Comprehensive Contextualization 25 Comprehensive Contextualization

Introduction Contextualization is a central skill of missionary life and practice So it must be understood DEF: Planting the universal gospel in local soil We don’t change the gospel; we change how the gospel is presented and embedded in a particular culture. We extract the gospel from our cultural trappings and insert it into another culture We must be careful not to change the gospel in this process

Comprehensive Contextualization Seven Dimensions of Contextualization Comprehensive Contextualization

The Doctrinal Dimension Not just truths, but how they are expressed Evangelicals tend to focus here A two-way street Extract Biblical constants from the cultural explanations of them, such as creeds & customs Bring the constants of Biblical truth into the new context, developing new explanations of them The process gives the missionary new insight into that truth

The Mythic Dimension DEF: the stories people tell and retell The old stories explained deep truths of reality from their worldview The gospel stories must answer the same set of ultimate questions, but from a Christian worldview Two approaches are necessary Learn to tell the biblical story so that local people understand it, and clearly see biblical values through it Appropriate local stories as bridges to the gospel story, or appropriate the style of the teller

The Ethical Dimension Applying the truth to our lives First: what are their ideals of the wise person and the hero? Where do ideals fall short of Biblical standards Personal ethics Societal ethics Sensitivity is needed: rile rulers and you may survive, but local followers may not

The Social Dimension How the church organizes itself Five social organizational principles Associations – who hangs out together, either voluntarily or involuntarily Kinship – how you define your relatives Education – the process that teaches you your role in that society Economics – the exchange of goods and services Law – governance and decision-making The church will express all these aspects of its setting – filtered through Scriptural teaching

The Ritual Dimension The symbolic actions we take to affirm aspects of our culture – including faith beliefs Rituals play a crucial role in the Christian faith Most cultures will expect an appropriate set of rituals to emphasize key aspects of our faith

The (Supernatural) Experiential Dimension Our experience of the supernatural NOT inventing the encounters, rather letting Scripture speak to the supernatural encounters that occur. Developing rituals that encourage positive encounters with God, and discourage negative experiences in the world (exorcism)

The Artistic (or Material) Dimension Performances, artifacts, and artistic expressions having symbolic value Different cultures value different kinds of expression Jewelry vs scarring