How can a missionary use his knowledge of other’s culture to help him preach the gospel in terms the people can understand?
4. What should a missionary do when he finds conflicts between his own culture and those of the people he is trying to reach? What responsibilities before God does a missionary have when he finds conflict between the people’s culture and the Bible?
5. How can missionaries become all things to all men?
