ONE GOSPEL AND DIVERSE CULTURES:TOWARDS AN INTERCULTURAL MUTUALITY

Abstract

One of considerations expressed at Conference on World Mission and Evangelism (Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, 1996) was importance of local church in taking responsibility for and evangelism. The report of section IV stressed: the primary responsibility for mission, there is a local church, is with that church in its own place. This responsibility implies that where churches are not engaged actively in evangelism efforts, there is a to challenge each other, in affirming ways, authentic proclamation of gospel. But churches cannot act separately from one another, they need each other both locally and globally. In other words, churches must sustain a certain in mission. The question here is how should in mission be related to an intercultural mutuality? How far are churches and missionary agencies rooted in their own cultural context? If you take European context, then you have to ask: how can some traditional ways of be related to search for new ways of inculturation of faith? Participants representing different churches or agencies at a consultation organized by Conference of European Churches jointly with Missionsakadamie Hamburg on Gospel and Cultures (May 1996), shared comments towards new ways of inculturation of faith in secularised Europe. In this respect they declared: we have only just begun! The Christian past in Europe is mixed, but churches should begin a mutual learning process: what is it to live as a community of faith with confidence and humility?(1) Whatever Europe means, it is evident that culturally Europe is very diverse. Here it is important to question this diversity of European cultures, what can enable a mutuality between these cultures? What is distinctive uniting in European culture? One replies that this uniting factor is Enlightenment.(2) The question of Enlightenment and European churches is not new, but it seems to be reconsidered in context of issue and culture. The Enlightenment did not touch all European churches with their respective theologies in same way. theology, for example, a completely different approach to Enlightenment than, for example, Lutheran theology. But problem is also that cultures of Orthodox tradition have been influenced by Enlightenment. However, question remains: how far is Enlightenment criteria for a cultural mutuality common of European churches? The cultures are constantly changing today. The modernity understood as the sceptical rejection of traditional and religious sources of authority seems to be more and more replaced by post-modernity. Through this new development in western European cultures the intellect is no longer understood as only basis of knowing. In post-modernity and feeling have greater pride of place. Since post-modernity appears to be a less hostile environment for religious belief and it could be both a uniting factor of European cultures and a challenge for new ways of to churches in world of today. Facing new cultural developments, Christianity has opportunities to make its way by authenticity and excellence of its presentation, but should not seek anymore to rely on what is left of its entrenched power base, as was stated at above-mentioned consultation. The new cultural context is first of all pluralistic: multi-cultural, multi-confessional, multi-religious, etc. Mono-cultural contexts hardly exist anymore. The inculturation of gospel in culturally pluralistic contexts to find new ways. The churches should share their experience and assist one another in finding new methods and ways for their for world of today. In multi-cultural and multi-religious contexts, new forms of witness, cooperation and dialogue should be developed. …