When The Good News Meets With A Specific Culture
Christianity refers to the Christianism, insisted that Jehovah is the only God in the whole universe”, and the other is different from Jehovah known as the fiend. In Chinese traditional culture, such as Buddhism, “god” come from not only self-existence but also those who have the high level of moral and behaviors. This is how most Chinese believe, as a morality priority nation. In China, to determine a person whether he/she qualify for have blessings or not is not based on his/her faith but it is depended on their noble moral characters and behaviors. A good Buddhist can ascend to heaven, a kind of Taoists can ascend to heaven. Likewise, the good Christians, Muslims, and including all good non-religious people can go to heaven. Kindness and goodness are the essential measurement and requirement for people to be ascended to heaven after death.
According to many Chinese opinions, Christianity view of salvation (Redemption), denies the value of morality and good deeds; anyone does have good deeds and morality, if they don’t believe in God, and will eventually be punished. On the contrary, if the perpetrators repent before dying, their sin will be forgiven. So, the main difference between Christianity and Chinese cultural is that people must admit that they are totally disabled on salvation, people cannot earn salvation through their own good deeds or high morality. According to the fundamental doctrine of Christianity, if a person does not believe in Jesus Christ, no matter how good work ones has done, he still goes to hell. This view has a massive conflict with the Chinese traditional culture. Because of the culture issue, there are many Christianity-related religions appeared; they absorbed some of the doctrines of Buddhism to fit into Chinese culture which I think is so wrong because they changed the truth. Bible said, “Jesus fulfills the law and, when we step into his grace, we satisfy the law because we are wrapped in the righteousness of Jesus.”
Another culture issue also against Biblical Authority is worshipping idols. Worshipping ancestor is a big part of Chinese culture. At the particular days, family members showing love to their ancestors by going up to the mountain where they buried their ancestors, to worship them and to burn fake money to their ancestors. However, the first commandment of the ten commandments is “thou shall have no other gods before me.” It asks Christians to worship Jehovah only, but not to worship dead people or other gods. Also, Jehovah, the Lord said, “you shall not make for yourself an idol, do not bow down to those who like and do not serve those idols.” This commandment is seriously violated China’s traditional customs and offended a lot of Chinese people’s religious perspectives.
Feudal ethics has a significant influence on traditional Chinese families. The relationship between the household members is unfair. First of all, the form of “father guides son” paternalism makes a father has the absolute rights in a family, the Confucian ethical code gives a significant support for the paternalism. This autocratic practice has been suffocated one’s personality, limited the one’s creativities, and development of society; it caused many historical tragedies. Likewise, the form of “husband guides wife” caused woman lost their rights in a family; most of the woman were just a breeding machine.
Christianity is not opposed to the idea of children honoring their father in a family, and it even very emphasizes a harmony relationship in a family. However, what makes Christianity and Chinese Culture fight? Christianity not only overthrows the Chinese people’s ethical standards but also challenges the traditional social hierarchy. Christians believe that everyone is equal before God and it undermines the rights of fathers in a family or clan. Christianity advocate of equality of men and women denies women is lower than men. Chinese people, especially men, against arise and against Christianity because they want to maintain the traditional family organizational model. They twisted the message of Christianity which we called Gospel and undermines it by upgrading it as a political problem. This behavior caused many Chinese think Gospel is the spiritual opium from western culture, and as Chinese, we must boycott it.
The question is when we were facing culture issues, as a Christian, how can we deal with it. Traditions in a country probably over 1000 years, like Confucianism is over 2500 years in China. It became a part of life for most of the people. Many Christians in China or come from aboard intentionally reduce the value of Chinese culture in order to introduce the Gospel to local people. I am not saying this is wrong, but it is not suitable. As a Christian and a Chinese, I believe what Bible says is 100% right, but I also love my culture. I think God puts every tribe into differently culture background has his meaning in it. When Apostle Paul was preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, he used language people could understand. As he said in the book of 1 Corinthians 9:20–23 “20 To the Jews, I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law, I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law, I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means, I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” If we were going to a different culture background country, and put ourselves in a high position and criticize others’ culture, I don’t think people would like to hear anything from you even you are trying to give them the best. China has an idiom says you are not going to catch a tigerkin unless you go into the cave. Only maximize the understanding of the cultural background, we can apply the Biblical authority into the cultural relativity. For example, Matteo Ricci, S.J., an Italian Jesuit priest and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China missions. He studies really hard on Chinese culture before to went to China. After he had arrived, he dug deeper about the local conditions and customs. He dressed like local, eat like local, talks like local. Eventually, he becomes a good friend with local people. Since we are carrying the Heavenly good news, we should not preach it with an exclusive mind as long as the local culture is not opposite with the Gospel. Why do we waste time on arguing with others their culture instead of showing the love of God to them?
I conclude by quoting the paragraph from our textbook “Christian Perspectives in Sociology” edited by Stephen A. Grunlan and Milton Reimer. “we pointed out that the World of God is supracultural, that is, it stands above culture. However, although the Word of God is supracultural, it is given to us within a specific cultural setting. Therefore a working knowledge of cultural and its role in human society is important to both interpreting the Bible in the light of its cultures and applying the principles in our own culture as well as cross-culturally.”
Grunlan, Stephen A., and Milton Reimer. Christian Perspectives on Sociology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1982. Print.
