Mission and Culture

Joshva Raja

Inculturation

• It is a term used in Christian missiology referring to the adaptation of the way the Gospel is presented for the specific cultures being evangelized.

• "Inculturation" has been defined different ways - Pope John Paul II addressed the issue in several encyclicals and public appearances.

• "The incarnation of the Gospel in native cultures and also the introduction of these cultures into the life of the Church." [1]

• 1. John Paul II, encyclical Slavorum Apostoli, June 2, 1985, No. 21: AAS 77 (1985), 802-803; Address to the Pontifical Council for Culture plenary assembly, Jan. 17,

1987, No. 5: AAS 79

2. Ioannes Paulus PP. IIRedemptoris missio On the permanent validity of the Church's missionary mandate 1990.12.07, 52-54.http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_07121990_redemptoris-missio_en.html

3. PLENARIA '97 Faith and Cultures in EthiopiaA Symposium - February 5th to 9th 1996HOW TO EVANGELIZE CULTURES AND INCULTURATE FAITHDietmar LENFERS, M. Afr. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/cultr/documents/rc_pc_cultr_01061996_doc_ii-1996-ple_en.html

• "The intimate transformation of authentic cultural values through their integration in Christianity and the insertion of Christianity in the various human cultures." [2]

• "It is now acknowledged that inculturation is a theological term which has been defined in Redemptoris Missio 52 as the on-going dialogue between faith and culture." [3]

Enculturation

• Enculturation is the process whereby an established culture teaches an individual by repetition its accepted norms and values, so that the individual can become an accepted member of the society and find their suitable role. Most importantly, it establishes a context of boundaries and correctness that dictates what is and is not permissible within that society's framework.

Enculturation contd…

• It is the process of learning that takes the person and teaches him or her the ways of life of their people or country. It is a life-long process, affecting not only the child, but the adult too. Enculturation is learned through communication in the form of speech, words, and gestures. The six things of culture that are learned are: technological, economic, political, interactive, ideological and world view.

Acculturation

• Acculturation is the modification of the culture of a group or individual as a result of contact with a different culture. The term originally applied only to the process concerning a foreign culture, from the acculturing or accultured recipient point of view, having this foreign culture added and mixed with that of his or her already existing one acquired since birth.

Syncretism

• Syncretism is the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing, beliefs and to meld practices of various schools of thought. It is especially associated with the attempt to merge and analogize several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, and thus assert an underlying unity.

Westernisation

• Westernization is a process whereby traditional, long-established societies come under the influence of Western culture in such matters as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet, religion and values. Westernization has been a pervasive and accelerating influence across the world in the last few centuries.

Cultural Assimilation

• Cultural assimilation, or 'assimilation' for short (but that word also had other meanings), is an intense process of consistent integration whereby members of an ethno-cultural group, typically immigrants, or other minority groups, are "absorbed" into an established, generally larger community. This presumes a loss of all or many characteristics which make the newcomers different. A region or society where assimilation is occurring is sometimes referred to as a "melting pot."

Hegemony

• Hegemony (pronounced he'jem.ə.ni or hə'dʒɛ.mə.ni) (Greek: ηγεμονία hēgemonía) is the dominance of one group over other groups, with or without the threat of force, to the extent that, for instance, the dominant party can dictate the terms of trade to its advantage; more broadly, cultural perspectives become skewed to favor the dominant group. The cultural control that hegemony asserts affects commonplace patterns of thought: hegemony controls the way new ideas are rejected or become naturalized in a process that subtly alters notions of common sense in a given society.