70% Reading finished before class, 30% after class.
Contextualization occurs during process of any communication of any ideas. For Christianity, the goal of contextualization is to communicate the whole biblical message relevantly so that people’s lives and lifestyles are changed. Because of the fruitful contextualization, local churches that can reproduce the successful contextualization are established.
Challenges:
The challenges of good contextualization include fidelity to Bible, remaining relevant, and avoiding syncretism.
1) Betrayal to the Bible
In a church culture of number is more important, there is a great danger of compromising the essential truth of Christianity during contextualization. The Bible is our anchor in everything …show more content…
At the modern age, it is easy to compromise the fundamental truths. When sharing the Biblical messages, we should know the Bible is errant and transcends human culture (Moreau, 50). The Bible is transcultural, congruence with the Bible is not negotiable. Therefore, Biblical authority should be the ultimate standard to evaluate contextualization models and practices (Moreau, 61). We should not downplay the offensive elements like sin and punishment.
The sharer himself is cultural being just as the recipient. The sharer needs to know how his own culture shapes his understanding of the Biblical message. His preconceived notions may not be biblical. Therefore, careful exegesis and application based on the intended meaning is crucial for contextualization. With this in mind, we should also be aware of our own theological positions. For some denominations, the systematic theology becomes an obstacle instead of a …show more content…
The study of the European Christianity syncretism reveals that adoption or adaption of overt religious expressions of a host country will coalesce with Christianity and ultimately re-emerge a new syncretized religious expression (Rheenen, 197-198). The failure of European Christianity should give us a warning about how to do contextualization.
Solutions:
Although the task is very challenging, God provides strategies and guidance of the Holy Spirit. He designed the ideal contextualization models in the Bible an in the history. In order to escape the pitfalls in the past, missionaries need to develop corresponding actions.
1) Fidelity to the Bible
To evangelicals, truth is a central presuppositional issue (Moreau, 54). We need to be know the intended meaning of the Bible and communicate it clearly. There should not be compromise on the basic doctrines. The whole gospel and the love of God and neighbors should be the central message. The missionaries need to know the Scriptures well and be faithful to the Bible.
2) Remaining
Contextualization occurs during process of any communication of any ideas. For Christianity, the goal of contextualization is to communicate the whole biblical message relevantly so that people’s lives and lifestyles are changed. Because of the fruitful contextualization, local churches that can reproduce the successful contextualization are established.
Challenges:
The challenges of good contextualization include fidelity to Bible, remaining relevant, and avoiding syncretism.
1) Betrayal to the Bible
In a church culture of number is more important, there is a great danger of compromising the essential truth of Christianity during contextualization. The Bible is our anchor in everything …show more content…
At the modern age, it is easy to compromise the fundamental truths. When sharing the Biblical messages, we should know the Bible is errant and transcends human culture (Moreau, 50). The Bible is transcultural, congruence with the Bible is not negotiable. Therefore, Biblical authority should be the ultimate standard to evaluate contextualization models and practices (Moreau, 61). We should not downplay the offensive elements like sin and punishment.
The sharer himself is cultural being just as the recipient. The sharer needs to know how his own culture shapes his understanding of the Biblical message. His preconceived notions may not be biblical. Therefore, careful exegesis and application based on the intended meaning is crucial for contextualization. With this in mind, we should also be aware of our own theological positions. For some denominations, the systematic theology becomes an obstacle instead of a …show more content…
The study of the European Christianity syncretism reveals that adoption or adaption of overt religious expressions of a host country will coalesce with Christianity and ultimately re-emerge a new syncretized religious expression (Rheenen, 197-198). The failure of European Christianity should give us a warning about how to do contextualization.
Solutions:
Although the task is very challenging, God provides strategies and guidance of the Holy Spirit. He designed the ideal contextualization models in the Bible an in the history. In order to escape the pitfalls in the past, missionaries need to develop corresponding actions.
1) Fidelity to the Bible
To evangelicals, truth is a central presuppositional issue (Moreau, 54). We need to be know the intended meaning of the Bible and communicate it clearly. There should not be compromise on the basic doctrines. The whole gospel and the love of God and neighbors should be the central message. The missionaries need to know the Scriptures well and be faithful to the Bible.
2) Remaining