Culture and Christianity

[Jesus_is_LORD]

No, be contented in yourself, you are what God is working in you, don't try to be someone or something else.

That said, we do need to understand and relate to certain issues specific to certain sections. The young have to contend with social media, the Internet, drugs and sexualisation that I never faced. Ethnics and gays face prejudice on a daily basis.

The Gospel is life changing and so relevant to everyone but how do you get that message across?

I like how you are reflecting and thinking on this topic.

I would say when you state "be contented in yourself" I agree. I don't think we should change who we are ("In Christ") to communicate the gospel,
but we should try to understand others. We do this all the time, think of jobs. A business person will learn the business culture to better communicate
and relate to his business clients. A doctor will understand the food and nutritional culture of his/her clients to better communicate about their diagnosis,etc.
A lawyer or judge may better understand the crime culture to better communicate to the defendant of plantiff, we do this all the time. Not to change ourselves
but to better communicate and relate.

In terms of your questions :

The Gospel is life changing and so relevant to everyone but how do you get that message across?

I would say two points. Point one, find a common/universal point of connection.
Point two, find a culture category that is a lens and changes the perspective of the individual.

So the common/universal point could be things like love, or justice, or forgiveness, or redemption.
Values that are universal.

Culture categories can be language, norms, behavior, etc.

So you find a universal point in Christianity and then you communicate it into that particular's cultural category.


For example there is a universal value of Justice in Christian theology, and in the African American culture there is
a value on justice as well( a universal value), however in the African American culture sometimes one might
put their identify first in their racial identity and not in Christ first. So knowing that (generalization , I know) about
the African American culture in general, you could communicate to someone of that culture by trying to speak
to that value of justice (universal) but helping them to find their identity in Christ first.


Another example is the LGBTQ community. Love is a universal value shared by everyone. Yet in the
LGBTQ community a secondary culture lens is oppression. They believe that people are oppressing
them of their rights. Knowing this, you can better communicate to them that the real oppression
is the oppression of sin that is holding them in bondage, and true love cannot be expressed outside
of the WILL of God, etc, etc.


So the idea is find a universal Christian value which transcends all cultures, and then understand
that particular culture and the lens they see the world through and use that to better communicate
that universal truth which resonants with their soul.

 

[Jesus_is_LORD]

It is so disappointing that you guys are brainwashed with race and creed as much as the clueless NPCs. Where's your spiritual insight? Don't you see that all these identity politics is a convoluted distraction to turn you from the real issues? The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth, judgement and righteousness, and believe it or not, lots of people from ALL classes, races and generations are seeking truth, judgement and righteousness. What draws them to Christ is not strategic pandering, but the eternal truth and wisdom from the almighty creator.

Lately I listened to a Mother's Day special sermon about the real gender roles in God's design, biblical femininity, the magnificent influence from mother, exposure of Satan's massive attack on womanhood, the misconception of Eve's role as help being inferior, etc. Not your typical gospel preaching, isn't it, and yet for the first time in a very long time that brought me to tears, even though you probably think that this is only for middle-aged white suburb ladies. A message like that is the voice of the Holy Spirit that transcends cultural barriers, and that is much needed amid the satanic narrative of gender confusion these days.

Read my post in #20 and #21 and let me know your thoughts.

I think while identity politics can go too far, that is not the focus here.

"After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation,
tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands."
Revelation 7:9

Is the WORD of God falling into the trap of identity politics by mentioning that
in heaven there will be different tribes, nations, langauges, etc?

Why didn't the Bible just say that heaven will be filled with people.
Why did it talk about the categories that people are broken into?

Remember @Jonathan_Gale when the Great Commission was given, (@MedicBravo you might like this as well)
the disciples were told to go to every nation and people group. They were not to just stay in their
familiar and safe groups. So we are commanded by Jesus to go out into different cultures
and communicate with those people where they are at.

"You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”
– these are the last documented words Jesus spoke to his disciples before he ascended into heaven"
- (Acts 1:8)

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"
-Matthew 28:19

 

[Jonathan_Gale]

Why didn't the Bible just say that heaven will be filled with people.
Why did it talk about the categories that people are broken into?

Because that’s the real completion of the Great Commission - to build the GLOBAL church. You may not be stuck with this paradigm of identity politics, but it seems other folks around here still are.

 

[MedicBravo]

You deliberately lied by saying "Lying (Deceit) is a CORE belief in Islam and commanded by their "god"." It's not true, and we have been over this ground before. There's no good can come of giving false testimony about others.

It IS true. I and many have given countless examples and from a bare minimum for their "holy book".
Your insistence that it's not true is a delusion.
"In the end days, Good will be called Bad and Bad will be called Good."
God is the only one and all other are fake, made up, and here nothing but Satan worship. Satan is also called the "moon god" by them.
The Good that is coming is that there will be NO Muslims or any other "religion or gods" after Jesus comes back. That is from God. What he has said IS end of discussion.

 

[MedicBravo]

Read my post in #20 and #21 and let me know your thoughts.

I think while identity politics can go too far, that is not the focus here.

"After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation,
tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands."
Revelation 7:9

Is the WORD of God falling into the trap of identity politics by mentioning that
in heaven there will be different tribes, nations, langauges, etc?

Why didn't the Bible just say that heaven will be filled with people.
Why did it talk about the categories that people are broken into?

Remember @Jonathan_Gale when the Great Commission was given, (@MedicBravo you might like this as well)
the disciples were told to go to every nation and people group. They were not to just stay in their
familiar and safe groups. So we are commanded by Jesus to go out into different cultures
and communicate with those people where they are at.

"You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”
– these are the last documented words Jesus spoke to his disciples before he ascended into heaven"
- (Acts 1:8)

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"
-Matthew 28:19

Seeing differences in skin color and the problems and conflict has been around for a long time.
I don't agree with Morgan Freeman but in an interview years ago he mad a very good and clear stance on "race".
From the very first interaction even if you never see that person again, their merit has been created with another. Variables outside of one's control affects merit.
Without God it's very hard to have the mindset of seeing humanity as a whole vs with God.

 

[Hekuran]

It IS true. I and many have given countless examples and from a bare minimum for their "holy book".
Your insistence that it's not true is a delusion.
"In the end days, Good will be called Bad and Bad will be called Good."
God is the only one and all other are fake, made up, and here nothing but Satan worship. Satan is also called the "moon god" by them.
The Good that is coming is that there will be NO Muslims or any other "religion or gods" after Jesus comes back. That is from God. What he has said IS end of discussion.

I asked you this before and you came up with nothing. I'll ask again: where in the Qur'an or Hadith? Reference please.

 

[Jesus_is_LORD]

Seeing differences in skin color and the problems and conflict has been around for a long time.
I don't agree with Morgan Freeman but in an interview years ago he mad a very good and clear stance on "race".
From the very first interaction even if you never see that person again, their merit has been created with another. Variables outside of one's control affects merit.
Without God it's very hard to have the mindset of seeing humanity as a whole vs with God.

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying, please forgive me.

Are you saying that when you acknowledge that someone is off a different culture group, that somehow makes it harder to acknowledge there
is a God?

I do find it interesting that I spoke about culture and everyone automatically thinks about race.
There is more to culture than race, and just because someone is of a certain race that does not mean
they all share the same culture.

Culture transcends race. So, many people because of their biases (used in a neutral way) automatically think about race when the word culture
is mentioned. But look at the OP again, there is Youth culture, there "law enforcement culture", culture is not just race and race is probably
the weakest example of culture because just because you and some on share the same skin color, it doesn't mean that you share ANY of
the same culture.

So let's get UNSTUCK, with race because many who have been traumatized by identity politics as they call it, think of culture as RACE, that
is not so. Yes, some groups may share certain cultural similarities but if I saw you as a White man, and assume that just because you
and Joe Biden are White males, you share the same "White culture" that may be a weak connection there. Whereas you might feel more
connected to another Christian who shared a common "Christian culture". Or if you were White and Muslim, you may better connect to
another Black Muslim who share the same Muslim culture than you would to another White Atheist who didn't share that religious.

So I'll just say, redefine culture and don't think about RACE. If anything think about ethnic group, not race.
For example if you go to Africa, they all in Sub-Saharan African have similar brown and dark skin and African features(though it differs by region).
However there will be drastically different cultures from West Africa vs East Africa. Or East Africa vs closer to the south of Africa,
They will have different languages, different foods, different norms, etc etc.

So culture and race are not the same thing. Race although there is no one race gene (but it is more a collection of dominant and recessive traits often carried together through heredity)
is more biological, where as culture is more social (interactions, learned behaviors, traditions , etc). Obviously you could have a racial group in an area that ends up developing
a common culture because they are interacting with each other, yet the culture itself is more tied more to their shared experiences not their skin color. However sometimes
in places because of their skin color (police brutality) some people end up having common shared experiences.

Hopefully that makes sense. So let's not think simply about race when I speak of culture,
it is much more.

 

[Jesus_is_LORD]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying, please forgive me.

Are you saying that when you acknowledge that someone is off a different culture group, that somehow makes it harder to acknowledge there
is a God?

I do find it interesting that I spoke about culture and everyone automatically thinks about race.
There is more to culture than race, and just because someone is of a certain race that does not mean
they all share the same culture.

Culture transcends race. So, many people because of their biases (used in a neutral way) automatically think about race when the word culture
is mentioned. But look at the OP again, there is Youth culture, there "law enforcement culture", culture is not just race and race is probably
the weakest example of culture because just because you and some on share the same skin color, it doesn't mean that you share ANY of
the same culture.

So let's get UNSTUCK, with race because many who have been traumatized by identity politics as they call it, think of culture as RACE, that
is not so. Yes, some groups may share certain cultural similarities but if I saw you as a White man, and assume that just because you
and Joe Biden are White males, you share the same "White culture" that may be a weak connection there. Whereas you might feel more
connected to another Christian who shared a common "Christian culture". Or if you were White and Muslim, you may better connect to
another Black Muslim who share the same Muslim culture than you would to another White Atheist who didn't share that religious.

So I'll just say, redefine culture and don't think about RACE. If anything think about ethnic group, not race.
For example if you go to Africa, they all in Sub-Saharan African have similar brown and dark skin and African features(though it differs by region).
However there will be drastically different cultures from West Africa vs East Africa. Or East Africa vs closer to the south of Africa,
They will have different languages, different foods, different norms, etc etc.

So culture and race are not the same thing. Race although there is no one race gene (but it is more a collection of dominant and recessive traits often carried together through heredity)
is more biological, where as culture is more social (interactions, learned behaviors, traditions , etc). Obviously you could have a racial group in an area that ends up developing
a common culture because they are interacting with each other, yet the culture itself is more tied more to their shared experiences not their skin color. However sometimes
in places because of their skin color (police brutality) some people end up having common shared experiences.

Hopefully that makes sense. So let's not think simply about race when I speak of culture,
it is much more.

For example when you go to Japan they bow as a found of greeting each other.

If you didn't understand this aspect of their "culture" you might say something like

why are they bowing to people, I only bow to God. Yet, if you didn't understand

what they gesture meant, it may be harder for you to simply connect with the people

and better communicate the Gospel because you don't understand their culture.

It would not be a matter of changing who you were, or changing the gospel,

or appealing to a certain group. It would simply be a matter of being an informed

citizen and a human-being who seeks to connect with people through understanding

how they see the world and joining with them to let them know that you respect them.

 

[MedicBravo]

I asked you this before and you came up with nothing. I'll ask again: where in the Qur'an or Hadith? Reference please.

I've already typed out evidence. Look for it. You LIE when you state I haven't.

 

[lentz]

OP (Original Post/Question) How often do you consider culture when you share the gospel?

@MedicBravo , @PloughBoy , @B-A-C , @Andyindauk , @Brightfame52 , @Fragrant Grace @Sue D. @complete @Dave M @Mayflower @Waggles
@Christ4Ever @Alive4Jesus @Bob Carabbio @Chad

Details:
When some hear the word culture they think about moral relativism in an extreme form or epistemological relativism.
The former (MR) relates to seeing right and wrong as things which change based on the people group and
the latter relates to defining truth as being relative ("your truth" , "my truth").

This is not what I'm asking or what I'm promoting.
Culture for this content can be defined as the values, norms, traditions, and other ways of life shared by a group of people which impact
how they perceive and experience the world.

Often times we forget that the Gospel is always presented in a cultural context.
When God came in the flesh, God came into a culture.
Jesus was a man. Jesus was a Jew. Jesus was a son to Mary and Joseph.
As a Jewish boy Jesus has cultural expectations and traditions that he lived out.
In communicating to gospel, as an adult Jesus used many parables that connected
to the culture of agriculture, religion, and society, to community spiritual truths.
The apostles for example Paul and Peter, in their writings communicated
to the people within the culture they lived and used language and were aware of the
cultural norms of the people. They didn't necessarily have to adopt all the norms
just a meal habits with not eating certain foods, or hand washing, but their awareness
of these aspects of culture allowed them to better communicate the gospel.

So back to the OP, how often do you consider culture when you are communicating the gospel.
For example, I'm the Youth Director at my church and I'm trying to be mindful of the youth
culture, as children are growing up in a social media, facebook, social influencers, tiktok, generation.
I'm not necessarily promoting the idolatry of the culture whereby they follow these people
online who are not Christian, nor am I promoting having youth glued to their phones for hours
as a time. Yet, I'm trying to learn this culture, to better connect with them.

Some other cultural groups include:
Military culture
Homeless culture
Urban cultural
Southern Culture
Social Justice Culture
Political Culture (Democrats, Republicans, etc)
Climate Change Culture
Ethnic Cultural groups ( African American, Latino/Hispanic, Caucasian, Asian, Muslim, African non American born, etc)
Sexual Culture ( LGBTQ, Pronoun changing culture, Gender confusion culture, etc).

The gospel transcends all cultural boundaries. Just teach the gospel. It will defend itself

 

[Jesus_is_LORD]

The gospel transcends all cultural boundaries. Just teach the gospel. It will defend itself

I'm not sure you read the full OP.

You stated, "It will defend itself".

Who is fighting?

The question is not about the Gospel in a fight vs the a particular culture.

First you must understand that the Gospel is not A-Cultural. It is not without culture.
The gospel was given to us first within culture, the Gospel came from Jesus.
Jesus was a Jew. It came to us through the Jewish culture.

Your profile says you are in the USA. Therefore for you to receive the Gospel
it had to be translated from the Jewish culture to your culture.

When King James had the KJV Bible made by scholars, he was transferring the Gospel
into the European culture, starting with language so it could be understood. Not simply
translating the words, but even the metaphors and stories have to have meaning
that makes sense to the culture reading it. We see that in translations like the
NIV, or NKJV, or RSV.

The allusion that many have is the the gospel is without culture. That is simply not true.
Read the Bible and see how many of God's people's who mostly were Jewish in the beginning
worked to communicate the message of the Gospel to other cultures.

Question, have you read the full New Testament??? Because if you have read the letters
of Paul which are Holy Scripture, we see clearly how Paul communicates to his audience
with awareness of their culture. Even when Paul is speaking about Women not wearing
certain head coverings, that is a cultural application. However the Biblical Principle (which is what
I think you are speaking of) is modesty. Yet that modesty shows up directly based on the culture.
So while it might be not wearing hear coverings in the Jewish culture, on our culture
it might be telling women not to wear yoga pants to church, etc.

We live in culture and the gospel is applicable to the culture. If you simply read
the words of the Bible and don't understand the underlying Biblical truths, we will
struggle to communicate it in a way that people will understand it.

Once again you are from Arkansas. The Bible was not written in English, it was not
written by Caucasians, it was not written by Americans. It was written in the context
of a totally different culture. Which is why often times on Talk Jesus or if you hear
some really good pastors preach they will go beyond the translated words
and go to the Hebrew or Greek, and then cross reference those original words
in terms of how it was used in that culture to fully understand the meaning.

We have timeless Biblical truths i.e(modesty) but we have cultural applications, i.e (hear coverings vs yoga pants).
We understand the truths but we communicate it to the culture so that people understand.
The is no point in communicating if people don't understand you.

Similarly with with KJV, other translations have been made because the culture of that day is also not
as familiar to the people of our day. Not speaking of changing the Biblical principle but applying it
appropriately to the culture.

Consider this, God doesn't think in English, or simply American culture.
Sad to say, and not a slander but an observations. Many westerners feel that they
are normal and everyone else has a certain "culture" or ethnicity and they are "regular" people.

This is called Tacit Ethnocentric-sim
( the assumption that one's own way of life is just normal, not cultural.)
This perception is false. Your orientation is not ground zero, the absence of culture.
The fact is everyone, yourself included, lives in a particular culture.

The world revolves around Jesus not any one group, and we should be aware that we are different
and communicate to each other in ways that we can understand.
Let us not fear our difference ( this is over where racism comes from fear), but acknowledge and embrace.

For example, the gender/pronoun movement fears acknowledging that men and women are different. This leads to problems.
Instead of fearing this distinction. They need to acknowledge that men are not women, they are different and it is ok.
I communicate different with my female friends than I do my male friends. Women study Bibles are different than Men
study Bibles. Same Gospel but presenting differently. Nothing to be afraid of. Different but not deficient.
Similarly, there are different cultures in this world. Nothing to be
afraid of. Different but not deficient.

 

[lentz]

I'm not sure you read the full OP.

You stated, "It will defend itself".

Who is fighting?

The question is not about the Gospel in a fight vs the a particular culture.

First you must understand that the Gospel is not A-Cultural. It is not without culture.
The gospel was given to us first within culture, the Gospel came from Jesus.
Jesus was a Jew. It came to us through the Jewish culture.

Your profile says you are in the USA. Therefore for you to receive the Gospel
it had to be translated from the Jewish culture to your culture.

When King James had the KJV Bible made by scholars, he was transferring the Gospel
into the European culture, starting with language so it could be understood. Not simply
translating the words, but even the metaphors and stories have to have meaning
that makes sense to the culture reading it. We see that in translations like the
NIV, or NKJV, or RSV.

The allusion that many have is the the gospel is without culture. That is simply not true.
Read the Bible and see how many of God's people's who mostly were Jewish in the beginning
worked to communicate the message of the Gospel to other cultures.

Question, have you read the full New Testament??? Because if you have read the letters
of Paul which are Holy Scripture, we see clearly how Paul communicates to his audience
with awareness of their culture. Even when Paul is speaking about Women not wearing
certain head coverings, that is a cultural application. However the Biblical Principle (which is what
I think you are speaking of) is modesty. Yet that modesty shows up directly based on the culture.
So while it might be not wearing hear coverings in the Jewish culture, on our culture
it might be telling women not to wear yoga pants to church, etc.

We live in culture and the gospel is applicable to the culture. If you simply read
the words of the Bible and don't understand the underlying Biblical truths, we will
struggle to communicate it in a way that people will understand it.

Once again you are from Arkansas. The Bible was not written in English, it was not
written by Caucasians, it was not written by Americans. It was written in the context
of a totally different culture. Which is why often times on Talk Jesus or if you hear
some really good pastors preach they will go beyond the translated words
and go to the Hebrew or Greek, and then cross reference those original words
in terms of how it was used in that culture to fully understand the meaning.

We have timeless Biblical truths i.e(modesty) but we have cultural applications, i.e (hear coverings vs yoga pants).
We understand the truths but we communicate it to the culture so that people understand.
The is no point in communicating if people don't understand you.

Similarly with with KJV, other translations have been made because the culture of that day is also not
as familiar to the people of our day. Not speaking of changing the Biblical principle but applying it
appropriately to the culture.

Consider this, God doesn't think in English, or simply American culture.
Sad to say, and not a slander but an observations. Many westerners feel that they
are normal and everyone else has a certain "culture" or ethnicity and they are "regular" people.

This is called Tacit Ethnocentric-sim
( the assumption that one's own way of life is just normal, not cultural.)
This perception is false. Your orientation is not ground zero, the absence of culture.
The fact is everyone, yourself included, lives in a particular culture.

The world revolves around Jesus not any one group, and we should be aware that we are different
and communicate to each other in ways that we can understand.
Let us not fear our difference ( this is over where racism comes from fear), but acknowledge and embrace.

For example, the gender/pronoun movement fears acknowledging that men and women are different. This leads to problems.
Instead of fearing this distinction. They need to acknowledge that men are not women, they are different and it is ok.
I communicate different with my female friends than I do my male friends. Women study Bibles are different than Men
study Bibles. Same Gospel but presenting differently. Nothing to be afraid of. Different but not deficient.
Similarly, there are different cultures in this world. Nothing to be
afraid of. Different but not deficient.

Thats a bunch of words. Wont take all night reading.
Maybe i used poor choice of words. Fact remains,if you just present the gospel clear concise and add or subtract nothing. The spirit will take care of the reat.
We dont have to wear baggy pants as they do,or comb hair the same.
Just teach the unadulterated word of God.

 

[Jesus_is_LORD]

Thats a bunch of words. Wont take all night reading.
Maybe i used poor choice of words. Fact remains,if you just present the gospel clear concise and add or subtract nothing. The spirit will take care of the reat.
We dont have to wear baggy pants as they do,or comb hair the same.
Just teach the unadulterated word of God.

Thanks for sharing.

It seems that it is difficult to communicate with someone who is unable to read what you are trying to communicate
with them. Thus you share your points but don't listen to what the other is staying. Ok.

I'll apologize for writing so much. Let me make it shorter. And start with what I believe is a strawman argument.

Who is saying that you have to wear baggy pants? Where did I say you have to comb your hair a certain way?
I fear that you have a perception of my position, but your perception is not reality. Therefore you are arguing against
a position that is in your mind but not one that I hold.

To state simply: Understanding another culture does not mean transitioning into the culture.
Does that make sense? Is it possible for you to understand the youth gen Z culture and their texting
and facebook, and your comprehension doesn't mean that you are transitioning to their culture but it means
that you better understand them and can better love and reach them. Not by changing the WORD of God.
But by understanding them better. -- Now tell me what you do understand me to be saying?

Thanks.

 

[B-A-C]

I don't know that the word "culture" is in my Bible anywhere.

But there are plenty of verses about loving the world.

1Jn 2:15; Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Matt 16:26; "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Luke 9:25; "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?

 

[Curtis]

The "language" of "faith" can and is spoken in any culture's native tongue. The language of faith is the only language that can be spoken in any dialect tongue and still be understood by its hearers if they have ears to hear.

 

[Jesus_is_LORD]

I don't know that the word "culture" is in my Bible anywhere.

But there are plenty of verses about loving the world.

1Jn 2:15; Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Matt 16:26; "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Luke 9:25; "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?

Thanks for joining the conversation. Your wisdom is always welcomed.

There are many words that we use that are not in the Bible, but you already know that.

So how would you define the word culture?
Do you have a negative connotation of that word?

The English word "culture" comes from the German Kultur, meaning, "to develop or grow". It is the root of such words as agriculture and horticulture.

For the purpose of this post, I'm defining culture as
"The shared norms, values, beliefs, and experiences of life by a group of people which give meaning and impacts the perceptions of how individuals perceive and interact with the world and each other. "

@Curtis , feel free to comment as well.

 

[Jesus_is_LORD]

Thanks for joining the conversation. Your wisdom is always welcomed.

There are many words that we use that are not in the Bible, but you already know that.

So how would you define the word culture?
Do you have a negative connotation of that word?

The English word "culture" comes from the German Kultur, meaning, "to develop or grow". It is the root of such words as agriculture and horticulture.

For the purpose of this post, I'm defining culture as
"The shared norms, values, beliefs, and experiences of life by a group of people which give meaning and impacts the perceptions of how individuals perceive and interact with the world. "

@Curtis , feel free to comment as well.

I see culture as descriptive (knowledge), not prescriptive (do this).

Meaning describing what is, not telling you what should be.

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."
Hosea 4:6

 

[Jesus_is_LORD]

My main points

(1) Everyone in a society lives within a certain culture ( EVERYONE)

(2) Since (#1) we all belong to a particular culture, awareness of our
personal culture and the culture of those we are ministering to helps
us to better communicate the gospel.


Which of these two points does any have question or comments on?

 

[Jesus_is_LORD]

My main points

(1) Everyone in a society lives within a certain culture ( EVERYONE)

(2) Since (#1) we all belong to a particular culture, awareness of our
personal culture and the culture of those we are ministering to helps
us to better communicate the gospel.


Which of these two points does any have question or comments on?

#2, for example, has anyone ever served as a missionary before?

If God called you to the jungles of the Amazon to share the gospel
with the tribal group living in the rain-forest, would you want to understand
their culture prior to visiting that group?

Or would you just jump on a plane, go to the jungle and say that I don't need to understand their culture, I'm just going with my Bible and save these uncivilized pagans?

@Curtis thoughts in response to your comment #35

 

[B-A-C]

So how would you define the word culture?
Do you have a negative connotation of that word?

Culture, like anything else.. can be used for good or bad.

"The shared norms, values, beliefs, and experiences of life by a group of people which give meaning and impacts the perceptions of how individuals perceive and interact with the world and each other. "

Do you think these things bring people closer together, or tend to divide them? Do you think most "culture/society/world-view" objects come from the world/Satan or from God?
For example, when I think of what makes up a "culture". It's usually something racial/ethnic or financial/monetary or education and often religious ('m avoiding the word Christianity here for a reason ).
Do you think it's God's design for us all to be equal ( the same ) or for all of us to be different based on ethnicity, social status, monetary income, education, etc...
If it wasn't God's design, who's design was it?