presenting the unchanging gospel in forms ... - Global Interaction

Further refl ections
on contextualisation
GOD USES CULTURE
and God transforms culture
In Zambia in the 1970s, Baptist church services
were of the 1950s “hymn sandwich” style, using
English hymns translated into Lamba. Only a
handful of the hymns had emerged out of an African
context. One person working with a South African
mission believed that not only were the words of
the hymns inspired, but also the tunes. It was not
clear how she explained the hymn which was sung
to the tune of Click go the shears boys, click, click,
click.
In the late 1970s, Global Interaction worker George
Stubbs and national church leader Hudson Litana
initiated a program aimed to draw young people
into church life. A popular feature was a singing and
song-writing competition. Young people in Lamba
churches formed into choirs and practised daily.
Initially, the songs they composed spoke primarily
of hell, damnation and the fate of drunkards but,
over time, their theology and song-writing became
more refl ective of the broad gospel message.
It wasn’t easy for older people to let the hymns
go. Some certainly believed that the hymns were
the only songs which could please and appease
God, because they were what the missionaries
had taught them. So, hymns continued to be used
in church services. But newly written songs, with
their rich African rhythm and harmony, were added.
When Lambas sang these songs, congregations
came alive, with people moving to the rhythm and
even tiny children singing with great fervour.
Rhythm and harmony seem to be part of the
African soul, put there by God, who must have
been delighted to hear the gifts he had given African
people used in worshipping him.
What a pleasure it is when people of any culture
develop their own distinctive ways of following Jesus
– whether expressed in acts of worship, in witness
before people yet to know Jesus or in daily living.
Recently, a Global Interaction staff member
visiting Bangladesh felt the joy of such an
experience. He was surprised one night to meet
with a group who were spontaneously and
joyously singing, chanting and moving together
to express their beliefs in ways which are
characteristic of their cultural heritage.
He wrote, “As believers, they have to
translate the old traditional ways into believer
expressiveness. It seems to be in their blood.
It fi lls a deeply felt emotional need caused by
poverty and their situation.”
In all cultures, there are beliefs and practices
which are enhanced by the gospel. There are
also beliefs and practices which the Holy Spirit
reveals as being inconsistent with the gospel. In
his love, over time he transforms these things.
In Thailand, some people beginning their journey
with Jesus have been studying the life of Joseph,
and this has led some of them to reconsider their
understanding of karma. To a Buddhist, every
word, thought or action is important because
it has consequences according to laws of
cause and effect. People’s present experience
is caused by their previous actions. When a
man, Long, seriously injured his leg in a motor
bike accident, the thought immediately popped
into his mind: “I am being punished for killing
chickens!”
The four week study of the life of Joseph taught
group members a fundamentally different
truth – bad things can happen to good people
– sometimes bad things even happen to the
best people, like Joseph. Through studying his
life, Long came to see that suffering can be
redemptive. At the end of the class he confessed
to the group, “If it had not been for my affl iction I
would not have come to Christ.”
08 FEBRUARY 2008 | VISION | GLOBAL INTERACTION