The Christian theological conversation spans two millennia. Recently, however, more and more scholars have begun to recognize that, in the words of Andrew Walls, "the theological agenda is cultural induced; and the cross-cultural diffusion of Christian faith invariably makes creative theological activity a necessity." What does that look like in practice? Doesn't that lead to syncretism? Can't we just teach a pure gospel?
Taking the gospel message into another culture requires culturally integrating it, without misrepresentation, into that specific culture. Bentley looks at six different aspects involved in contextualizing the gospel.
We know contextualization is important, but not everyone comes at it in the same way.
How might Christians from one honor-shame culture effectively serve cross-culturally in another honor-shame culture?
Learning to read the book of Romans with a broader cultural lens.
Combining research from Asian scholars with his many years of experience living and working in East Asia, Jackson directs our attention to Paul's letter to the Romans. He argues that some traditional East Asian cultural values are closer to those of the first-century biblical world than common Western cultural values. In addition, he adds his voice to the scholarship engaging the values of honor and shame in particular and their influence on biblical interpretation.
Could Zhuangzi have something to teach us about the gospel?
How Buddhist teachings resonated with China's cultural identity making way for its spread.
Could the entrance of Buddhism into China offer cultural insights on how to share the message of Christ in China today?
In an atmosphere of increased social tightening, some younger Christians are asking whether some current expressions of the church might actually stand in the way of an effectively contextualized message that resonates with today’s urban Chinese.
If we wish to participate cross-culturally in God’s work of transformation, then we must allow the specific context of our host culture to determine the kinds of contributions we make.
The Bible tells us what to believe—the gospel. It also shows how to contextualize the gospel? In One Gospel for All Nations, Jackson Wu explains practically why we must not choose between the Bible and culture highlights implications for both missionaries and theologians. Contextualization should be practical, not pragmatic; theological, not theoretical.