WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES - World Evangelical Alliance

58 WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES
Bigger issues relate to identifying with one’s faith community and the
movement of the Gospel within one’s culture, among one’s family and relational
networks. We need to be clear as to what “Church” means. It is essential to
understand and apply what Scripture teaches and not bring our “ecclesiological”
baggage that may be irrelevant, especially its alien cultural traditions.
The debate continues with “insider movements” today in the growth of
the Gospel in major religious cultures. As a start, I would recommend the
reading list in my article “Reflections on Contextualization”. 11
SOME WHO CALL THEMSELVES “CHRISTIANS”
The Gospel transforms lives. There are, however, many areas where the
Gospel has been preached but lives have NOT been transformed. Some people
who call themselves “Christians” have brought the name of Christ into
disrepute. In countries, both in the Western and non-Western world, the church
is anything but “attractive.” Worse still, in some countries, tribal wars are being
fought among “Christians”. In some cities where there are huge numbers of
Christian congregations, the crime rate continues to climb.
Why have lives not been transformed? The Bible communicates that
every aspect of the Gospel has transforming power – faith, repentance,
reconciliation, redemption and more – the response of sinners to the grace of
God. Could it be that the foundations of the good news have been poorly laid
– not on solid precious stones but on “wood, hay and straw”
(1 Corinthians 3:11-12).
There are complexities in the growth of the Gospel in any culture, as we
see in the book of Acts and the Epistles. Apostolic teams therefore know the
importance of laying solid foundations of the gospel. Growth in discipleship is
a long process with the goal of seeing followers of Christ transformed within
their cultural context. Such faith communities will influence their relationship
networks. 12
THE FAITH COMMUNITY
A major issue for converts and believers is their identification with a
faith community within their cultural and religious context. I mentioned in
Chapter Four that the first major question often asked in pioneering contexts
is: What is the Gospel? The second question is: What is “Church”?
Church planting movements are well known today. While I thank God
for many of my mission friends who are seeing believers either being integrated
11 See my article in Appendix A.
12 For a long-term perspective, see Appendix B Six Critical Factors for a Multiplying Ministry