Gospel in Culture

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Gospel in Culture

• Indigenization and Contexutalization

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Gospel in Culture

• Etic analysis of culture
• In anthropology the etic model, or construct,
  is the means of describing people and cultural
  phenomenon from the analysts conceptual
  categories and basic assumptions rather than
  from the categories and assumptions of the people
  with whom the anthropologist interacts (Hiebert
  1983, 50).

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Gospel in Culture

• Emic analysis of culture
• The emic model which describes people and their
  cultural phenomenon from their perspective using
  their conceptual categories and words.

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Gospel in Culture

• Ethnography
• Methodology that looks for significant patterns
  of behavior in social contexts and seeks to
  interpret them according to the insiders
  perspective.
• Studying a way of life

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Gospel in Culture

• Five Missiological Implications of Ethnographic
  Research
• Missionaries need to be competent in
  ethnographic research
• Ethnographies are helpful in mission preparation
• Crucial in ongoing contextualization and problem
  of nominalism
• Used to provide comparative data to help with
  strategies
• Should be use by mission leaders to better
  understand internationalization and globalization

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Four Models Missions

• Replication
• Indigenous (1861)
• Contextualization (1971)
• Self-Theologizing (Hiebert, 1985)

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Four Models Missions Replication
Replication A strictly etic model would
coincide with Shenks replication model or the
structural model in Lamin Sannehs words
(Sanneh 1999, 66). Shenk describes the
replication model as one that seeks to
replicate or reproduce a church in another
culture patterned carefully after that of the
church from which the missionary originated.
The missionary retains control and responsibility
for the church (1999, 51). The missionary also
becomes the final authority for theological
reflection, application, and defining theological
and cultural constructs.
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Four Models MissionsReplication Model
Meaning Scripture Exegesis/interpretation/applic
ation
Form
Gospel Transmission
Meaning
Cultural Grid
Missionaries Culture
Host Culture
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Four Models Missions Indigenization
Indigenization the translatability of the
Christian faith into the forms and symbols of the
particular cultures throughout the world. In
other words, make the gospel intelligible and
relevant in word and deed to the eyes and ears of
the people being taught.
Rufus Anderson is considered the founder of the
indigenous church principle (Beaver 1967, 31).
At the core of the indigenous model is Andersons
concept of the three-selfs which is also
associated with Henry Venn and John Nevius.
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Four Models Missions Indigenization
John Nevius and Henry Venn Three-selfs (1)   Self-
governing (2)   Self-propagating (3)   Self-suppor
ting
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Four Models Missions Indigenization

Positive contributions (1)  Churches were not as
financially dependent on missionaries (2)  In
reacting to the Old System where native
churches depend on foreign funds to support and
stimulate growth, John Nevius places emphasis on
applying principles of independence and
self-reliance from the initiation of the new
churches (1958, 8). (3)  Provided a model for
missionaries to assist in maturing independent
churches. (4)  Moved away from a total
replication model.
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Four Models Missions Indigenization

Limitations and problems (1)  Control still in
hands of missionary or mission This opening for
paternalism is provided by giving the missionary
responsibility to decide when a church is to be
organized, to determine how it shall be
organized (Beaver 1967, 34) (2)  Leadership
controlled by missionary The reduction of
dependence on the mission funds did not reflect
an equal independence from the control of the
missionary. The leader constantly superintends,
directs, and examines those under him the helper
directs and examines the leaders and their
stations and the missionary in charge has a
general supervision and control of the whole
(Allen 1958, 32-33). (3)  Focus mainly on
structural aspects and finances
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Four Models Missions Indigenization

Indigenous church concept (1)  Associated with
Sidney J. W. Clark (2)  Clark published a
pamphlet entitled The Country Church and
Indigenous Christianity, later published and
given worldwide circulation through the World
Dominion Press under the tile of The Indigenous
Church. (3) By 1924 a movement was founded
under the name of World Dominion to propagate
the indigenous church theory.
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Four Models Missions Indigenization

Indigenous church concept (4)  Two primary
principles were added to the three-selfs.
First, the foreign missionary should devote
himself to pioneer evangelism and not take on
pastoral duties for a congregation. Second,
nothing should be instituted on the mission
field by the mission which could not be taken
over, maintained, and conducted by the native
church (Ritchie 1946, 13-18).
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Four Models MissionsIndigenous Model
Form of Christianity to fit in cultural context
Form
Meaning
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Four Models Missions Contextualization
Origin of concept The term contextualization
came upon the missiological scene in 1972 with
the publication of the Theological Education
Funds (TEF) Ministry in Context The Third
Mandate.
TEF observes that contextualization conveys all
that is implied in the familiar term
indigenization and yet seeks to press beyond
for a more dynamic concept which is open to
change and which is future-oriented (Coe 1976,
21).
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Four Models Missions Contextualization
Definition Stephen Bevans defines contextual
theology as a way of doing theology in which one
takes into account the spirit and message of the
gospel the tradition of the Christian people
the culture in which one is theologizing and
social change in that culture, whether brought
about by western technological process or the
grass-roots struggle for equality, justice and
liberation (1992, 1).
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Four Models Missions Contextualization
Definition Victor Cole defines contextualization
as a theological formulation from exegesis of
biblical texts within a socio-cultural context,
and a living out of that theology within the
given cultural context, utilizing the Bible as
the only authority while recognizing the progress
of biblical revelation (1998, 12).
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Four Models Missions Contextualization

• Four arenas of contextualization according to the
  Theological Education Funds Report.
• Missiological focus on renewal reform issues
  for human development and justice
• Structural develop structures socio-economic
  and political contexts
• Pedagogical training in servant ministry, not
  elitism and authoritarianism
• Theological finding appropriate ways of doing
  theology in various contexts related to ministry
  issues within and without the ministry
  contexts Lienemann-Perrin 1981, 175

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Four Models Missions Contextualization
Fourth self moving beyond indigenization Self-th
eologizing Christians and church leaders do
their own theology through studying scripture and
make application to their own cultural situation.
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Four Models MissionsContextualization Model
Form
Meaning
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Four Models Missions Emic-Contextualization
(a) Emic contextualization is intended to
convey the idea that the host culture Christians
are taking the leading role in contextualizing
the gospel message in their cultural context by
increasingly providing the theological categories
for doing theology. (b)  Emic-contextualization
progresses from a relatively unconscious
self-contextualization to a conscious grappling
with the application of biblical teaching to the
cultural context. (c)  Thus for an African
context, there would be particular African
Christian theologies emerging from their own
contexts which address their daily concerns.
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Four Models MissionsEmic-Contextualization Model
Form
Meaning
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Facilitating Emic-theologizing
The six dimensions for evaluating
emic-theologizing

• Cognitive
• Affective
• Evaluative
• Missiological
• Structural
• Ministerial

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Facilitating Emic-theologizing
Cognitive - The cognitive dimension refers to
knowledge, but specifically, the ability to
conceptualize biblical knowledge from the
educational process, from personal study, and
from experience to make application in various
cultural contexts.
Affective - The affective dimension involves
the feelings the ministers have toward their
theological education experience both positive
and negative.
Evaluative - Evaluative refers to the ability
to interact with ones own cultural heritage,
current socio-cultural context, and the church
context to apply the biblical message to make
decisions in determining right and wrong within a
ministry context
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Facilitating Emic-theologizing
Missiological - The missiological dimension
focuses on developing training that addresses
renewal and reform issues in the church dealing
with human development and justice in its
particular context.
Structural - The structural category refers to
the administrative and infrastructure of the
church and its various institutions for carrying
on ministry and providing training sensitive to
the socio-economic and political contexts.
Ministerial - The ministerial dimension carries
the idea that the ministers and other church
leaders see themselves as developing in their
ministry skills and personally experiencing a
dynamic relationship with God in their churches
and communities.
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Critical Contextualization The Process

• Exegesis of culture
• Exegesis of scripture hermeneutical bridge
• Critical response
• New contextualized practices

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Critical Contextualization Exegesis of Culture
The first step calls for a phenomenological
analysis of the culture. This involves studying
the culture to understand the categories,
assumptions and logic the people use to construct
their world.
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Critical Contextualization Exegesis of Scripture
Hermeneutical Bridge
In the second step, there is a need for an
ontological critique that tests the truth
claims of different beliefs and values. The two
criteria for testing truth are
(1)  Scripture (2)  Reality testing to avoid
an ethnocentric understanding of reality.
Reality testing calls for an examination of
ones own understanding of reality and that of
the host culture.
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Critical Contextualization Critical Response
The third step calls for an evaluative response
which means one critically evaluates his/her own
beliefs, customs, and cultural norms in light of
the improved understanding of the other culture
and ones own previous biblical understanding and
cultural assumptions.
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Critical Contextualization New Contextualized
Practices
The fourth step envisions transformative
ministries that assist people to move from
where they are to where God wants them to be
(1994, 88-90 1999, 21-29).
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Critical Contextualization Theology
Millard J. Erickson defines theology as that
discipline which strives to give a coherent
statement of the doctrines of the Christian
faith, based primarily upon Scripture, placed
within the context of culture in general, worded
in a contemporary idiom, and related to issues of
life (1985, 21).
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Critical Contextualization Theology
Theology may originally only been the cultivation
of a spiritual reflective habit or disposition in
the believer.
Enlightenment The science of systematically,
rationally, and without necessity of any
accompanying faith in the supernatural character
of its object of study.
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Critical Contextualization Theology
Reformation Emphasized sola scritura and sola
gratia turning theology from a mere metaphysical
science of ontological speculation to a
systematic search for Gods wisdom. (Systematic
Theology)

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Critical Contextualization Theology
Meta-theology is a set of procedures by which
different theologies, each a partial
understanding of the truth in a certain context,
could be constructed which are rooted in the
scripture and person of Jesus Christ (Hiebert
1994, 101)

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Critical Contextualization Theology
Theology is the process by which a person
interacts with Gods revelation given within its
own contexts and from which a person discovers
the original meaning of scripture and makes
application to his/her own context, expressed in
the language and idioms of the culture.

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Theology Understanding Scripture in a Cultural
Context
Hiebert Anthropological Reflections (47)
Bible
Theology
Culture
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Contextualization/Metatheology The Process

• Bible Translated into the new language
• Old customs must be evaluated in light of
  scripture
• The church needs to become a new sociocultural
  order in light of scripture
• The church in sociocultural settings must
  develop it own theology by applying biblical
  truth to their context Self-theologizing

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Contextualization/Metatheology Checks on
Syncretism
1.  Biblical revelation is the standard by which
all practices and beliefs are measured 2.  Holy
Spirit works in all the believers 3.  Church acts
as a hermeneutical community 4.   Worldwide
hermeneutical community