FEW ISSUES IN THE MISSION IN INDIA

CONTEXTUALIZATION | INCULTURATION | INDIGENIZATION

BY LIVINGSTONE J MULLER

Introduction

Christian mission is a movement of the people of God in their contexts. When there is a crisis in
their context the mission of God is to recognize, engage and address with it and thus witness Christ in
and through their words, lives and action. Today in India we are faced with religious fundamentalism,
linguistic chauvinism, caste exploitation, political vengeance and ideological conflicts in different parts.
It is impossible to carry out any kind of mission in India unless churches or Christian communities
strategically address this issue. By participating in projects or charity, Christians cannot resolve this
issue on their own. Instead, they must collaborate on various levels with other denominations, religious
communities, and ideological groups. The Christian communities must discover new ways to interact
with people of other faiths, castes, and doctrines in order to strategically develop mission thinking and
mission action. The churches find it difficult to nourish the wider cultural groups within their structure
or their doctrines to create such as wider ecumenical or multicultural communities to address the
problems together

CONTEXTUALIZATION

Contextualization as a term in missions arose in the historical context of an emerging third

world. During the past 50 years these countries have obtained political independence. As they struggle
for economic independence, they increasingly assert their cultural identity.

It is not a biblical word and has a wide range of meanings, like many other words in theological
and missiological jargon. Contextualization has the same meaning as other words like "election,"
"repent," "missionary," "witness," and "call" do depending on who is using it. Buswell has rightfully
cautioned against discarding the word "indigenization," but he sees some value in the newer word. 1

The phrase was allegedly coined by liberals, who connected it to socioeconomic unrest. The
terms fundamental to traditional fundamentalism may be used in connection with "contextualization,"
but they are stripped of their biblical and orthodox meanings and given new ones instead. Nevertheless,
"contextualization" seems to be a useful term despite its origin. A proposed definition.
"Contextualization is showing the whole Bible relevant to the total individual in all his relationships of
1
J. Oliver Buswell, III, "Contextualization: Theory, Tradition and Method," in Theology and Mission, ed. by David J.
Hesselgrave (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1978) 93-95, 106.
1
life."2 This does go beyond indigenization. When planting the gospel in new soil, the goal is to affect the
total life of the society. Intermediate goals include

1) Salvation and spiritual growth of individuals,

2) The effect of the saved on their families and community,

3) The establishment of a local church that meets the criteria of the New Testament with respect to
definition, structure, function, and program

4) A biblical relationship between the saved and the social institutions of the targetculture.

The suggested definition is based on an extensive biblical anthropology that goes beyond a
discussion of "trichotomy vs. dichotomy" or a definition of personality as "a being with intellect,
emotion, and will."

Biblical Foundations

Religious cross-cultural communication is a rare occurrence in the Old Testament; instead, more
general intercultural encounters are more common (1 Kings 15:16–22; Ezek 27:12–25; 23:11–21).
(Exodus 23:20–33; 34:10–16) Yahweh forbids the Israelites from making covenants with foreigners,
focusing on maintaining purity in the face of paganism. Although Jeremiah urges the exiles to "seek the
peace and prosperity of the city" (Jer 29:7), the emphasis should be on making a positive contribution to
Babylonian life and living one's faith in a way that respects the culture in which they live rather than on
a missionary directive.

Contextualization is indeed “part and parcel of the New Testament” 3 (Kraft 2009, 404). The
implications of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection traverse cultures, requiring proclamation to “the ends
of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Additionally, New Testament documents owe their existence to “the already
operative missionary program”. Gospel writers adapted their message to various audiences contrasting
Matthew’s Jewish themes and Semitisms with Luke’s broader vocabulary and Hellenistic angle. Paul
takes stock of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, speaking to Antiochan Jews of patriarchs,
prophets and prophecies (Acts 13), while quoting Greek poets and public inscriptions to Athenian
intelligentsia (Acts 17). Both Pauline messages culminate with Christ, the unchangeable content of the
gospel being malleable in its presentation. Paul’s method and motive are encapsulated by 1 Corinthians
9:22, though even this is presupposed by boundaries, “limits beyond which he (Paul) is not prepared to
2
Edward R. Dayton and David A. Fraser, Planning Strategies for World Evangelization (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980)
357-58
3
Kraft Charles H. 2009. “Culture, Worldview and Contextualization” In Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (4th
Edition), edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, 400-406.
2
go”.4 Finally, with respect to Peter’s encounter with Cornelius (Acts 10) and Jewish-Gentile tension
(Acts 15; Gal 2:11-16), the contextualizing efforts of the early church were not merely a voluntary
response to cultural differences, but the Spirit “pushing them to destroy the barrier between Jews and the
Gentile world”. Spirit-led, missionary-minded contextualization is a vital component of God’s salvific
plan for humanity, with Revelation 7:9-10 portraying worship in heaven as multicultural.

Risks of Contextualization

Being prone to misuse, contextualization is described as “risky business” on the precipice of “gospel
contamination”5. The two main dangers of contextualization, according to Hesselgrave and Rommen,
are (1) the communicator's perception of their own culture as a crucial component of the gospel, and (2)
the syncretism that results from the unwise adoption of elements from the receptor culture, which
compromises the gospel's integrity. Any contextualization continuum has both errors at its extremes.
At the risk of oversimplifying, the first mistake tends to be an unchecked bias on the part of the
enculturated communicator and a lack of contextualization. The second occurs when contextualization
is overdone and "authenticity to the context becomes the most important priority" at the expense of
gospel preservation. (2 Tim 1:14; Gal 1:8). Both fail to adequately engage culture in submission to
Christ and the Bible. Syncretism, according to Van Rheenen, is when Christian practices and beliefs
merge with those of the culture that is dominant to the point where Christianity loses its distinctiveness.

Under-contextualizing can be paralleled with the Pharisees and Judaizers of the early church, where
form was held to vigorously, without comprehending the function, or message, undergirding the form
(Matt 23:23: Phil 3:2-3). Jesus and Paul derided these attitudes with strong of language (Matthew 23;
Rom 16:17-18) Christianity was introduced to the black man from the start, wrapped in Western values
and culture, with no distinction made between the two. This is undoubtedly a common example from a
more imperialist era of missions, though some might argue that it is more a description of what happens
when contextualization fails than a criticism of contextualization in and of itself. Whiteman notes that
“good contextualization offends people for the right reasons… bad contextualization or the lack of it
altogether, offends them for the wrong reasons” 6. Our audience must be offended by Christ and his
demands, not our own cultural foolishness.

4
Carson, D. A. 1996. “Church and Mission: Contextualization and Third Horizon” in The Church in the Bible and the World,
edited by D. A. Carson, 213-257. Grand Rapids: Baker.
5
Greeson, Kevin. 2012. ”Comprehensive Contextualization,” in Discovering the Mission of God, edited by Mike Barnett,
420-436. Downers Grove: IVP
6
Whiteman, Darrell L. 1997. “Contextualization: The Theory, the Gap, the Challenge.” International Bulletin of Missionary
Research, 2-7, no. 1: 21.
3
 The gospel “brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16), with contextualization the
vehicle to transmit this message relevantly. As such, contextualization as missionary curriculum should
not outweigh an educational emphasis on gospel familiarity. A significant barrier to mission exists
when denominations propagate their Christian brand globally, falsely convinced that certain ecclesial
expressions or theological forms are transcultural. Fortunately, contextualization stands as a strong
defense against this kind of "denominational imperialism," pressing practitioners to examine their own
assumptions and placing a strong emphasis on dialogue with the receptor culture.

Finally, the Word of God must transform every aspect of culture, and contextualization can be
crucial in this regard as well. It is true that Christians are more likely to apply Scripture and "ensure
biblical faith connects with every area of culture" the more seriously contextualization is taken.

INDIGENIZATION

The issue of “indigenization” has been the subject of hot debate for today’s missiological and
theological world.Our main focus will be to find the indigenous church model, and some practical
suggestions for indigenizing Indian churches

Meaning and Definition

The Term “indigenization” means “produced, growing or living naturally in a country or climate;
not exotic; native; hence figuratively, inherent.” In a missionary context, the term“indigenization”
means the planting of the churches, through evangelistic efforts, which are native to the soil, according
to the local socio-economic and cultural context of the people.7

Henry Venn, Roland Allen and Melvin Hodges popularized the goal of the missionary
movement as the “indigenization” of the church on the basis of three “Self Principles,” self-support,
self-propagate and self-govern8. In the broader sense, indigenization is a term describing the “trans
lability” of the universal Christian faith into the forms and symbols of the particular cultures of the
world.9 It tends to be used in the sense of responding to the gospel in terms of a traditional culture of a
local place. It relates to the use of local forms of communication, methods of transmission and
personnel

The Importance of Indigenization

7
S. D. Ponraj, Church Growth Studies in Mission (Lalgarth: Indian Institute of Multi Cultural Studies, 1988), 38.
8
Ken Gnanakan, ed., Biblical Theology in Asia (Bangalore: TBT, 1995), 20.
9
. [ Harvie M. Conn, “Indigenenization,” Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, edited by A. Scott Moreau and Harold
Wetland (Michgan: Baker Books, 2000), 481.]
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Frequently, missions are obviously foreign in personnel, in form, in language and in unconscious
loyalties. Indigenous forms of expression and communication have been bypassed thinking that they
would be a hindrance to progress. Even over a long period of time, the Christian experiment has not
produced the indigenous churches. So, it is not to be surprised that in our contexts Christianity is
considered to be foreign religion depending on foreign support, Western in form and anti-cultural. In
this respect, we need to feel the urgency of making our churches indigenous. The missionary must aim
at planting indigenous church, which expresses its identity in its local cultural context in its worship,
witness, administration, leadership, church building, art and music, and Christian life style so that the
local people accept and appreciate it as their own.

Efforts in Indigenizing Indian Churches.

Early missionaries in India included scholars who made important contributions to the understanding of
Indian cultures. To begin with, the brilliant example is Robert de Nobili, a Jesuit scholar, who through
the method of accommodation10 tried to present Christ and establish churches relevant to the local Hindu
context. He adapted his life-style to that of the people and appropriated various harmless customs and
ceremonies. Many traditional practices were Christianized. His greatest contribution was in his
scholarship. His accurate knowledge of the people, fluency in speech and writing opened an approach
to the Tamil people. Nobili gave a terminology for Christian theology, a vehicle for conveying
Christian ideas. In a sense, Nobili was the first missionary who had high respect of the native culture
and made the gospel deeply rooted in the life and thought patterns of the people. 11 Yet, his extreme side
of accommodation, toleration of caste system and pretending Brahmin life can be criticized.

Likewise, the first protestant missionary, Bartholomew Ziegenbalg made his effort to indigenize the
gospel by translating the Bible into Tamil, compiling a Tamil-German dictionary among many other
works. William Carey, the Baptist missionary, is another important figure who contributed a lot to
indigenize Indian churches. His translation of the Bible into local languages, educational work, social
activities, literary works, ecological ministry all can be considered to be the process of indigenizing
Indian churches. His personal effort to be self-dependent can’t be forgotten. The establishment of the
Bible College to develop indigenous leadership is his great contribution to the Indian churches.

Sadhu Sunder Singh frequently is cited as an example of Indian Christian indigeneity. His conversion,
theology, preaching and life style as a wandering Sadhu all carry the marks of Indian authenticity. He
10
[Accommodation is another subtle form of contextual theology. It considers prevailing customs and religious practices and
accommodates good ideas from other religions. It can be accepted to a certain extent as long as the biblical teachings are not
challenged.]
11
[ S. J. Leonard Fernando, “ A Divisive Social System Tolerated: Robert de Nobili and Caste System,” Indian Church
History Review 39/1(June, 2005): 13-14.]
5
viewed Christian life and faith from Eastern perspective.[ Ibid., 168.] Frequently overlooked is the fact
that women, both Indian and missionary, Pandita Ramabai and Amy Carmichael, have had a significant
role in the development of indigenous structure.

Problems and Limitations of Indigenization

The basic problem of indigenization is how the gospel can be communicated in culturally suitable and
meaningful terms without at the same time being distorted or diluted by non-Christian elements. One of
the most common distortions is syncretism12. Syncretism occurs “when critical and basic elements of
the gospel are lost in the process of contextualization or indigenization and are replaced by religious
elements from the receiving culture.”13

So, to avoid the problem of syncretism, the church must maintain a healthy relation between its
relevance and its uniqueness. A valid indigenous or contextual theology always upholds the supremacy
of the biblical revelation as normative for faith and conduct. It also upholds the uniqueness and finality
of Jesus Christ. The message of Christ should be contextualized or indigenized but it can’t be
compromised.

INCULTURATION

Today, the word inculturation is very common in the field of mission and evangelism. Generally
inculturation has been understood as the process of incarnating the Gospel among the people who
respond and live it in faith in a given cultural context.

The Definition of Inculturation

Jesica Atnet observes that, “Etymologically, the word ‘inculturation’ means the insertion of new values
into one’s heritage and worldview.”14 She further states that, “Inculturation is a theological and
missiological concept used by many theologians and in Church statements to justify the inclusion of
local culture elements, including art forms such as music, architecture, dance and dress, into various
aspects of Christian witness and life, including liturgy.” 15 According to Roman Catholic Church,
inculturation is Christianization of the local cultures. Cultures are regenerated by an encounter with the
Gospel.16 K. P. Aleaz define it as, an attempt by which one’s faith is understood and expressed through

12
[ Syncretism relates to the synthesizing of Christian beliefs with Non-Christian practices. It is an alteration of the content
of the gospel. It alters the biblical content in relation to the context.]
13
Ken Gnanakan, ed., Biblical Theology in Asia (Bangalore: TBT, 1995), 54-55.
14
Jesica Atnet, “Inculturation and the Local Cultural Dance,” Kristu Jyoti: A Youth Pastoral Theological
Catechetical Journal 31/3&4 (September & December, 2015): 194.
15
Jesica Atnet, “Inculturation and the Local Cultural Dance,” 196-197
16
K. P. Aleaz, “Is there any Hospitality in Inculturation,” New Life Theological Review 1/2 (September, 2011): 72
6
the symbols and language of one’s own home and culture. 17Inculturation recognizes that every culture
has its values, codes and practices, customs andusages, traditions and ethos, often its own language,
music, art, and even its own way of dressing. Inculturation allows the Gospel message to speak through
and in the language, music and expression of the people. It allows the images and axioms, adages and
proverbs of the culture to be used to speak to the truths of the Christian faith. It uses the stories,
parables, and mores of a particular culture to help the people of that culture understand Christian values,
the story of salvation and to respond to it in faith. 18Inculturation thus infuses the Gospel with the values
of the local culture. The interaction between the Christian message and a culture is innovative and
dynamic. In a nutshell, it is an honest effort to convey Christ and his liberating message and to make it
more understandable to people from all cultural backgrounds. By incorporating local elements into
Christian worship and making the Gospel relevant to that specific culture, inculturation is generally
understood to mean applying the Christian message in a specific cultural context.

The Biblical Basis of Inculturation

Although inculturation is a contemporary theological concept but its practice can be traced from
the Bible. The Bible-both Old and New Testaments- provides certain insight into the process of
inculturation.
Inculturation in the Old Testament
The Old Testament is the best example of inculturation in the sense of borrowing religious ideas and
cultural elements from the neighbouring nations of Israel.15 Augustine states that, “In the process of
writing various books of the Bible, the human authors, under the inspiration of Divine
author, have generously borrowed myths, beliefs, rituals, temple architecture, laws, customs etc
from the neighbouring cultures and civilizations. Various concepts of God in the Bible-El, Elohim, and
Yahweh-were borrowed from other tribes.”19. The images that had been used in the Hebrew poetic texts
were common in the Ancient Near East region surrounding the Israelites. The wisdom texts of the Old
Testament have some influence of Egyptian and Mesopotamian wisdom tradition. Ps. 29 is based on an
ancient hymn to Baal. Ps. 104 is a modified version of the long hymn to the Egyptian Aton.20
Inculturation in the New Testament

17
K. P. Aleaz, “The Theology of Inculturation Re-examined,” Bangalore Theological Forum XLII/1 (June, 2010): 137.
18
Theodore Mascarenhas, “Evangelization of Cultures: A Task at Hand,” Asian Horizons 5/4 (December, 2011):
741.
19
Augustine Kanjamala, The Future of Christian Mission in India: Towards a New Paradigm for the Third
Millenium, 190.
20
Subhash Anand, “Interculturality: Towards A New Humanity,” Journal of Indian Theology VIII/2 (May-August,
2015): 49.
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Jesus and his earliest disciples were Jews of Palestinian origin and their mother tongue was Aramaic.
Yet the New Testament is composed in Greek as that was the more commonly spoken language within
Jews world. One can also find that some of the texts of the New Testament are taken from non-Jewish
sources. Paul in his address to the people of Athens quoted their poet Aratus (Acts 17:28). One can find
Hellenistic influence on Paul’s literary style and ethical teaching.21

Jesus himself was involved in inculturation. He bound himself to the definite social and cultural
conditions of those human beings among whom he lived. He also reached out people in language and
actions they understood, and they saw him as someone with and like them. 22 Furthermore, the Synoptic
Gospels portray Jesus interacting with non-Jews living in Galilee and also with non -Jews living other
regions. For instance, he has a long conversation with a Samaritan woman in her village. He also has
conversation with a Syro-Pheonician woman (Mk. 7:24-30). She makes Jesus cross boundaries. Jesus
also admires some non-Jews characters of the Old Testament and also those he met. He praises the faith
of Naaman, who was a leper; he remembers the poor widow from Zarephath; he appreciated the faith of
the Roman centurion and he also admires the grateful Samaritan leper, who comes to thank him for his
recovery.
Inculturation in the Church
Following are the areas of Inculturation:
i) Language, Literature.
ii) Basic knowledge of cultures and religions of the region.
iii) Sociological inculturation (social customs, dress, food, habitation, major events of life, birth,
marriage, funeral).
iv) Incarnation among the people; identification with them; insertion into the mainstream of national
life: socio-political, cultural and religious.
v) Arts (dance, drama, music, painting, decoration, sculpture, architecture).
vi) Liturgy and Prayer/Meditation
vii) Spirituality: sadhanas and margas.
viii) Theology.
ix) Religious life.
x) Indigenous forms of preaching of faith-education.
xi) Ministries and services.

21
Subhash Anand, “Interculturality: Towards A New Humanity,” Journal of Indian Theology VIII/2 (May-August,
2015): 50.
22
Evelyn Monteiro, Church and Culture: Communion in Pluralism (Delhi: ISPCK, 2014), 66.
8
xii) Organization, institutions and structures.
xiii) Self-reliance in finance and other sources.
xiv) Life-style.23
Inculturation in India
After the IInd Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church in India positively involved in the sphere of
inculturation in worship and life-style. To begin with, from the early 70s attempts were made to create
an Indian atmosphere of worship, consisting mainly of postures, gestures, objects and elements in the
liturgy, vestments etc. An India Anaphora was also prepared and approved by the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of India (CBCI) in 1972. The Anaphora affirmed God’s presence in the whole creation.
However, due to the intervention of the Perfect of the Congregation for Divine Worship the Indian
Anaphora was forbidden by CCBI in 1991. Nevertheless, inculturation was encouraged in India. Prayer
and meditation through Christian Yoga and Indian type of Ashrams were encouraged.24
A Theological Response to Inculturation
A proper theological response to inculturation traces out a few negative and positive points of
inculturation.
A few negative points of Inculturation
 The little tradition or cultures of the tribals, dalits, and other marginalized groups in India were
completely ignored as a result of inculturation, which heavily relied on the Sanskrit tradition and
symbols of the upper class.
 The failure to adequately express the dynamic nature of the interaction of Hindu and Christian
traditions in the Indian-Christian consciousness results from the inculturation of the Christian
faith in light of the Indian heritage..
 Some intellectuals in India hold the opinion that the inculturation occurring in some Christian
ashrams is nothing more than a deception because it involves the slavish imitation of
Brahminical traditions in rituals, diet, prayer techniques, etc.
 The Creator of the universe is depicted through inculturation as a stranger in our society and
culture, according to theology.
A few positive points of Inculturation
 Understanding the culture of the people to whom the gospel is preached is known as
inculturation.

23
K. P. Aleaz, “The Theology of Inculturation Re-examined,” Bangalore Theological Forum XLII/1 (June, 2010):
138.
24
Thomas Kadankavil, “Perspectives of Inculturation in Theology and Liturgy,” Malabar Theological Review 9/2
(2014): 134
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  Through inculturation, the Gospel message is made relevant to a particular community at a
particular historical juncture with its unique religio-cultural identity.
 To live a holy life in complete union with God, inculturation affects people at the personal,
cultural, economic, and political levels of both individuals and communities.
 We are motivated to love one another and end all forms of discrimination, dominance, and
oppression by our cultural heritage.
 Through inculturation, locals can actively participate in worship and worship God in the culture
that they have created for themselves.
 The logic of the Word of God becoming incarnate in the wide variety of human experience
informs how the Gospel is being assimilated. The Word explores deeply into each culture's
foundations, engages in conversation with them, and then transforms and recreates them.
Conclusion
India is multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural country. Therefore, in spite of some negative
points, contextualization, indigenization and inculturation has a special urgency in India, where still
Christianity is often considered as a foreign religion. In country like India, it is very important to respect
and fosterthe local culture in living with the faith, so as to be in union with the local society. It is very
essential that the Church in Europe is to be European in culture, and the Church in Africa should be
African in culture, and the Church in India should be Indian in culture. Thus, anyone who wishes to
work with the people must understand and keep on understanding their culture, starting with the
language and slowly moving into the core of their attitude, belief systems and world views. However,
inculturation is to assume into the life of the church all that is good, true, and beautiful. In other words,
inculturation should accept all that is of positive value, but discard whatever is negative and sinful.
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