Cultural Sensitivity in Sharing God's Message Across Cultures
The concept of cultural sensitivity in sharing God's message is deeply rooted in biblical principles of adaptation, understanding, and respect for diverse peoples, reflecting God's manifold wisdom [2]. From the earliest days of the Christian church, the communication of the Gospel has involved navigating cultural differences, as evidenced by the gift of tongues at Pentecost, where various peoples heard the message in their own languages [4]. This event, promised by Christ (Mark 16:17), demonstrated that salvation was to extend to all nations, necessitating a communication approach that transcended linguistic and cultural barriers [4].
The New Testament frequently emphasizes the importance of unity and mutual submission among believers from different backgrounds. Paul, for instance, encourages believers to submit to one another in the fear of God [1]. This mutual submission implies a willingness to understand and respect varying cultural expressions within the body of Christ. The apostle also highlights the importance of teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude, suggesting that worship and instruction should resonate with the cultural understanding of the audience [3].
The dispersion of the Jewish people, as noted in Zechariah, is seen by some as a providential preparation for missionary work, making them "fittest instruments for quickening others" due to their widespread presence and cosmopolitan character [5]. This historical context suggests that God often uses existing cultural and social structures to facilitate the spread of His message.
The early church's experience, particularly the interactions between Jewish and Gentile believers, underscores the need for cultural sensitivity. Adam Clarke notes that the dissensions between converted Jews and Gentiles in Rome could have interrupted public worship, leading Paul to encourage them to glorify God "with one mind" and "one mouth" [9]. This call for unity in worship, despite cultural differences, implies a need for practices that accommodate and respect diverse expressions of faith.
The "everlasting Gospel" is envisioned as being rapidly sent throughout the whole world, potentially through "a particular dispensation of providence and grace" or through "especial messenger, order of preachers, people, or society of Christians" [8]. This global reach inherently requires an understanding of and adaptation to various cultural contexts. The call to "praise the Lord, all ye nations" in Psalm 117:1 further reinforces the universal scope of God's message and the expectation that people from every kindred, tongue, and nation will respond [7]. John Gill interprets this as an excitement for all nations to praise God for His acts of divine grace, including the sending of the Gospel and the presence of His Spirit among them [7].
Cultural sensitivity in sharing the Gospel is not merely about translation but about contextualization, ensuring the message is understood and received within the framework of a particular culture without compromising its core truths. This involves discerning how to present the "doctrine of grace, life, and salvation by Christ" in a way that resonates with the audience [6]. The "experiment of this ministration," as described by John Gill concerning the liberality of Gentile churches towards poor saints in Jerusalem, demonstrates how acts of service and generosity can lead to glorifying God and acknowledging "professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ" [6]. Such acts, when culturally appropriate, can be powerful testimonies.
The multiplication of grace and peace, as described in 2 Peter 1:2, can be understood as an increase in the "manifestations" of God's love and favour, or an "increase of the internal graces of the Spirit of God, as to the actings and exercise of them" [10]. This spiritual growth can lead to "greater usefulness" among diverse communities, implying a deeper understanding and more effective communication of the Gospel across cultural lines [10].
The practice of "distributing to the necessity of saints" [11], or "communicating" as some versions render it, highlights the practical aspect of Christian fellowship that transcends cultural boundaries. While deacons might be primarily responsible for distribution, all members are called to communicate care, especially to those "of the household of faith" [11]. This act of meeting needs, when done with cultural awareness, can be a powerful demonstration of God's love and a means of building bridges between different cultural groups.
Sources
- Ephesians “Ephesians 5:21 (Geneva1599) — Submitting your selues one to another in the feare of God.”
- Ephesians “Ephesians 3:10 (Geneva1599) — To the intent, that nowe vnto principalities and powers in heauenly places, might be knowen by the Church the manifolde wisedome of God,”
- Colossians “Colossians 3:16 (BSB) — Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Tongues, Gift of — Granted on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), in fulfilment of a promise Christ had made to his disciples (Mark 16:17). What this gift actually was has been a subject of much discussion. Some have argued that it was merely an outward sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit among the disciples, typifying his manifold gifts, and showing that salvation was to be extended to all nations. But the words of Luke (Acts 2:9) clearly show that the various peoples in Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost did really hear themselves addressed in their own special la”
- Zechariah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Zechariah 10:9: sow them among . . . people--Their dispersion was with a special design. Like seed sown far and wide, they shall, when quickened themselves, be the fittest instruments for quickening others (compare Mic 5:7). The slight hold they have on every soil where they now live, as also the commercial and therefore cosmopolitan character of their pursuits, making a change of residence easy to them, fit them peculiarly for missionary work [MOORE]. The wide dispersion of the Jews just before Christ's coming prepared the way similarly for the apostles' preaching”
- 2 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Corinthians 9:13: Whiles by the experiment of this ministration,.... That is, the poor saints at Jerusalem having a specimen, a proof, an experience of the liberality of the Gentile churches ministered to them by the apostles, first, they glorify God; by giving thanks unto him, acknowledging him to be the author of all the grace and goodness which they, and others, were partakers of; particularly for your professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel of Christ is the doctrine of grace, life, and salvation by Christ, of which he is the author, as God, the subject m”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 117:1: O praise the Lord, all ye nations,.... The Lord having chosen, and Christ having redeemed, some out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation; and the Gospel being sent and preached to all nations, and some of each being called and converted by the Spirit of God; they are excited to praise the Lord, Jehovah, Father, Son and Spirit, for their several acts of divine grace and kindness towards them, in choosing, redeeming, and sanctifying them; and in favouring them with the Gospel, and the ordinances of it, and with his gracious presence in them; and in supplying th”
- Revelation (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Revelation 14:6: Another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel - Whether this angel mean any more than a particular dispensation of providence and grace, by which the Gospel shall be rapidly sent throughout the whole world; or whether it mean any especial messenger, order of preachers, people, or society of Christians, whose professed object it is to send the Gospel of the kingdom throughout the earth, we know not. But the vision seems truly descriptive of a late institution, entitled The British and Foreign Bible Society, whose object it is to print an”
- Romans (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Romans 15:6: That ye - Jews and Gentiles - may with one mind - Thinking the same things, and bearing with each other, after the example of Christ; and one mouth, in all your religious assemblies, without jarring or contentions, glorify God for calling you into such a state of salvation, and showing himself to be your loving compassionate Father, as he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is very likely that the apostle refers here to religious acts in public worship, which might have been greatly interrupted by the dissensions between the converted Jews and the converted G”
- 2 Peter (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Peter 1:2: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you,.... By a multiplication of grace may be meant a larger discovery of the love and favour of God; which though it admits of no degrees in itself, being never more or less in God's heart, yet, as to the manifestations of it, it is different, and capable of being increased, and drawn out to a greater length; or else an increase of the internal graces of the Spirit of God, as to the actings and exercise of them; or a larger measure of the gifts of the Spirit, for greater usefulness among them; or a clearer view, and a more enlarged k”
- Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 12:13: Distributing to the necessity of saints,.... Or "communicating", as many versions render the word; "distributing" more properly belongs to the officers of the church, the deacons, and communicating to the members of it in common. All men in general are to be relieved that are in want, even our very enemies, and particularly such as are our own flesh and blood, nearly related to us, aged parents, &c. and especially they that are of the household of faith, here called "saints"; and indeed, such only come under the care and notice of a church: and they are such, whom Go”