Are Your Theology and Work Biased by Your Culture?

Kevin Howard has written an interesting post on his blog, Need Not Fret, about theology, the gospel, cultural filters, and how one might think about all of those. It's an interesting read; it should cause you to think; it's a topic to which anyone doing missions and ministry in Africa should give some serious thought. I've listed some interesting (to me) quotes from the article just to whet your appetite. Read the whole article and see what you think: Allen Yeh, ETS, and Cultural Theology

• Apparently a man in the ETS forum on world Christianity asked "Why do we need to look at the New Testament from an African perspective?" [Allen] Yeh felt frustration at the presumption behind the question, and I suppose some frustration is justified. At the same time if there is not some truth in the man's question then there is no core truth in Scripture or in the gospel itself to pass from one culture to another. Perhaps the man could have posed a better question along the same lines, like, "Can a particular culture focus too much on their ethnic identity when doing their theology such that it becomes ethnocentric to a fault?"

• "Western theology also has some serious flaws in it," Yeh says. Who can disagree?  It does and this is an important observation. But sometimes it is too easy to make western theology the world-wide whipping boy and leave other cultural theologies unscathed.

• "Platonic dualism...evangelism is seen as more important than social justice; non-Westerners would never make such a prioritization!"

• To see a difference [between evangelism and social justice] and prioritize does not equal apathy or doing nothing for social justice.

• That most any African believes in a supreme God helps to start spiritual conversations, but that many also believe in a group of intermediate divinities (more personal spirits to interact with humans) hinders true faith in Christ.

• Scripture turns out to be more reliable ... than does culture even though none can read a passage without cultural influences.

• Because we are all depraved then culture will show many traits of man's fallenness.  Some of God's image will shine through but so will grave sinfulness.

• How does your own culture impact your interpretation of the gospel?
• How does your culture impact what you do and how you do it in your work in Africa?

For the Kingdom,
Bob A