CHAPTER NINE

CULTURE CHANGE

The missionary is an agent of change in the society. The very entrance of Christ in to the society changes the society itself. Every culture is in a dynamic equilibrium where there are orthodox forces that tend to keep the traditions and revolutionaries that tend to change the traditions to suite the new situations.  These changes are brought about by two factors:

• From within  by revolutionaries, prodigals and intellectuals
• without by diffusion.

A missionary will soon find out that his mission is not just preaching the salvation of Jesus through the acceptance of a faith. This is because life is not simply the assent to a given creed. Every aspect of life is intertwined with each other. God requires the totality of man. The message of Jesus is for a full and abundant life which means that it is something to be lived. The missionary therefore cannot be unaware of the problems of the society where he enters - the hunger and thirst, the educational needs, superstition, health requirements, class struggle and a thousand and one other things. He will find himself to be a culture changer in all areas of life as he gets involved with the good news of Jesus Christ. These cannot be attacked all at the same time. There is a gradual step leading one from another.

Leonald W. Doob’s principles of social change will help every missionary in planning his program and successfully carrying it out.

They are:

1. People are most likely to accept a change when it does not conflict their traditional values. This is the reason we try to understand the culture and try to present the gospel in terms of the culture.

2. People are likely to accept a change when it appears to have advantages which can be intelligently demonstrated in the present or which can be anticipated in the future. A faith that does not have a real meaning in their current life will have little significance to the people.  It is the transformation produced by Jesus in the person that ultimately gives the people their confirmation.  Is the power of Christ greater than the power of the traditional witch doctor’s spirit?  Can Jesus meet the daily needs of the tribe in providing rain and hunt and progress and healing?

3. While changing people are likely to experience discrepancies among their beliefs and values, which may result in more changes. It is this ongoing conflict between the doctrines and practice in the context of the society and its problems that generates the indigenous church. This church may be a copy of another church elsewhere simply because it is a church within a particular community. The Sudanese people will develop their own theology which is relevant to their socio-political system and to their daily life. There is nothing wrong in this. As the Holy Spirit directs each church they bring within themselves changes that are necessary. The original missionary who brings the message of Christ may not like these changes because they do not conform to his cultural standards of expectations.

4. While changing, people are likely to be discontented. This is essentially because of the anxiety over the success. They are not sure whether the faith and practices they let behind are actually better or not. They did work. Now here is something with which he is experimenting with. Will it succeed as well as the other or in a better way?

5. People are likely to accept a change when it is proposed or introduced by someone whom they consider important and competent. There is in every man the confidence in a scholar and saint. This therefore calls for the highly qualified scholarly and spiritually anointed missionaries. 'Very often a higher qualification in academic field will allow a person to be heard by the people even though what he says has nothing to do with his subject. This is because of the confidence placed in the person.

6. People are likely to accept a change when it involves components with which they are familiar or which they are confident they can learn. This is why the gospels are to be presented in terms of one's own culture. As far as possible maintain the form and structure of the traditional society in the construction of the church and its activities.

7. While in the process of change, people are likely to unite with or seek support from groups or other persons whose point of view about the change is similar to and supportive of theirs. This is why a fellowship is necessary. Similar churches elsewhere in nearby tribes will encourage the growth of the church.

8. People are likely to accept change when it is in accordance with the modal personality traits of their society and in accordance with their goals. The moral codes and ideal that is presented by the Christian faith may conflict in certain areas.  However in most Sudanese cultures the ideals agrees and we should expect no problems.  In other areas where there are conflicts the growth will be slow.

9.  Planned and unplanned changes are likely to have beyond their immediate effects, additional consequences which are unforeseeable.  A possible error in this regard is to avoid syncretism.  This is the attempt on the part of the tradition to mix up traditional fetishism and spirit worship, over permissive sex etc by mixing beliefs with Christian rituals.

Questions

1.  Consider each of the above principles and discuss how it affects the missionary’s work as he works as a social changer.

2.  How far and when should a missionary get involved in the local and tribal matters?

3.  Discuss the fields into which missionary may be forced into as he becomes an agent of change.

4.  Syncretism is the major pitfall in social change as Christianity is introduced.  From existing Christian denominations in the Sudan find out such compromises.