In my March ministry update I wrote about visiting a Native American tribe in Washington state. My office is helping plan a conference out there called "Would Jesus Eat Frybread?" The conference will focus on the idea of identity in Christ and identity as a Native American.
One of the most interesting things I learned during my 48 hours out west was that Christian Natives have to walk a very fine line. They identify with being Native, but they also follow Jesus. Can the two be combined? How? Where do you draw the line?
Every ethnic group of people must deal with this question. Each one has special characteristics and cultural aspects that
can be incorporated into faith in Jesus. Reaching these ethic groups requires changes in the way we do ministry, which is called "contextualizing." We don't change the message of the Gospel, but we may change aspects of how we present it, or the way we live it out.
Musical worship is a great example of this. I grew up in a church that sang hymns out of a hymn book. I love hymns. There's something about holding the heavy book in your hand, and flipping through the worn pages to find the right song, that I love. Words are chosen so carefully. They have deep meaning.
Is there anything wrong with singing hymns, if they are theologically sound and help me experience the presence of God? Nope.
What about using an African or Native drum in worship? It probably would distract or hinder me from connecting with God - but for an African or Native American, using a drum would be totally normal. It's a common thing in their culture.
If someone told me that once I followed Jesus, I could never sing hymns, I'd be pretty bummed. Or if they told me I had to dress a certain way, or cut my hair, or stop speaking my language -- all of these would hinder me from following Jesus.
I'll never forget telling a Chinese student last summer that God speaks Chinese. The student was blown away. She legitimately thought God only spoke English and that she had to pray to him in English. She was relieved to discover God's not American, and she didn't have to conform to American ways of worship or conduct to follow Jesus.
I'm not sure that I'm explaining contextualization right, so here are some awesome links with more info:
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