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| Cross-cultural bible story telling with our missionary friend George Mixon |
Every missionary everywhere deals with culture. While sometimes in our home countries we can remain so blind to our own cultural assumptions as to forget that we have any, the moment you get off the plane in any other place you’re smacked in the face with the reality that groups of people think differently from other groups of people.
Broadly speaking, missionaries tend towards one of two poles in dealing with cultural differences: either you tend to see the cultural differences positively, as unique expressions of other image bearers from whom you can learn a great deal, or negatively, as a unique set of sin patterns and habits which a given group of people has.
Or, in case that sounds real technical, you either say: “Wow, these Kenyans are so hospitable and kind, I can really learn from that!” Or you say, “Why don’t these crazy Kenyans learn how to drive?”
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| Rebecca rocking some cross-cultural garb with friends Hash, Deepa, and Aman |
Rebecca and I have trekked from one pole to the other and back on this spectrum (and many other missionaries do as well), and our conclusion is this: People are fallen. People are made in God’s image. Culture reflects both of these theological points in powerful, visible and hidden ways. In other words, love it or hate it, culture is a big stinkin’ deal. Ignore it, embrace it completely, or reject it totally, only at your own peril.
My marriage counselor Robby Holt predicted two historic days that I should expect in my marriage, but he made it very clear that there’s no way to predict which day will come first. One day is the day when I would say “Oh my goodness, I never knew Rebecca was such a HUGE SINNER!” And the other day would be when I would wake up and say “OH my goodness I never knew I was such a HUGE SINNER!” In a sense this is what happens to people who spend time in a foreign culture as well. For a while, maybe, you just see all these sin patterns and habits ingrained in a culture. Then one day you wake up and see new, equally horrible, sin patterns in your own.
For instance:
(1) Abusive authority, corruption, and haughty attitudes toward the poor reign supreme in this culture sometimes. (2) A cultural aversion to shame keeps what I would call Biblical confrontation from happening very often, and also often keeps parents and pastors from preaching about Biblical sexual standards. (3) The cultural practice of dowry makes it nearly impossible for poor folk to get married, which means that parental commitment to tradition encourages promiscuity and co-habitation: take marriage as an option off the table, and sexual fidelity becomes mighty difficult. (4) And a cultural complacency about asking for money means I get hit up for cash by people from the wealthiest to the poorest on a regular basis.
On the other hand (picture Tevyan from Fiddler on the Roof now), (1) my culture doesn’t even know the poor anymore. White flight, zoning, suburbanization, segregated churches, and just downright personal effort make sure that the rich hardly ever even see poor people; oh, we’re more politically correct most of the time, but Kenyans almost across the board live among and help support the poor in their midst way more than we do. Which is worse? To be friends and family with the poor and occasionally let pride get the better of you, or to escape pride over the poor by making sure you never see them? (2) Compared to the rest of the world our “upfrontness” and “forthrightness” is just a code word for being a jerk; we’re ruder, meaner, and downright crueler on average for all of our “openness.” We leave churches, families, friends, whatever, at the drop of a hat because of our constant quarreling. (3) Dowry may be outdated but it was meant originally to bind families together for their mutual benefit. Compare that to our own totally individualized, “me-oriented” society in everything from family to church. See above: we leave churches, spouses, whoever, assoon as it doesn’t fit us, and, as a young person I can say confessionally we don’t hardly give any respect to anyone older than us or other than us unless they happen to agree with us, whereas here, a greater sense of respect and admiration for the old means that wisdom gets passed down more effectively. And (4) I don’t like people asking me for money because I live in a society built on greed! Kenyan culture lives by this crazy idea that “to whom much is given much is required” (who said that again?) and everything in me hates it! Why? Because my culture idolizes money to such an extent that it tells me I have money because of my hard work and I get to do what I want with it! Which is more Biblical? Give to those who ask? Or make sure you’re totally financially self-sufficient and learn how to get rid of beggars and borrowers who want to take what’s rightfully yours?
And these are just a few examples.
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| Cross-cultural fire instructions (Appliances? Tackling?) |
Culture makes communication, relationships, worship, and everything else that matters much more difficult. But cross-cultural involvement also makes all these things richer as well, by reminding us that some of the things we assume are Biblical aren’t. At best, a cross-cultural community allows each culture to bring its strengths to balance another culture’s weaknesses and to have the reverse done to them in their turn. And, when this happens, it’s beautiful.
Which leads me to one of the most prevalent sins worldwide, a sin that crops up in every corner of the globe, and goes oh-so-often-unnoticed even in the church. I’m talking about racism.
See, as soon as we think about culture as both a danger and blessing, then we realize how damning it is to look at another culture or ethnic group with disdain. And one thing that’s obvious in Kenya is the power of doing just this; racial stereotypes are so powerful here. “Kikuyus are thieves,” “Luos are just violent,” “Indians steal our jobs.” And I shouldn’t have to remind any American reader that we do the same thing to each other back home all the time. You can’t have the body of Christ without having cultural collision. And so racism not only leads to violence and hate and injustice, but it deprives us of the very person of Jesus, who reaches out to us through his church.
And, honestly, that’s one of the number one reasons we’re coming home. Being in Kenya has given us the opportunity to see the devastation of racism, and also to see the incredible resurrection power released through Biblical racial reconciliation in the context of our time at New City Fellowship Nairobi. But it has not given us an opportunity to participate fully in that reconciliation. We’re outsiders. Kikuyus don’t like Luos, and none of ‘em like Indians, and maybe a few folks are still ticked at the Brits, but nobody’s got any problems with us. But that’s not true everywhere. There are places where confessing with Nehemiah our sins and the sins of our forefathers takes us right into the heart of racial conflict. And having seen where the Spirit of God leads His church in the context of racism here, we want to be led into new places back in the neighborhoods where we are participants in real and living racial tension and strife.
The story of Babel teaches us that culture has at least some of its roots in sin. But both Isaiah and John’s apocalyptic vision remind us that at the end of the ages the kings of the earth will bring their best gifts to Yahweh and to the Lamb. Culture is a double-edged sword, a spring mixed with salt water and fresh, but that’s not where the story ends. Jesus isn’t content with life as we know it. He has traded the one ethnic people of God for the plurality of the kingdom, and yet he also rejects all “melting pots” as well. Christ is redeeming culture, claiming culture, overcoming culture, creating a symphony of praise out of a cacophony of voices. And it’s time that all of us open our eyes . . . and start singing.
Peace,
Michael
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