Cultural Relevance
For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St.Stephen’s University, Essentials Green Online Course with Dan Wilt
How far should we pursue ‘cultural relevance’? How do we get balance in this, how do we be relevant, true to who we are, while embracing all races and generations, styles and flavours? I strongly believe we can’t be all things to all people. Each of our communities needs to understand who we are called to be, and also who we are to reach out and connect with. With an understanding of this, we can then begin to explore the answers to the cultural relevance questions.
“Irrelevance is the utter disconnection between two ideas, people or events. By contrast, relevance speaks of the fact that there is a shared reality between people, and each affirms the others reality (and possibly enhances the quality of that shared reality).” 1 As I ponder on these definitions i realise i don’t want to be completely relevant or completely irrelevant. I want to to be in the world but not of it, i want to share language but i don’t want to buy into the philosophy.
Jesus used the language of the day, He spoke in words that the people around him knew, He told stories they understood and comprehended. He didn’t speak Latin to a people who spoke Aramaic. Jesus used the language of the day but He never entered into the philosophy of the culture.
I believe the message that we have, Jesus, is still the most relevant thing to all hearts. Jesus is relevant, eternity has been placed in every heart, the longing is their, but how often we get in the way. How then do we have an appropriate language for the culture around us? We need to be interpreters, cultural watchmen on the walls, people who understand the times. 2
Me must be culturally relevant, me must explore the shared realities we have with those around us, speaking in a language that can be understood. We can then engage in conversation that can be understood in both directions, and our ‘utter disconnections’ may just draw out truth as we relate to each other.
I want to understand culture, i don’t want to live in the bubble.
1 Essentials Green Booklet
2 1 Chronicles 12:32
SUCH a good question- how do you be culturally relevant?? I think we need to actively pursue and learn about different cultures… being ignorant or pushing a mindset or belief on a culture you know nothing about is ineffective and simply rude…
I’m so reminded here in Cambodia that Jesus Christ transcends all culture. I was in a Khmer church last week singing Brook Fraser’s “Hosanna” – They sung in Khmer and I English but we all raised our voices, our hands and our hearts to the same God. It was such an amazing feeling that even though I don’t speak Khmer or necessarily know this culture very well, we have SO much in common because we all love and worship Jesus.
Glad to see your blogging Donald!!!
| Posted 7 months, 1 week agoI like that Donald. Some thoughts… When I look at Jesus and who he was as the Son of God – he was offensive and disruptive culturally. Religion WAS the culture of the Jews, and everything he did/said/was undermined (in their own eyes) the authority of the leaders.
The key is that Jesus was and is relevant to PEOPLE because he spoke to the human condition, rather than failings of a culture/religious understanding. The trouble was that the cultural/religious leaders were too attached to their culture that they could not hear Jesus as the interpreter.
Like you say – everybody shares reality at some point, in some way. Some will argue that pain/suffering/love and the other experiences of life cannot truely be shared because a person’s understanding and ability to relate is dependent on your own experience. But that’s a cop out to me – everybody identifies with the language of the heart.
The scary thing for me personally is that in attempting to affirm the other’s reality it’s easy to slip into affirming their philosophy. I think Don spoke on this (in an abstract way – I’m connecting invisible dots) during the “They like Jesus, but not the Church” series. Too often in today’s society a person’s PHILOSOPHY is who they are – NOT the realities of their experience.
Following that logic, if you disagree with a philosophy you reject the person. There’s no chance to relate experiences, and reinforces those perceived utter disconnections. In trying to establish personal freedom and enforce ‘basic human rights’ – people have lost (or are denied) the ability to connect at a fundamental level.
How you overcome that… I do not know. Patience, love and grace?
| Posted 7 months agoOk, my newest pondering is exactly on this issue and how it relates to Cambodia… A group of us here are talking about it all the time. I don’t necessarily have a assertive viewpoint as yet..
It’s just got me thinking… I go to this church in Cambodia where they play the newest hillsong songs, dance, sing, cry out to God… all in Khmer… it’s beautiful but is it the best way for them to see God? I have so many Khmer friends who in their broken english have all the Christian lingo down! They talk about “the blood,” being “saved by grace” and “Praise the lord” and “Halleleujah” all the time….
I think in so many ways when we go as missionaries to places we place our WESTERN beliefs on a culture. Sometimes I wonder if people here are Christian or just Americanised for this is the way they express their faith.
I want to know how is religion culturally appropriate to Cambodia? Is worshiping God here gonna look exactly the same as it does back home for us?? Is hillsong and our western style of worship helping people meet God or is this a Western hype that they want to be a part of?? I want to know “Is the way we respond to Jesus Christ universal or can it differ according to culture? And if responding to Christ will differ according to culture, then why does it seem to look the same the world over??
How did this look like in Nepal for you Donald??
| Posted 5 months, 1 week agoSUCH a flippen good question. Just wish we could discuss it over a nice coffee