Contextualization of the gospel is something that had its fullest expression in Christ, and His coming as God incarnate. What does contextualization mean for us as Christians today? Can I find out something about this process by talking with immigrants who have come as Christians from another country? These are some of the questions that I found myself pondering as a result of a class assignment, and what I saw as a positive role model by an extended Indian family in my congregation. This project reports on my findings, which are based on research that included reading, interviewing, and engaging in Internet dialogues. My sample was very small, so extensive conclusions cannot be drawn. I am aware that my research has only begun to scratch the surface of the topic, how have Indian Christians contextualized their faith within the culture of my country, the USA? Those of you receiving this document will see yourselves included anonymously in this project. I welcome your comments and feedback. Due to the nature of our dialogue, I see this paper as another step in our dialogue, and it will therefore be somewhat casual. In it I will share with you what I have learned from you, and I think also through you from the Holy Spirit. I have been challenged and encouraged by you, and hope you will be encouraged and maybe even challenged by what you find in this report.
My first step was to enlarge my background knowledge of the theories behind contextualization and to gain some understanding of the Indian culture that these Christians might have come from. I read a collection of essays entitled _ Faith, Culture, India Today: Perspectives, which was edited by Augustine Mulloor OCD. It showed an awareness of contextualization, which was termed "inculturation." I also found a small pamphlet entitled _ Culture and the Bible_ by John R. W. Stott, to be helpful in defining the relationship between the cultures of the Bible, and the cultures into which Christ desires to enter today, through his Spirit and Christians willing to be channels of His love. Another publication that was helpful in giving me a broad perspective on contextualization is entitled _ Down to Earth: Studies in Christianity and Culture -. It was edited by John R.W. Stott and Robert Coote, and contains papers from the Lausanne Consultation on Gospel and Culture, and a copy of the Willowbank Report. I also read various web pages on the Internet, from Indian Christian churches and organizations, and was given a paper by one of my "web" contacts. It was written by his pastor, of an Indian congregation in Chicago. The paper looks at the development of Dalit Theology in India.
The web pages that helped me gain an understanding of the dynamics of various congregations that function here in the US, and in India were those associated with The India Pentecostal Assembly, Boston, The Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, The Church of South India, The Evangelical Church of India, The North American Knanaya Diocese, and the Agape Global Network. Their web addresses are given at the end of this report, for any of you that would be interested in seeing them yourselves. Some of you are actively involved in making the gospel available through the web. In reading these web pages, and sending out queries where I could, I found a very diverse field of churches exists in India. This was only the beginning of my understanding of the great diversity in India. I also found people who were willing to take time and answer my questions, to help me piece together how contextualization has functioned for them. My answers were not what I had anticipated, and the ways I learned were not what I had expected. I found that the Holy Spirit is alive through the testimonies people shared with me, and in the way He taught me through them. As I share what I learned through others, I will identify where I feel the Holy Spirit blessed me through these other believers with insights I hadn't known, or even thought about before. I also have a challenge I would offer them to consider. Following are the questions that I posed, with a synopsis of the responses:
1. Could you share with me how you came to
become a Christian,
what led up to your conversion to be a follower
of Christ? Can you also
share with me some of how Christ has ministered
to and through you in your
lifetime?
The candor of those that helped me was greatly appreciated. I found a balance between what we Americans value, "being straightforward, to the point," and what is more often an Asian approach of "Beating around the bush." This is one area where I gained insight, in an interview with an Indian, a Punjabi woman, who grew up in Malaysia, and became a Christian through a process that started when she was in the university in Malaysia. A typical American approach to my first question would have been to share the conversion experience first, and then maybe backtrack to some of what led up to that. We, however, spiraled around, and I saw how the Holy Spirit wooed her, and over time revealed more and more of Himself. He wasn't pushy. He accepted her where she was and as she was. She had been a good Sikh, the daughter of a Sikh priest. She wasn't dissatisfied with that, and wasn't consciously looking for any other "answers." But she did have a longing, a longing for a god that wasn't so distant. A longing for a relationship. Through varied steps, and different events in her life, she was drawn to a greater understanding of the God who had created her, and who also desired a relationship with her. A friend in one of her classes invited her to see a movie,_ His Land, which she didn't think had an impact on her at the time. But then, an English teacher came into a class and posed a question to the students. "Do you know Jesus is coming back?" She didn't know this. She had wondered about these people who followed a person who had died on a cross. She asked a couple of friends to explain. They did, they shared the gospel message with her and God's plan for her salvation. She met God through their message at that time, though she was not ready to accept Him. She told Him that on her way home. Her description of herself was that at this point, her mind had been touched, but not yet her heart. She believed He was God, she believed what they had told her, that she would die. She had peace about not accepting God then. Those two friends graduated, and they were no longer around to question further. Up to this point, God used everyday kinds of events to draw her to Him, but from this point, I found her testimony incredible. Though it was not something I expected to hear, it was something exciting to discover: The greatness of our God, and His compassion for those who seek relationship with him. She lived in an officially Muslim State, and in her Hindu home, she did not have access to a Bible. She told me: 'Because I didn't have the Bible, He talked to me." She shared that during a five year period of time, when she didn't have contact with other Christians, that He taught her much of what she would later find in the Bible. She says He revealed to her Isaiah 6, much of Jeremiah, and the assurance of God's faithfulness, strengthening and comfort of Psalm 91. She said that by His ministry to her, she knew a large portion of it before she was ever able to read it. What a God we worship! He called her through His words in Isaiah, even though she had not yet had the opportunity to read them.
During the five years after her graduation,
she did not have
regular contact with Christians, but rather,
she grew through the ministry
of the Holy Spirit, and her desire to have
a relationship with God. Out
of respect for her parents and their beliefs,
and while she was living at
home with them, she didn't attend church.
She had told her Mom that when
she got a job she would start going to church.
Within a month of the time
she got her first job, she started attending
a Christian church. She was
baptized in a Brethren Church (the same Malaysian
church that my oldest
son was baptized in!) and then attended a
Charismatic Church for a while,
and later a Presbyterian Church. In this "beating around the bush"
answer to my question, I received a wealth of information, and a realization
of the value of that aspect of her culture. I also feel that the
Holy Spirit used this to help me appreciate that he can use elements of culture
to bless those who are open to His blessing.
The other conversion experiences were very
different from hers. The men with whom I have had dialog all had
the experience of growing up with a Christian heritage. One experienced
baptism as a child, and then confirmation as an adult at age 14. Another,
from the state of Kerala, which has a relatively large Christian population,
talked about growing up in the church attending Sunday School and church
regularly, as well as participating in the choir from the age of
8. The other person that responded is, not surprisingly, also from Kerala,
and he stated that: The bulk of the Indian Christians who migrated
to US as of today are indeed the 3rd or 4th generation Christians
whose forefathers accepted Christ during the missionary movements
in the 1700's and late 1800's. He explained that he was born in a Christian
family, and brought up in a very orthodox Christian environment.
He also stated that, we(most) believe that we are direct of
the seven families that St. Thomas converted to Christians and as
a result we do believe that Christianity is as old as any
other religions in India and that it is not a Western religion,
rather a religion that has its roots in the East.
The second part of my first question asked how Christ has ministered to and through them. The answer of the first generation Christian, a woman, was distinct. There were greater similarities among the others, all of whom were men, who had been raised in Christian homes. My experience is similar to the men's, as I too, grew up attending church, and being involved in the life of the church. During my friend's early association with the church, she was also part of a body of Punjabi believers who met weekly discerning together how to live as Christians in Malaysia. They grew from about 5 to 300 in 20 years! They are first generation Christians, who have followed many of the principles I learned in my contextualization class: They first determined that they wanted to maintain as much of their culture as they could, as long as it wouldn't conflict with the teachings of the Bible, or offend the gospel. They spent time studying the Bible, praying, and reading what had been written by other Indian Christians. They realized they needed to see how it applied specifically to them in Malaysia. They took time to discern God's leading in this. The decisions they made included keeping their dress, language, folk dancing and melodies. Match-making was even more important now, in light of the small number of Christians. The changes that they determined were necessary included changing names. All over the world, Sikh women have the last name of Kaur, and men, the name of Singh, which grows out of the formation of their religion. Their children would be given other last names. The men would cut their hair and stop wearing their turbans. She commented that for two of her friends, it took seven years before they were able to give them up. The women would stop wearing the silver bangles because they represent power from god. They were not to even wear them for aesthetic purposes. This speaks both to how God ministered to and through them. One person with a Christian family background stated:
My ministry in life has been to live up to the expectations of my parents concept about Christian values and thereby influence the people I interact with by being a good living Christian. Just like my parents did. Another talked about numberless experiences of God working in his life. He shared a particular series of experiences, where he recognized in the "everyday" events of life, that the sovereignty of God was impacting his opportunities, providing guidance, and fulfilling some of his interests and desires. This was one area where the Holy Spirit allowed me to learn something specific from his sharing. Scripture talks about both fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit. It also talks about how He works in the lives of believers to guide, and to provide us with the faith we need. The specific insight that I believe I received is, that one of the gifts the Holy Spirit gives, is the faith to recognize that God is at work in our lives. This relates to the scripture that talks about how God's wisdom seems foolishness to man (I Corinthians 3:19). An unredeemed person might write off testimony of God's work in a person's life, but God gives us the faith we need to accept that He does in fact use others and circumstances to prepare us for His work. One other point that was made by all three of the men was the importance in India of the family, and how strong their families are. I also see this in the extended Indian family in my church. This is one of the ways God has ministered to each of them. God instituted families, their respect for them is God given, even though it is also a significant value in the cultures of India. Whether or not we have a Christian "lineage," we all must be first generation Christians in one sense. Jesus said to Nicodemus, in John 3:3: "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." We need the work of the Holy Spirit in us to provide our spiritual birth as children of God. Whether God uses our family or others to teach us of His love, we must accept His sacrifice for us independently.
2. Can you see, within the culture of your
home land, any
positive impact on the culture by the gospel?
Are there any changes that
show God redeeming not only individuals, but
aspects of the culture of
India as well? Have there been changes in
how things are done due to the
witness of Christians and the love of Christ?
Had the gospel had a positive effect on their
homeland? The way
He guided the Christian Punjabi community in
Malaysia was positive, as was
the growth from 5 to 300 Christians in 20 years,
but this is still a group
of believers that are struggling with their
identity. The others, who were actually from India themselves,
could see many positive effects which they could attribute
to Christians and their work. The educational and medical institutions
that were set up have been positive for the people of India.
In discussing this topic, one pointed out
the Eastern basis of Christianity when he wrote: "Christianity
originated from Middle East, there is not too much differences between India
and Middle East cultures." Another correspondent stated the following
about the highly Christian state of Kerala: This same State is now an object of study
for many students and observers of Third World developments because
of the social progress it achieved, in terms of 100% literacy
rate, the average life expectancy that equals many developed
nations, infant mortality rate and so on. Most of these developments
are the direct or indirect result of the many Christian
missionaries who toiled their life to develop educational institutions
and Christian values in the people. But, the sad part is
that many people today do not accept this factor of Christian influence
on the social upliftment of the region, but contribute it
to the work of democracy and so on.
Another man from Kerala listed a few specifics that he saw as benefits:
1. less divorce
2. most of them are educated and respectable careers
3. good standard of living and strong family
backgrounds.
One of the men I was able to interview in person agreed with all but one part of this third point. The point with which he disagreed was that the standard of living was good. He said in his area a TV was a luxury, as was a car. Maybe there isn't really a strong disagreement on this point between them in terms of those things necessarily being luxuries. However, the basis for my saying I would expect him to disagree with that statement was that the reason his family migrated to the US was that there weren't enough jobs in the area for those who had received an education. That I think would be an argument from his perspective against the standard of living in his part of Kerala being "good."
Another major impact on the culture in India is the difference in how caste impacts the people of India. I have the impression that there is some variety across the great Indian continent in this regard, along with many others, but that in states where there is a significant Christian presence there has also been a significant impact on this aspect of the culture. I also learned about the variety of churches and states in India. I learned of the impact of the educational institutions of missions in India, in raising the economic capabilities, and yet that the economic situation in much of India includes a great deal of poverty. This poverty still provides an access for the good news of the Gospel of Christ. Some states in India are quite independent, and one, at the southern tip of the continent has about a 40% population of Christians.
3. What things could we (here in North America)
learn from our
brothers and sisters in the church in India?
What can you teach us from
your experiences with god's love in Christ,
as you have experienced it in
India?
The responses to these questions were somewhat
varied, but one
area of consistency among all was the benefit
of valuing family and
community, including respect for elders. Again,
I see this in practice in
the family in our church. Along with this
was mentioned the importance of
fellowship in a community where we can balance
between receiving and
ministering in the body, and family. A significant
comment on this was
made by one individual giving a bit of a different
"spin" to the
importance of these values: ...the "respect we show for elders",
the notion that "our children are a gift from God - we love and live for
them attitude", "the reverence by which we see God" ..., then
the gospel did not have much influence on these positive aspects of
our culture, because they are already there."
4. Have you found any positive things in
our understanding of
Christ's call to discipleship that you could
take with you if you had the
opportunity to return to India?
The answers to this included a no, except for money, to a list of understandings. Here I have one critique of my brothers, and that is answered to a degree by one. My critique is that the men with whom I talked, aside from Arthur Gaddam in my church, have all identified with an Indian church, and have not afforded themselves much opportunity, as far as I can see, to identify with American Christians. Their criticisms of our culture are valid, but they are also criticisms by America Christians.
My Punjabi friend was able to enumerate things she has learned while being in North American cultures, six years in Canada and a couple of years here most recently. Our cultures are not the same, she finds Americans to be more aggressive and less inclined to dialogue. In reflecting on this, I wonder if she is not seen by Americans as aggressive when she wants to engage in dialogue, but I don't know that as the times I have enjoyed with her have been one to one, not in group or class settings. In fact, she said that is one of the strengths she has developed since coming to North America, is the ability to listen one on one. She also cautions, however, that one of the lacks in our culture is the sense of community and healthy interdependence. We can learn from each other, and be stronger if we can find a balance and incorporate both of these into our lives. On a practical level, she said she has learned to provide hospitality for one person, rather than always cooking for 18! Because the Asian community from which she has come is very community oriented, she feels they need to learn to think for themselves, but without losing the benefit of the strength of community. I'm sure this is a tenuous balance, but think this can be a healthy tension in our lives, to reach out to individuals, but to know there is a community behind us supporting us as we do this. That waiting community can also provide the security needed by a new believer, even as that security is often needed by those immigrating to the US.
5. Are there any issues that your church
is struggling with?
The answer to this question again demonstrates
how much we are
alike. One person said finances, also a struggle
for my church. Another response was: Yes, problems caused by pride, ego, personality
conflicts, the human nature, hatred, jealousy and so forth,
the direct outcome of the materialistic, secular life in general
that is destroying all similar churches in the US.
The bottom line is our sinful natures, from which we all need redemption. These problems can affect congregations here, whatever their ethnic background. First generation Christians have many issues to struggle with, including syncretism. My Punjabi friend said it is challenging knowing there are roots that need to be cut, but not always knowing precisely which ones. She also said a difficulty for the Malaysian Punjabi believers now is a lack of maturity by those who are taking leadership. The early converts were women, and the present leadership is composed of younger men who have difficulty accepting women as CO-workers in the gospel. Her prayer is that God might provide a mature Pujabi Indian man to give leadership, one who has worked with Sikhs and understands the issues these young believers are struggling with. When I think of how the Holy Spirit ministered to her, I hope he will likewise teach these young men to be the leaders that the church needs.
6. What do you see as issues that we need
to struggle with here? As individuals and as a church community?
This was an area where I again saw agreement among those whom I interviewed, in that their observations of us in our American culture are that we don't understand or benefit from fellowship, as we don't recognize it's value. The importance of this fellowship being based on the values that Christ taught us was mentioned by one of the men. This comment came from people that are involved in both American and Indian congregations, and is something to be considered by the Church in America. The denomination I attend places a high value on community, but this is definitely a minority perspective within the North American Church. My present church affiliation is Anabaptist in perspective, and the importance of community is one of three emphasizes in my church, the other two being active participation in the spreading Christ's gospel of peace and in simple living, the three of which intertwine in our understanding of following Christ. I see this being at odds with both my American culture, and to much of the Church in North America as well.
Another criticism that I heard, is that many Americans are American's first, and Christians second. It seems to me that those who can only feel at home in an Indian Church may be guilty of the same. We all need to assess for ourselves if that criticism applies to us. What is my first allegiance in my daily life? An explanation of why Indians often choose to align themselves with an Indian congregation was given by one of my correspondents who explained: The drastic contrast between the cultures, Indian and American, becomes very evident. Some of the values an Indian keeps so dear and pious, such as the notion of "marriage as a holy, unbreakable union between a man and woman" is observed to be not of such value in the American culture. Sexual perversions and openness in expressing such emotions are another area that an Indian who lives in American culture gets to notice at the first instance. Such feelings of differences somehow generates a desire in the Indian to actually protect the values they deem as dear and pious. They therefore tend to turn to their own flocks for succor. Usually church turns out to be the immediate and most comfortable arena where an Indian Christian feel secure and wanted. This I presume is the reason why many Indian Christian generally join a church as soon as they arrive in US. Probably, this is why I did. Being an average Indian, I guess it is perhaps the same reason why so many others like me get attached to Indian churches as soon as they start interacting with the American culture.... However, the strong desire to be associated with a fellow Christian who follows the same faith as mine, the same denomination as mine never occurred to me until I reached US. May be it is the father instinct in me, to protect my children, my wife (my family) from the unknown of a totally different culture is that what perpetuated such a strong desire
to develop a fellowship with fellow Indians
of my denomination
here in US. In talking with an Indian man from my church,
I find another way
to do this. He and his family, and evidently
many from his state of
Andhra Pradesh, associate with an American
congregation of the same
denomination that they affiliated with in India,
and get together
occasionally as Indian's from different Protestant
denominations to
worship in their first language, and enjoy
music and more traditional
Indian modes of worship. There are different ways to approach meeting
one's spiritual needs. However, I would suggest that those
who worship only with others from India, or any church limited to one ethnic
group, may be missing out on blessings God would give them through relating
with American Christians as well. The American churches also miss out
on the blessings that could be brought to them by Christians from other
backgrounds. I recognize that I have a bias, as we lived in Malaysia for
a year, and choose to attend a Malaysian church, rather than go to the expat
church, even though it had a good reputation. We benefited greatly by doing
that, both in being able to give to the congregation, and in receiving
nurture from them. Now, I also have to admit that we had an advantage, as
we were able to worship in our first language, as many of the Christian churches
in Malaysia had services in English, so we didn't have to struggle to
worship in a second language. My challenge to you and your churches would
be to look for a "sister or brother" congregation here, one with whom
you could enjoy interaction. I believe you would find that to be mutually
beneficial. I have learned much about God and how He works in peoples
lives, through my contacts with Christians from other cultures, and see that
in Christ we have much in common. This was recognized by one of my correspondents
who said: "When we follow the biblical culture, all the Christians
can live only one way, that is Christian way, no matter what language
you speak or where you live." In some ways I agree, and yet
not completely. When I look at the different races, languages and cultures, I
see that our creative God enjoys variety. I don't believe there is only
one way to worship God, but I do believe there is only one God deserving
of our worship, the God who created this beautiful, varied earth, and who
became incarnate in Christ Jesus to redeem all who accept his gift. All
Christians should strive to find how God wants them to live. We have God's
Word available in many languages, and we have access to His Holy Spirit
to help us understand what He wants to teach us. We also need each
other, to test the spirits and make sure that it is the Holy Spirit that
is guiding us.
7. Is there anything else you could tell
me that would help me understand how Christ's love is made manifest
in India, in ways that are similar and in those that are different than
here?
Most did not feel a need to answer this kind of umbrella question, intended to catch anything they might have felt was missed by the other questions. However, I was blessed by the response of my Punjabi friend. Her feedback to this question included the following comments, a fitting summary: The body of the church has similarities wherever it is. The Holy Spirit Himself is available to all churches, as are His gifts to Christians worldwide. Our Jesus is the same, and is consistent with the scriptures. Another unifying factor is that we all have the church fathers and their history as a base to fall back on. This she sees as a difference between her present as a Christian, and her past as a Sikh. These gifts, along with the Word of God, unite us as Christians, whether Indian, American, European, African, Asian, Australian, Russian, whatever our ethnic background. We share the teachings of the Old and New Testaments, the model of Christ and His sacrifice for us, and the empowering and teaching of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We share a great heritage, and that should be able to lead us to share a present reality of encouragement and mutual nurture, to be organs in the body of Christ, the Church.
Web page addresses:
Agape Global Network: http://www.channel1.com/users/agape/news.html#book
Church of South India: http://www.csichurch.com
Evangelical Church of India: http://pcsadvt.com/eci/index.htm
India Pentecostal Assembly: http://www.tufts.edu/~smathew/ipab.htm
Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church: http://www.indian-orthodox.org/history
North American Knanaya Diocese: http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~grjosep/knanaya.html
I would be interested in your reactions, comments, etc.
Thanks,