CONTEXTUALIZATION, PART I The Importance of Contextualizing the Gospel

Christianity can be a confusing camp to belong to.  I think that it is because we have a lot of people who use the same words to describe different things.  For example, I know several Christians who are convinced that Jesus' message was one of judgement, and that their response is to tell others about said judgement.  So, when they say "Jesus", they are talking about a different Jesus than the One I talk about.  The same goes for when they mention the gospel.  I would like to address that kind of thing here for a minute, and then intersect with the idea of contextualizing the good news to people of other faiths.

This next sentence may shock you.  People are not ready for Jesus.  Not without preparation.  The purpose of John (the baptizer) was to prepare the people to recieve the Gospel (Jesus). He baptized with water for repentance - a general turning away from what our conscience (and the law) says is evil, toward God. By the time Jesus came, (all of Jerusalem and Judea had come to hear him speak) people's hearts had been softened by the message of repentance, and were now ready to hear the Great Mystery of the Gospel.

That is to say, John, the baptist preacher, came preaching judgement and repentance. So when the people were expecting judgement, Jesus came preaching GRACE. He picked up where John left off. He said this is true, God must judge Sin, but that's not the end of the Story!

The "judgement" which many Christians speak of has already been exhausted in Christ. That is the "good news" that we get to share with the world.  God is not small.  He doesn't belong to us as some commodity that we can share.  God so loved the world, and those who realize this get to tell the rest of us - the collective us that is humanity.

Jesus, according to the bible, is actually the Savior of THE WORLD. He is the Christians' Savior, the Muslims' Savior, and the atheists' Savior. That really is the good news. And if you think about it, we aren't much different than the Jewish teachers were during Jesus' lifetime. We (western evangelicalsim) like the idea that He is our Savior, that we're on the winning team. The only problem with that is that it is the exact opposite of what Jesus taught. A read through the gospels will reveal that nothing made Him angrier than us vs. them.  If we really are His followers, shouldn't we care about the things that He cares about?

This is not pluralism (the belief that all religions are equally effective for saving the soul).  It's just that the Gospel is bigger than we ever could have dreamed.  Christians have thought that they were the insiders for such a long time that I think that many of us have forgotten that we're really messengers.  Maybe we should trade in the name Christians for sent ones because that's what we are.  But what happens when we respond to Jesus and go?

I think this is a good place to intersect with the subjects of missions and contextualization. 

What happens when people of other faiths realize that Jesus is their Savior?  How much of their faith must they release in order to follow Jesus?  Keep in mind that whatever we demand of them we should have already demanded of ourselves. 

For example, what if an eastern philosopher-type who's into things like yoga hears the good news - that God became a human being, and died so that we could be right with God - and God's Spirit changes His heart so that he is able to respond with obedience?  Should we expect him to become a Christian [in the Western sense]?  Must he reject ALL of his "other" beliefs or practices?  Certainly, he should reject the ones which are in clear violation of the way of Jesus, but isn't even this the job of the Holy Spirit as he/she is being sanctified?

I submit that there would likely be many things that he could salvage from his pre-Christian sprituality. Maybe he meditates every morning. Now, he can meditate on the the beauty of Christ. Let's say that he chants matras. Now he can chant them about Christ, modify them, and even insert some Scripture into the mix. Does he practice talking to spirits of the dead?  Well, he should stop that as soon as he realizes that it is in violation of Scripture.  There is going to be tension, and even grey areas, but that is OK.  God is not intimidated by this.  And of course, there is no time table, just as there isn't one with us.  We shouldn't expect him to get his life sorted out in a timely manner.  He should be allowed the freedom to learn as he goes.  I shouldn't even have to blog about this, but I am convinced that I do.  Christians seem so afraid to preach the Gospel these days, especially when people of other faiths are around.  I am not convinced that people of other religions must lose their entire cultural and spiritual identity in order to follow Christ.

We (Westerners) are a wonderful example of this.  God has allowed us to keep  many of our pagan customs, modifying them, losing some but keeping many in order to properly contextualize the good news.  This has continued until today, yet many Christians insist that people of other faiths and/or cultures should accept our Western version of Christianity if they want to follow Christ.  Of course, it is much more subtle than it sounds. 

Another example... If a muslim hears the Gospel and responds to Jesus with grateful joy (sign of regeneration), he should not have to throw out his Quran and start eating pork to follow Jesus. Instead (like the rest of us), he should be allowed to "come to Jesus just as he is" with all his baggage, history, and cultural preferences and follow Jesus within his own cultural paradigm.

In conclusion, the miracle of the Way of Jesus is that it can be contextualized no matter the time, place, or culture. That is how "open" The Way actually is.

All roads do not lead home.  There is only one Savior, Jesus, but He does not just belong to Christians.

I dare you... the next time you want to share the Gospel with someone of another faith background, simply tell them that they're ok.  That all their striving is not necessary.  That God has revealed Himself in Christ as Savior - everyone's Savior - and all they have to do is follow Him.  Do you really think that God cares if they wave the banner of Christian, Mulsim, or Agnostic?  I am not convinced that He does. 

I think that this new brand of Christianity will sound a little bit like pluralism to many traditional evangelicals.  But, what if God simply wants a ragtag group of spiritual seekers to live in community together as they struggle to follow Him in whatever cultural context they find themselves?

[Now read Part 2.]