Contextualizing Universal Values: A Method for Christian ...

1 33 January 2007 global Table 5. status of global mission , presence and activities, AD 1800 the beginning of the twenty-first century, mission schol-ars and practitioners are looking at Christian mission with new eyes. With mission no longer a West-to-East enterprise, missionaries are now sent from Korea to Indonesia, from Japan to Thailand, from Ghana to the United States. The Christian Gospel takes many forms as diverse cultures meet and exchange ideas and practices. Presbyterians in Pennsylvania praise God with trumpet sounds from Latin America, seminary students in Brazil worship with African dance styles, Protestant worshipers in Indonesia sing praise songs from the United translatability of the Gospel into various cultural forms is one of the special features of Understanding different cultures and translating the Gospel into forms that are indigenous to or compatible with those settings is a crucial task of contemporary mission .

2 Norman Thomas calls this process radical contextualization and affirms it as mission in Christ s way. 2 The Gospel message, however, not only consists of ideas but also is embodied in certain Universal values that need to be identi-fied and translated into diverse cultural forms. If Christian values are not articulated and practiced in fitting ways in a particular culture, Christianity will remain a foreign religion, set apart from the life and commitments of society. And although Christian values will at some points diverge from societal mores, there needs to be enough overlap for Christianity to be experienced as part of what it means to be identified with a particular cultural group.

3 Only then will the Gospel influence social change at the level of social structures, societal mores, and political article identifies a Method of Contextualizing Christian values so that they might be re-formed in ways that are appropri-ate in a new setting. Although the Gospel is always clothed in culturally specific forms and cannot exist apart from particular forms, Universal values of love, human worth, and honoring the transcendent are at the heart of the Gospel in any culture. How to translate these values so that they are practiced in meaningful ways in a society becomes the task of radical task belongs primarily to Christian communities in a particular locale.

4 Guests and missionaries from other cultures, however, may interact with that process of contextualization, bringing insights and theological perspectives that can aid or hinder the process. We focus here on this potential contribution of outsiders to the process of the Method in IndonesiaWhat follows are suggestions for those outsiders who, consciously or unconsciously, influence the project of contextualization when they interact with Christians in another culture. The Method consists of a series of suggestions for reflection, first on one s own background and culture and then, with others, on theirs.

5 How to facilitate cross-cultural understanding and exchange has become the subject of much research, dealing with processes Contextualizing Universal Values: A Method for Christian MissionFrances S. Adeneyof interaction and information about forms of communication in specific Hiebert, Shaw, and Ti nou s work on the church as a hermeneutical community is a particularly relevant resource for facilitating the theological reflection recommended in this than attempt an abstract description of this Method , I identify here a Universal value gender equality and discuss its application in the particular setting of an Indonesian Prot-estant university.

6 (I do not repeat here the arguments in favor of gender equality as a Universal Christian value, which many others have presented.)5 Frances S. Adeney is the William A. Benfield, Jr., Professor of Evangelism and global mission , Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. She was a Presbyterian mission coworker (1991 97), teaching in Indonesia, and is the author of Christian Women in Indonesia (Syracuse Univ. Press, 2003) and Christianity and Human Rights (SUNY Press, 2007).I outline the steps of Contextualizing this value in ways that involve the community in its own theological formation and that are compatible with its cultural The same Method may be used in working to contextualize other Universal Christian values, following the steps listed in the chart 1: Recognize the value of gender before entering another cultural milieu, and certainly while one is interacting with people from another culture, the Universal value that one holds and wants to communicate as part of the Gospel must be clearly recognized and enacted in personal and communal life.

7 If the value is seen as relative, appropriate in one time and place but not in another, the universality of the value itself is brought into question. Michael Polanyi argues that one cannot be committed to a value without holding that it must be good for all people at all times in other words, universalizing that Our identities as persons are shaped by the strong moral evaluations that we hold, which we apply not only to ourselves but also to Examining our commitment to a Universal value and evaluating our practices of that value con-stitute the first step in interacting about that Gospel value with those in another draw values from Scripture.

8 Studying the Bible in communities that believe that God s Spirit will aid understanding and application of the wisdom of God s Word. Studying Scripture for views of gender is a logical first step. Rather than accepting Fostering Acceptance of a Universal Valuein a Particular Context1. Recognize the importance and universality of the Check out the acceptability of the value in another Identify other cultural values that prevent the practice of the Universal Recognize the complexities of the Work with Christians in the culture to clarify priori-ties of traditional practices in light of the Universal Work with Christians in the culture to devise new patterns of behavior that demonstrate the Universal BulletIn of MIssIonary Research, Vol.

9 31, No. 1past interpretations without thinking, fresh study can discover new insights from the text. We could start with the creation story in Genesis 1, which places man and woman together, charging them with care of the earth and its creatures. Or perhaps start with the wonder of the narrative of Christ s birth, a demonstration of God s love for all people and God s intention to save the world. Jesus dialogue with the Samaritan woman at the well and his countercultural interactions with women of his own culture may change traditional views of women s roles. Newer translations of the New Testament may reveal more clearly Paul s praise for Lydia, Priscilla, and Phoebe as ministers of the Gospel.

10 The past decades have brought new scholarship to bear on some of the contradictions and confusing passages of the Bible that relate to gender Rather than basing a theology changes in theologies of gender, acceptance of women s leader-ship, women s public presence in worship practices, and use of gender-inclusive language. Societal changes have influenced the church, and in turn, Christian values have influenced changes toward gender equality in society. Reflection on gender equality at the present time in one s own experience can also be helpful. This might include reflection on one s own experiences of women s emotional strength, intellectual capabilities, or leadership qualities.