Contextualization is when a truth, standard or process is conformed to fit into a certain culture. I first saw this played out when a missionary returned to the States and gave a report in the church in which they were supported. They shared how exciting it was that a children’s Bible club served as a bridge to reach the kid’s parents and within months a full blown church was happening. As they were sharing this “normally” wonderful news, I was sitting wonder who was pastoring this church – seeing that the missionary was a woman. When I asked the question, all eyes turned towards me and an “evil eyes” I haven’t seen since I was a young child saying something embarrassing in my parent’s presence. The room got even more uncomfortable when she explained that she was serving in that role and I asked “how could she Biblically justify that position, seeing that the Bible clearly states that leadership in church such as elders and pastors are reserved for men.” Her discomfort with the confrontation, my church’s mission board silence and thereby lack of support for my concern, and my agitation were all signs something was a matter. The pragmatism that was brought forth by well-intentioned and seemingly mature believers was baffling. Here it was a clear Biblical principle that believers, and more distressing missionaries, were willing to be place of the altar of pragmatism. There was a presumption that the end would justify the means and the “spin” was that this situation could be “God’s will” or that God would allow some kind of spiritual “get out of jail free” cards when you cross into different cultures. All of this kind of think is erroneous.
The evangelical church has been guilty in allowing ministers to contextualize the gospel to fit their certain lifestyle or market driven theory. They have also indirectly allowed for permissive programming under the idea that “this is the way you have to do ministry today.” Missionaries have done it for year without being called on the carpet. Pastors in America are running rough shod over theological standards claiming that the gospel needs to be more “relevant” if we are going to reach people for Christ.
It began years ago within ethnic churches (ie. black liberation theology); within interest groups (ie. egalitarian women’s liberation theology); within mislead “hobby-horse” agendas (ie. environmentalism and social work agencies who show mercy instead of holding to convictions) and a like, we do nothing about it.
The fact is the gospel is “counter cultural” – it forces us to conform to gospel living and kingdom principles. We are never to contort the gospel to our particular lifestyle, preferences, cow tail to a certain problems or suffrages. The problem is we have not challenged some of that errant thinking. We have allowed their “humanistic and humanitarian” fervor to over ride truth and allowed them to misrepresent what the gospel is saying and how it should be applied. At the core we have moved conviction towards compromise with no resistance. And now our compromises are being compromised and we end up with complete confusion.
All of these past problems pale in comparison to the post-modernism which has now descended upon the church claiming that there is no absolutes and leaving minds and hearts open for assault of all kinds of relativism. The church today looks more and more like the last verse in the book of Judges…. “and everyone did what was right in their own eyes!”