GOSPEL AND CULTURE: A REFLECTION FROM BRAZIL

Abstract

It is very difficult to speak about a topic that, while so relevant for today, is so little discussed within our churches. The first time I took part in a meeting that dealt directly with the subject was in April of 1993, when we convened in order to set the theme of the next conference on mission and evangelism (CWME) of the World Council of Churches (WCC). It was not an easy task because each one of us was focused upon a different aspect of the same theme. At last we settled on Called to One Hope: The Gospel in Diverse Cultures. Even though our churches in Brazil may be constantly questioning their own reality, we will hardly question the gospel that we have been taught and that continues to be proclaimed by the churches. It is, after all, the way in which we came to know the love of God, manifested through Jesus Christ. The gospel therefore is sacred to us, not only its essential message, but the entire package of ideas and cultural concepts through which it is communicated. It is interesting to note that in Brazil the several waves of missionary endeavour developed in different ways, depending upon the region in which Christianity was introduced. The Catholic Church, the largest in the country, is an example of this. In the northeast it was forced to accept, to close its eyes to the African culture and the religious festivities that were practiced by its members. In the south, however, the same practices are considered heretical. I am not making a value judgement here but simply inviting us to reflect upon that which we consider to be good or bad in our own culture, and that which we accept or reject. Many of the CWME participants will be able to observe this phenomenon first hand at the meeting in Salvador, Bahia. Brazil is a young country. It was discovered less than 500 years ago. Many different cultures were introduced, first the European, which practically exterminated the indigenous culture, then the African, and finally the Asian cultures. (As an example we can take the Japanese, among our most recent immigrant peoples, having begun to arrive here almost a century ago, to make their fortunes and then return to their homeland. Those who have returned to Japan in recent years usually found jobs that were below what they were doing in Brazil, though at higher pay. And they discover that they are no longer Japanese but Brazilian!) We are still in the process of defining our national identity. Despite such variety, several common traits characterize Brazilians. We are a joyful and relaxed people. Surrounded though we are by violence and injustice, we are a peace-loving people. On the other hand, we can identify a culture -- a youth culture -- within Brazilian culture. We young people have our own rhythms and sounds, vocabulary, conduct and lifestyles that are a worldwide expression of the youth culture. Yet, in many churches, to be Christian means to renounce all the values of the world. We are taught that we no longer belong to this world, although we know that we are immersed in it and must be light and salt. We must not question what is wrong within our society, maintaining a certain distance from everything that is happening around us. It is not easy to be a young person in churches that refuse to perceive the power of the Word in matters that, incredible as it may seem, are still a taboo, such as sexuality, the family, money, lifestyles, music, etc. These are all dealt with under the rubric of prohibited. There are a many contradictions in our world culture. A family can watch a TV film that not too long ago was considered pornographic. They now find it romantic and quite natural, and do not even bother to discuss its content in the light of the core values of their own culture. Or a very sophisticated young person can, at one and the same time, be extremely conservative, racist and prejudiced. Is this a problem of cultural identity crisis? Sometimes I think that we women are moving backwards. …