I briefly had a roommate in college that thought very differently than I. Although we grew up in the same culture and spoke the same language, our habits and personalities were worlds apart. These differences seem to be hooked up to an amplifier when we take a step into a new culture.
Teaching the Gospel in a way that works at home may confuse or even offend someone from a different culture because of our presentation style. We can avoid these blunders by attempting to understand reality from their point of view.
Hudson Taylor was one of the first missionaries to accept and identify with his host culture, which was China. He dressed in typical Chinese apparel, ate their food and learned Chinese. He also dyed his blonde hair black and wore it in a long braid as the other Chinese did. He embraced the culture and was able to communicate the Gospel in a way that was relatable to the Chinese people.
I have a friend from China who recently became a Christian. In the time leading up to her acceptance of Christ, we had several opportunities to talk about faith and various facets of Christianity. One day, we were looking at the map of the world and I pointed to Israel and told her that Jesus lived there while He was on earth. She was shocked and asked me, “You mean Jesus wasn’t born in America?” For her, Christianity was a foreign religion.
We never know what our cultural expression says about Christianity and about the person of Jesus Christ. We want to eliminate cultural barriers so that those who receive the Gospel know that Jesus came for all people and not only a few.
