For contextualization to happen, we must be willing to lose. The process of loss for the sake of Christ hits at the great enemy of contextualization: ethnocentrism. After defining the term and acknowledging its place in the world of missions, Matt and Aaron discuss how discerning the difference between Christian behavior and the values of Christ give us a guide to getting over ourselves and allowing for the seeds of contextualization to grow.
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“Our goal is not maintaining a way of thinking, doing it our way, or being better. Our goal is following Jesus. Trust that that’s going to be enough.”
“If we are ignorant, we’re far more likely to fall into ethnocentrism.”
“Sometimes Jesus challenged culture, but he also cooperated with it.”
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Episode Highlights:
✨ Defining Ethnocentrism (5:47)
✨ Understanding monocultural perspectives (16:11)
✨ Looking to Jesus as the supreme example of contextualization (19:11)
✨ Review of Acts 10 & 15 (22:43)
✨ Examples of Ethnocentrism (25:42)
✨ Defining “Culture” (28:48)
✨ The separation of values and behaviors (35:22)
✨ Advice & takeaways (46:25)
✨ Solutions for those who struggle with ethnocentrism (49:11)
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Links:
Kindred Exchange Mission Audits - Learn more & sign up for the Nashville Mission Audit (August 25th-26th)
Ozark Christian College - Learn more about the The Master of Arts in Biblical Ministry with a concentration in Biblical Studies
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Get Connected:
Connect with Aaron at aaron@kindredexchange.co
Connect with Matt at mcook@fhu.edu
