What is culture? Extremely hard to define, but intuitively understood by us all, we continually run up against the differences between “us” and “them”, whether in the secular West or in more traditional societies. Both cultural and moral divides separate Christians from those in other religious and spiritual systems. Where is the divide between those practices which are purely cultural and those intrinsically intertwined with moral behavior considered “non-negotiable” in the Christian context? Pertinent case studies are examined, one from secular Western culture and one from a traditional culture. Students observe other spiritual/religious and cultural practices in mosques, temples, or homes, assessing, comparing and contrasting these to Christian practices at the same time reflecting about one’s own.
All of us live in ever-changing contexts, and connect with those from other cultural and spiritual systems in the course of our lives, both in the Western world as well as those engaged in cross-cultural lifestyle and ministry. Questions addressed seek to aid in bridge-building relationships with those from differing, seemingly oppositional belief systems, in conjunction with reflective thought on one’s own Christian belief systems.
Theory and practice are blended in the course, enabling students to both reach out to those of differing backgrounds, especially in preparation for doing cross-cultural evangelism. Applied practice (such as visiting mosques, temples, or seeking out an unreached people group) may be customized according to the student’s interest.
All study and praxis are conducted according to principles found in Scripture, which not only command us to love those of all cultural backgrounds, but also to reach them with the message of Jesus Christ.
The very heart of the Great Commission is to “disciple the nations”. The ultimate purpose of this course is to prepare students for the work of discipling whether in diverse Western culture or a cross-cultural setting.
Cultural context is often in tension with one’s interpretation of universal Biblical truth; and cultural context and practice is examined by the student in these cases, and held assumptions are examined in the light of newly acquired knowledge.
Informing oneself about specific cultures, and becoming reflexive about one’s own culture this opens a path to not only understanding another culture, but also understand how to move past those cultural barriers and speak a relevant “God message” into that culture.
Much of the course is spent in real-life settings and situations, engaging with those of culturally diverse backgrounds.
The purpose of this course is, through exposure, participation, study and reflection to become a bridge-builder for a cross-cultural Christian message and Christian formation.
