Contextualization Video Series Takeaways

[Jaylen]

1. Contextualizing Language: As the reality that we will soon have to learn a new language sets in, my mind has been set on how integral language is to culture & communication.
In some ways when being in a place that speaks a different language than you, you realize that humans are humans. In a general sense, everyone is a child of God and communicates from the same rooted place: Being a Human being in Creation. But in other more practical, surface level, ways you realize that 70% of communication is implied rather than directly stated. And that’s something you can’t pick up on until you’ve emersed yourself and learned those unspoken fronts.
I think about how I talk with my friends and family- and especially with me being a generally sarcastic person -if people didn’t know where I was coming from based on unspoken communication like 1. the way I annunciate my sentences, 2. the nature of what I say, 3. the context as to which the thing is said, etc. all of these things play a hit-or-miss role in whether the other person will understand what I mean. None of that will be picked up if I try to talk the way I do in English through another language.
All that to say, language is fundamental is understanding people, and cultural understanding is fundamental in relational communication.

2. Contextualizing Self: I appreciate that you guys shed light on the distinction between foreign cultures, our cultures, and gospel cultures. It would be naive to think “Oh yeah all Christians should be following biblical cultures so we need to enforce that”. First of all, no Christian can completely remove themselves from their cultural worldview and perfectly apply a gospel-cultural lifestyle. We are unshakably engrained by the context we grew up in, it’s literally the law of nature, everything we know is built upon the foundation of the way our brain developed as we grew up, and everything we see is seen through the lens of that foundation; it’s inescapable.
So, the same principle applies if you grew up and developed within a Christian worldview context, but nonetheless you and everyone also grew up in a broken world because of sin, and that will always affect the way you see things.
With that being said, we must acknowledge that reality when approaching different cultures and understand that there will always be three factors to balance between when discipling locals 1. Your Culture, 2. Their Culture, and 3. Gospel Culture.

3. I believe every other teaching point in those videos falls under the umbrella of my #2. We must take that lens into everything we do; one-on-one, family, small groups, church planting, pioneering, expanding, events, etc. In a practical sense, it is the cornerstone for Missions, and it’s easy to let your worldview take the pedestal at different times and you catch yourself being less effective, even sometimes detrimental, when you do that. I believe we will never be successful (unless God really works in his Graces) if we don’t approach kingdom building with an open-handed culturally sensitive mindset.

[Emma Hodges]

– “Contextualization is the process by which people interpret, communicate, and apply the Bible within a particular cultural context.” This was a major takeaway for me from these videos, because it speaks to the importance of contextualization. Without understanding the culture you are in, it becomes difficult to communicate the gospel and it can create boundaries between someone understanding and applying the Bible.

– Practical changes you can make to contextualize the messenger better: I thought it was interesting that the speaker in the video spoke about how when you make changes in your clothes, appearance, piercings, etc., it shows that you are willing to adapt. You are showing a part of your character when you communicate to local people that you are willing to shift and adjust.

– I thought it was interesting in the video about contextualizing the local believing community how the video highlighted 4 key phases of missionary presence: 1) Pioneer, 2) Parent, 3) Partner, and 4) Participant. I think it is important to have these phases in your mind as you head into a new place to do missions because it helps the missionary to understand their role. If there already is a thriving church community, then they should take on the role of a participant. But if they are in an area that the gospel has not been brought to, they would take on the role of a pioneer.

[Taliya]

Contextualization removes unnecessary obstacles. As a foreigner, it is very likely that some things I am used to (in how I act or view the world) may actually be causes of disconnect or out up a wall when I’m in another culture. I don’t want to kill my chances of connecting with someone about the gospel in that way. Contextualizing myself and how I share the good news is important to avoid those unnecessary walls.

Contextualizing the believing community: How does an indigenous church look like in this culture? How is renewed life in christ expressed in this culture? Giving space for self-expression (traditional music or dance or or if fellowship outside is more common than meeting inside), self-theologizing (contextualizing the message further into how the indigenous people can understand better), and self-initiated service will allow for the community of believers to have longevity because it is connected tot heir culture.

The difference between the elephant church and rabbit church is interesting. I expect that a rabbit church style may be what would work best in the culture I will be going into, but I will keep an open mind to that!