A Missiology of Western Culture

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First, some definitions:
1. Missiology -- The study of Christian missions; an area of practical theology that investigates the work of Christian missions.

2. Western Culture -- The societies, nations and peoples of the Western World (primarily Europe and North America), birthplace of the Enlightenment, imperialism and industrialization, and now heirs to the major cultural shifts caused by these .

Admit it. When you think of a missionary, what image or thought first pops into your mind? Do you picture a person who travels to a faraway, foreign place to teach people about Jesus?

Okay, so what kind of work do these kinds of missionaries have to do? First, they have to learn the language and figure out some things about the culture. Right? For example, in some cultures it is considered extremely rude to cross your legs in a way that allows someone to see the bottom of your shoe. In other cultures, it is rude to visibly use a toothpick. In other cultures, you should burp if you enjoy the food. If you want people to listen to you, it is crucial to learn some of the cultural norms so you don't offend people. This requires time, research, observation. You have to ask lots of questions and listen to insiders.

Then, as you figure out the language and the culture, you have to determine ways to communicate the good news of Jesus to the people of that culture. It's not just as easy as opening up the Bible and reading it. You have to think and act like a student of culture and of the Bible who seeks to make the gospel message understandable within the context of this foreign society.

What would it look like if we decided to act like missionaries here in our own culture? What if we thought of ourselves as foreigners who need to learn a language and culture in order to communicate the gospel in ways that connect with our society? What might we do differently?

I want to explore this picture in the coming days.

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