EVANGELISM - ACCULTURATION
CONTEXTUALIZATION - COMPROMISE


I’ve been thinking a lot again about “evangelism” and A: what this essential component of our faith looks like today, B: how it is most effectively practiced, and C: how much of what we call “the gospel” that we seek to share is actually just an acculturation of the “good news.” Much is being written and discussed and strategized today about how to reach the people in our culture with the basic message and reality of salvation in Jesus. (Although, actually, this has been ongoing within the Church since Peter and Paul first tried to figure out what it would look like to try and reach the Gentiles with the “good news” of Jesus!) Here are some of my reflections:

A: Our denomination’s seminar on evangelism these days is entitled “One Step Closer.” We realize that evangelism is more than just getting people’s intellectual assent to “Four Spiritual Laws.” This kind of simplistic reduction might even hinder people from opening up to Jesus. Evangelism is a process, and it involves all of one’s life, not just some spiritual or mental part of a person. Also, we realize that evangelism is not what we do to “get people saved,” but rather it is the Holy Spirit who is the evangelist. And this “good news” that we have to share is more than just about going to heaven when you die. It is about the Kingdom of God, which has already broken into time and space--and has already begun!

B: My friend and Covenant missionary to Muslims, Andrew Larson, titled his latest newsletter, “Why I Keep Going Back to the Mosque - An Embodied Gospel for Muslims.” He is finding that building bridges and breaking down walls of misunderstanding is necessary in order for the Church to have a credible voice that can speak into the lives of Muslim people. Some people are criticizing him for hanging out so much with Muslims, afraid that this sends the wrong message to them; that it compromises the gospel in some way. But Andy asks: “Did Jesus compromise his identity or his message by hanging out with tax collectors and sinners? Who is my model when I go to the mosque, Jesus or these contrary voices?” (Of course, we all know what happened to Jesus for living and teaching in this way...)

C: Soong-Chan Rah, associate professor of church growth and evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary, has written a fascinating new book, “The Next Evangelicalism,” and the subtitle speaks to the ways Christian faith has gotten confused with American culture: “Freeing the Church From Western Captivity.” Rah makes an excellent case for how our American values like individualism, consumerism, materialism, and the effects of racism have co-opted our presentation and witness of the gospel message. This has prevented the “good news” from being released in ways that people from other cultural backgrounds can receive it. Rah says: “In the last fifty years, American evangelicalism has more accurately reflected the values, culture and ethos of Western, white American culture than the values of Scripture. At times, the evangelical church has been indistinguishable from Western, white American culture. The phrase ‘captivity of the church’ points to the danger of the church being defined by an influence other than the Scriptures.”

I know that acculturation has been a major concern in global mission thinking for many years.


What is “the gospel,” and how much of what is seen and shared actually just our cultural trappings? Is there such a thing as the “pure gospel,” apart from any cultural context? The “Perspectives” class offered by the Center for World Mission (Pasadena) claims there is no Christian faith apart from culture. Christianity is always contextualized in a cultural setting. This, in fact, is the wonderful, unique thing about Christianity, compared to other religions: the gospel of Jesus is for the whole world, no matter what the ethnicity, social structure, context or worldview of a particular people group, because the gospel of Jesus comes alive and makes sense to people no matter what their culture setting might be. I also learned in “Perspectives” about the rather controversial practice of having Muslims who become Christians (“followers of Isa Masih”) actually remain “Muslim” in their cultural context. Rather than pulling them out of their families, communities, social structures, and cultural environment, when these people make a decision for Christ, they stay where they are, continuing to identify as a Muslim while following Jesus. I met a Pakistani man at the Covenant World Mission Conference last February who acknowledged this fact about himself. Andy also admits in his newsletter that he is “not trying to change a Muslim’s religion (meaning “culture”)” anymore than he tried to make good Protestants out of the Catholics in his Bible studies when he was a missionary in Mexico. Even Hudson Taylor, back in the 19th century, assumed the cultural appearance and manners of the Chinese people he went to evangelize in order to reach them more effectively--a practice for which he was severely criticized by supporters back home in England.

It seems to me that the key point in all of this, and what is most conflictual for people, is figuring out just where the line is in contextualizing the gospel before it is compromised and corrupted by culture. What do we mean, exactly, by “making the gospel culturally relevant?” What does this look like in practical terms? And what is “watering down the gospel?” Or “dumbing down the faith?” At what point is the gospel held captive or become obliterated by culture, as Rah describes in his book? What lengths can we, should we--indeed, must we--go to in order to help people “get it?” Especially in the increasingly post-Christian world that surrounds us?


Certainly, the Apostle Paul gives us a hint when he said: “I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (I Cor. 9:19-22)

God has given us an even bigger clue: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14) And “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” (Heb. 4:15)

Think of it: Paul--”a Hebrew of Hebrews” and a Pharisee (Phil. 3:5)--becoming like those unclean Gentiles he so passionately wanted to know Jesus! Imagine: God Himself, stepping out of eternity, out of heaven, out of glory itself and coming to earth in the finite form of a human being, into a specific culture and context, taking on all of what it means to be human--even death--in order to reveal Who He is and His purposes more clearly to us...Yikes! What does this suggest to us about how far we should be going to help people of every tribe and tongue and race, including the ones within our own culture, grasp the reality of who Jesus is?

Pastor Bruce recently preached on this topic too, and offered some excellent wisdom in this regard: the message and mission of the gospel never change. They always remain the same. However, the methodologies through which the message and mission are offered are always changing--indeed, they are meant to change and they must change!

What do you think about all this? IS there a line that gets crossed when we try to make the gospel of Christ culturally relevant? Is this what Soong-Chan Rah is referring to in his book? How can this be avoided? What does it look like for Christians today to do as Paul did: become all things to all people so that by all possible means some might be saved? Is this a good excuse even for bad or poor evangelism?


And what about all those references in Scripture about the cost of following Christ? Everything that must be given up, laid aside, re-prioritized in order to belong to Jesus? Are we fooling ourselves if we allow Muslims to remain in their familiar surroundings, rather than insist that they “come out and be separate” (II Cor. 6:17), as Paul also teaches? I’d love to hear your insights and perspectives on these issues. Comments???

I’m finally home from my many wanderings: Oaxaca, Mexico and Chicago. It was great to have a break from the hectic routine of fall scheduling, and both the mission trip and my nephew’s wedding were delightful diversions for several weeks.

OAXACA, MEXICO MISSION TRIP - September 18-26


Our mission team returned from Oaxaca on September 26, after a fantastic week of ministry, relationship-building, and experiencing the unique facets of Oaxacan culture. Gary and Bryce, Bill and Sabino, Carolyn and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the trip, which was very well organized and complete. The trip was billed as a “Mission/Vision” opportunity, so it was much more than just a work project. The coordinators in Oaxaca, Covenant missionaries JoEllen Reaves and Bruce and Katy Dockter, did an excellent job orienting us to all the facets that are involved in ministry in this beautiful country, which gave us a broader, more complete understanding of the people, life in Oaxaca, local issues, and the Covenant’s presence here.

We stayed together in a beautiful guest house, not far from the “Zocalo” (central square of the city)--and we were the only ones there until the last night! Bougainvillea and other flowers and shrubs filled the courtyard and cascaded from the second floor roof.

There was a meeting room with TV, books, sofas and tables--a great place to meet each morning for devotions and at night to relax and unwind after a busy day of ministry (dominoes, Scrabble, and crossword puzzles were the favorite evening activities).


Breakfast was provided each morning, which always included fresh fruit, juice, a variety of baked good, eggs or some unique Oaxacan breakfast dish, and the foamy hot chocolate drink that this country is famous for.

Many of our evening meals were at the various restaurants located around the historic “Zocalo,” a classic Spanish city square with old buildings surrounding a beautiful park filled with immense trees, gardens, sidewalks for sauntering, benches for resting and relaxing, people playing music or speaking out about some important issue, and of course the ever-present locals selling every kind of local handcraft you can think of.



It was wonderful to sit there, enjoying the sights, eating the delicious foods of Oaxaca (ever hear of “tuna” sorbet? or “chapolines”--which are grasshoppers in Spanish?!), and soaking up the unique atmosphere of this Mexican state.


(I didn't have a good close-up of grasshoppers--so I settled for this one of Bryce eating fried worms instead!)

The first morning we were there, JoEllen and Bruce and Katy took us to a local market to buy food for us to deliver to some needy families we would be meeting later that afternoon.

(Would you pay this much for a box of Special K? We had to remember that the prices were all in pesos!)

The challenge: the grocery lists were all in Spanish! We went in pairs, totally on our own, and had to do the best we could to purchase all of the items needed for the food boxes. It was hilarious! Shopping is so different there; vendors inside the market only sell certain items in their little shops, so we had to figure out where to go for the things on our list. You can imagine the crazy looks we got. It was total immersion into Oaxacan culture, right from the start.

Later, we visited the community center of Vincente Guerrero, a newer neighborhood built on what used to be the Oaxaca dump. A Covenant pastor gives organization and leadership to this center, which is a bright spot in the community.

Speaking of “bright spots:” they are also going to be getting electricity pretty soon! We went to visit several families with our food boxes, and had a wonderful time getting acquainted with these warm and friendly people. Carolyn and I went together, and were delighted to meet the matriarch of the family, Raquel, who is 103 years old! This to me is the most important, most meaningful, and most significant reason for going on a cross-cultural mission trip: connecting with people, regular everyday people, to build bridges of friendship, understanding, and for us who are Christians, deeper unity in and through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, we also participated in one of the Oaxacan Covenant church’s worship services. Our team sang a number of songs in Spanish, shared two personal testimonies in Spanish, and I preached--but not in Spanish! Sabino translated for me.


We took about 50 minutes with our part of the service, but of course that isn’t nearly long enough for worship in non-Anglo churches! The congregation still included their regular Sunday routine, with exuberant singing, prayers, testimonies, offering, business, and words from the pastor. In the end, it was a typical Mexican Sunday service: 2 1/2 hours long...

Our ministry work began on Monday morning. We had been told about a new building project that several Covenant churches were joining together to construct, and the plan was for the project to be at the point where we would be involved in putting the roof on the building. However, when we got to the work site, out in the middle of an open field, surrounded by the green Oaxacan mountains, all we saw was a hole in the ground and several rebar columns sticking up from the beginnings of the foundation! It was clear that things had not gone as planned, and so our team quickly became “rebar masters”--for that is what we ended up doing the entire week.

We cut rebar, stretched the rebar, pounded the rebar to make it flat, bent the frames that help to from the tall columns, hand-twisted wire to every connection point between the rebar and the frames, and were pleased to see an amazing amount of progress by our last day of work.





We worked with a group of men who came from a small Covenant church in a pueblo up in the mountains for their week of volunteer help on the project. What a time we had, trying to learn their methods and procedures for the work! We laughed a lot, trying to acquire new skills and to receive their instruction. All six of us on our team definitely grew more adept at our tasks as the week went on.

Of course, once again the relationships that were built between the Oaxacan Covenanters and our team were the most meaningful and significant aspect of the trip. We experienced so much together, day after day, lifting and twisting, cutting and bending, hauling and unloading, squatting and sweating, eating lunch together, as more and more rebar foundation was laid down and column after column were carried, lifted, and secured, rising into the air.


We were also fortunate to see the special bricks arrive at the site for the outer face of the building.

Our team’s project money provided the funding for these, so it was especially fun to see them all stacked and ready for future use, after we’re long gone.

Carolyn and I also went each afternoon to the Vincente Guerrero community center to teach English to elementary and middle school children. Neither of us have ever done this kind of thing before, but we planned well before we left--and ended up scrubbing most of our lesson plans for other activities that the kids really enjoyed. Each day, they grew more comfortable with us, as Carolyn and I tried to use our limited Spanish to explain and help the kids learn English. By the end of the week, through the games and competitions and repetition that we used in our classes, many of the children seemed to have made good progress in their English skills. Bruce and Katy have an ongoing relationship with these kids and with the center, so Carolyn and I hope we offered some tangible help to what is taking place there.

Besides our missionary work, we were “tourists” too. Our hosts called this a mission/vision trip, and so we got to see and experience a variety of things not connected with the Covenant in Oaxaca. We went to a black pottery shop, where we had a demonstration of how this unique pottery is made (pictures of Jimmy Carter, Nelson Rockefeller, and other leaders and celebrities adorn the walls of this shop).


We went to a weaving center and saw how the people there do everything by hand, from carding the wool and spinning it, to dying it with natural ingredients, to weaving it on a variety of looms.


The deep red “cochineal” dye was my favorite. It is made from a little bug that eats white fungus off of a certain cactus! It was one of the most prized exports when the Spaniards ruled Oaxaca and was traded as far away as India. I bought a rug with this brilliant red dye from an old woman who had made it on her loom, and I am now redoing one of my bathrooms with a Mexican touch, just to showcase this beautiful weaving.

We saw many ancient churches,


bought Oaxacan chocolate and handmade crafts,


and visited the famous Tule tree, which has the largest trunk circumference in the world (see me to the right of the tree?).

Something quite interesting, yet also of concern, came up during one of my discussions with Bruce about the Covenant in Oaxaca. The oldest Covenant church in Mexico is in Oaxaca, and there are currently over 50 congregations in this country.

However, they are having a difficult time these days keeping young people connected to the Church--just as we are here in the U.S.! The reason for this seems very similar to what happened in our denomination in its early years in America, and to what can be seen again today. The mentality of the churches in Mexico is one of withdrawal from the culture; of separation from the influences of the world that surrounds them. However, youth who have been raised in the Church are not accepting this approach to Christian life anymore. They appreciate their culture, and want to engage with it--the same way many young adults in American churches feel about their lives today. When the Mexican churches ignore or resist this desire, their young people leave the church--again, the same way many young adults in the U.S. are responding to old understandings and values in our churches regarding faith and culture.

Bruce said he is thinking about proposing to the leadership in Oaxaca a radical idea: opening a coffee house near the zocalo where people can gather to talk, listen to music, host art exhibits, read poetry, watch movies, enjoy some food and coffee, and just get to know one another. Coffee houses are huge in Oaxaca; people go to them all the time, and this would provide a culturally relevant way for Oaxacan Covenanters to connect with people who do not yet know Christ. However, Bruce is not sure the leadership is quite ready yet for such a radically different consideration.

When I heard this, I realized how much broader and widespread these issues of Church and culture really are--even across different ethnic groups. The dynamics are so similar too. Yet the response from older, established leadership is also similar: Resist! Don’t change! We must be cautious and careful, for this is dangerous territory. The purity of our beliefs and actions might get compromised. It’s starting down a slippery slope to ???

But to not open up to new ideas and perceptions about life and faith is causing serious decline in our churches, not only in numbers but in influence and meaning within our communities. I’ve addressed this reality in previous blogs, and the number of books, articles, studies, statistics, and other sources with relevant data is staggering. The evidence is clear. Reality is shining its light in our faces, not only here in the U.S. but, clearly, in Mexico as well. I ask again: how will we who are comfortable with “church” as it is, and who have certain understandings and assumptions of what a faith-filled life is about, respond to the situation facing the Church in America today? Are we secure enough and truly free enough in Christ to give up our preferences and familiar methods and appreciations to do whatever it will take to reach a generation and a culture that continues to slide farther and farther away from Christianity?

In conclusion, a year ago the Covenant’s summer VBS project was raising money for health screenings for Oaxacan children as they enter school. A number of Covenant mission teams have been involved in these screenings, and I’m thinking that this might be a good mission trip option for people who aren’t interested in painting soccer field walls or pouring concrete or spending five days doing rebar work! The trip would take us into the mountain pueblos of Oaxaca and put us in touch with hundreds of people, while performing an important, much-needed service to children and their families. All that’s required for this kind of mission team is two professional medical personnel (nurse, doctor, EMT, etc.); everyone else is trained to do various parts of the screenings not requiring medical knowledge. Interested? Let me know, and we’ll see what we can put together.

Finally, a big THANK YOU to JoEllen, Bruce, Katy, and all the Oaxacan Covenanters who made our team’s mission trip experience so memorable and meaningful. I hope we can meet together again soon. I really like those chili-flavored chapolines...