Cultural Differences In Mark Allan Powell's What Do They Hear?

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In order to address our contexts, we must first remember that Christianity existed before different denominations. This is why we the Catholic and Orthodox Church claim to be “pre-denominational” rather than “non-denominational”. Any practicing (and understanding) Catholic or Orthodox understands that the gates of Heaven are open to any child of God, regardless of any context (religious belief, gender, race, class, etc.). As practicing Christians, we hope and pray for the salvation of all people through the one Lord Jesus Christ. (Insert colonization quote here) In early Christianity, the Apostles never held a difference between Christ and His Body. For this reason, Eastern Christianity perspective tends not to differentiate between the Body …show more content…
His study focused on the parable in Luke 15:11-32 focusing on the prodigal son. He polled 100 North American students, and only 6 out of the 100 mentioned the prodigal son’s experience with a shortage of food. Then he polled 50 russian students in St. Petersburg and 42 out of the 50 mentioned the famine! This is just one prime example of how cultural history has embedded itself in the Eastern European context, which greatly impact the thought process of Russian Christians as compared to North American Christians who have never experienced a famine.

Although interpreting passages is important and admirable, making interpretations and assuming that those are the only meanings in a passage is questionable. This could result in colonization, which bars the freedom of the individual to freely think about salvation in their own context.
To make our contexts clear, it is important to note: that western interpretations are not superior to eastern interpretations, that a man’s interpretations are not superior to that of a woman, that a Caucasians interpretations are not superior to a colored person, etc., etc. . By thinking that one person 's interpretation is superior to others based off their context is truly missing the mark. All humans, regardless of context, view the Bible and salvation though a limited, skewed perspective that hinders their ability to truly understand the grace of

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