Thoughts on Cultural Adaptation
March 4, 2010 – 3:22 pmMy friend Dave Hosaflook, over at MissioMishmash, provided some helpful thoughts (as always) about cultural adaptation on the mission field.
Here’s an excerpt:
Some missionaries seem to think that the acid test of a “true” missionary is 100% cultural adaptation: “I’m gonna be a ‘hard-core’ missionary, incarnational just like Jesus, so I’m gonna drink the water that the locals do.”
I say, “OK, whatever floats your boat”–but just remember that it’s hard to have a Jesus-like ministry–being out meeting people in the harvest fields–if you have to stay continually within 10 yards of the toilet.
And I would add that faithfulness, fruitfulness, genuine humility and love are much higher on my list of “acid tests” for missionaries than a legalistic standard of cultural to-dos that you’ve brought in from your cultural anthropology class…
He concludes that
in the end, I wonder if we overvalue cultural adaptation as a missionary virtue. Any missionary who thinks he’s hot stuff because of his acculturation, or who puts more emphasis on it than holiness, has adopted a skewed missiological philosophy.
Becoming Albanian is not my goal; rather, it is becoming like Christ. It’s not about the house I live in or the clothes I wear or the food I eat … it’s all about MINDSET–”Let this MIND be in you which was also in Christ Jesus …“
2 Responses to “Thoughts on Cultural Adaptation”
Good correction, though it sounds like a both/and situation to me. Cultural adaptation shouldn’t be the top priority, but it should still be a priority, right?
I think the passage continues: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing…
Jesus was willing to suffer voluntarily for the sake of others. He took risks for them, and even though “risk” might not be the right word for God, we shouldn’t minimize what he gave up for us.
By Sean on Mar 9, 2010
Yes, Sean, cultural adaptation is and should be a part of every missionary’s life and ministry (and every Christian’s for that matter). What Dave is particularly addressing here is wisdom in applying the principle to everyday situations.
The statement above regarding the abuse of cultural adaptation was #1 in Dave’s list of thoughts on adaptation. #2 on the list was:
2.That said, I think most of us
missionaries do too little, not too much,
in learning our new cultures well enough to
engage them effectively.
I couldn’t copy his entire list onto the blog post, but perhaps I could have chosen the paragraphs that I quoted a bit more carefully in order to give an accurate picture of what Dave was addressing.
Regarding Jesus taking risks, I am hesitant to say that it was a “risk” for Him to come to earth that He might atone for our sins. Was it costly? Yes. Was it painful? Yes. But risky? I find it hard to back that up with Scriptural support. John Piper in chapter 2 of “The Pleasures of God” has a lengthy discussion on this topic of God taking risks that has been very helpful for me . (You can actually download this chapter as a PDF on the desiring God website.)
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Sean. God bless.
By taynes on Mar 11, 2010