WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES - World Evangelical Alliance

CHAPTER EIGHT
CONVERSION AND CULTURE
“C ontextualising Biblically” recommends the contextual approach of a
messenger that takes into account the original context of the Scriptures
as well as the cultural context of the contemporary hearer. The cross-cultural
messenger must learn how to communicate the truth of the Gospel such that it
is being clearly understood by the hearer without distortions, either from his
own or the hearer’s cultural traditions and background. The messenger will
discover that contextualisation is no easy task. He must painstakingly learn the
language, the culture and religious background of the people, identify with
their lifestyles and contextualise his message.
Tensions will arise when the cross-cultural messenger attempts to
maintain the balance between biblical truth and cultural variables. Nevertheless,
he perseveres in his ministry. He looks forward to see the Gospel powerfully
influencing the lives of the local people, deeply affecting their worldview, their
beliefs and values and their behaviour. He knows that true conversion will lead
to such a change in the hearers, as it did among the Thessalonians, where the
Gospel “came … not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy
Spirit and with deep conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5).
Years ago, I presented a paper on “Culture and Religious Background in
Relation to Conversion.” 1 The next section includes some salient points of the
paper.
THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF CONVERSION
In the Old Testament, the word used to express the idea of conversion is
the Hebrew verb, “shub”. It occurs over a thousand times and means “to turn or
return”.
Conversion simply means a turning or returning to Yahweh, Israel’s
covenant God. It is primarily the people of God and not the heathen who were
called to return. The reason why a whole people needed to return to the Lord
was because they had strayed from Him and rejected His covenant. 2 Conversion
was more than an outward reformation of manners; it involved a self-humbling,
1 Jim Chew, “Culture and Religious Background in Relation to Conversion”, paper presented at Congress on Evangelism for Malaysia
and Singapore, April 1978
2 Deuteronomy 4:29-31; Deuteronomy 29:1,12,25; Deuteronomy 30:2; Malachi 3:7
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