CULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE GOSPEL

How much does culture influence the way the gospel is proclaimed and lived? Culture plays such a significant role in our lives and preaching the gospel must be in line with the culture of the place. A Western gospel cannot be preached in an Eastern culture and will be rejected. The gospel has to be in line with cultural beliefs. But what if the cultural beliefs are in conflict with the tenets of the gospel? Then those beliefs must be changed. If there is a dissonance between your beliefs and the gospel then your beliefs will have to change. How you do things may be different but the principles of the gospel must be upheld. This is the area where people will struggle. If they don’t work through this then the gospel will be like a law. To ground the gospel in the context of your life it has to be culturally congruent. The gospel was written in the context of the Middle Eastern setting. It is not culturally sensitive. When it is made culturally sensitive then it becomes real. One can understand the principles but these need to be translated to the context you are in to make sense. So also in every area of your life when there is conflict between your beliefs and your context then it is time to work through it and apply it to fit the context. The gospel lived out in India will be different from the gospel lived out in the West. Failure to appreciate this is what leads to failure. Exporting a Westernised version of the gospel will fail as it will conflict with the social structures and beliefs of the East.