The reflection focuses on two issues: (a) How do we contextualize the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the context of denial of cultural diversity?, and (b) How do we contextualize the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the market life where we make money as God?
“Contextualization” redefined
“Contextualization” refers to making the Gospel of Jesus understandable and transformative for the life of the church and society.The terms”indigenization,” “inculturation,” and “transliteration “are relatedto the word “contextualization.”Those theologians tried to contextualize the Gospel, affirming that Western culture is superior and the only valid expression of the Christian faith.Any cultural practices not aligningwith Western cultures were condemned as evils and prohibited among the believers. The others, the indigenous cultures, were seen as primitive and demonic.
With the eruption of liberation theology in the global south, people began to realize that contextualization is not just cultural and religious issues, but the gospel must be related to socio-economic and political issues. The unjust economic and political structures are the root of the cause of poverty, violence, exclusion, and ecological devastation. Thus, the Gospel must be interpreted to transform theoppressed and the struggling poor.Also, human suffering and climate justiceare interrelated, and contextualization of the Gospel should have a vision of transforming the whole of God’s creation.
Contextualization affirming cultural diversities
The BJP slogan, “One Nation, One Language, One Religion,” is a blatant denial of India’s long heritage of “Unity in Diversity” (now “One Nation, One Election” is the agenda). It is a call for the assimilation of minority communities into the Hindvta framework. In the Hindvta agenda, “Unity and Diversity” does not mean a pluralistic society, but it is unity in Hindi, Hindu, and Hindustan – one must convert to the Hindu faith and worship Ram if the `other’ wants to live in India. Diversity is under threat. It is no longer seen as India’s great heritage.
An important area of contextualization of the gospel amidst diversity is God’s creation. Diversity is God’s structure of creation. It is like a rainbow. All colors are unique and different; different colors together make the rainbow beautiful. Diversity is to be preserved and celebrated but not to be condemned. In the beginning, God created heaven and earth and everything therein, including diverse cultures, religions, and races. God blessed them all. “Differences” reflect the image of the Creator and so they must be respected, protected, and also nurtured. Not only dominant Hindu culture and Western cultures, but Indigenous cultures are also richly blessed by God. We deny God by rejecting the “differences”. Contextualization of the Gospel will be incomplete without affirming the richness of God’s blessing of diversity.
Bible and Diversities
When we say God created heaven and earth, nothing is excluded. Jesus also told his disciples, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but fulfill them.” (Mt. 5:17). But the Bible does not say all cultures and practices are good, and we should return to traditional customs and practices. No. it is not possible. The Bible clearly affirms that we should preserve diversity in a transformed manner because of faith in Christ. Culture is also dynamic. There is no fixed culture. Some cultures are destructive to life. Misuse and manipulation of culture have led to many people’s killing, domination, and exploitation. Faith in Christ sets the limit. The gospel of Jesus Christ leads us to discern human limitations and challenges us to transform, resist, and reject those oppressive elements in our culture to save lives. Therefore, the biblical writers challenged us not to abandon “differences” as evil. Instead, transform them into Christ Jesus and celebrate the “differences” to glorify God in diversity. Jesus acknowledged the Samaritans’ good work, who were considered outcasts and sinners by the Jews. Instead, Jesus was against ritualism, legalism, and misuse of power and position by Jewish leaders. Celebration of “differences” transformed in the Kingdom’s values is what we need to affirm today.
Contextualization of the Gospel in the Market Life
The Global Hunger Index report states that India is in the 100th position in the ranking out of 190countries. The Government has failed to provide adequate food, shelter, and employment. Every fourseconds, a person dies of starvation and hunger. The poor die of starvation not because of their laziness, foolishness, and sin but due to unjust economic systems. The populist charity-oriented programs make the poor more dependent and vulnerable. The schemes and programs do not create jobs and livelihood opportunities but rather are implemented as vote banks. There is no long-term strategic plan for the alleviation of poverty. The political parties deliberately keep the weak and vulnerable as vote banks – objects of their doles and not subjects of their history.
The defining reality of the present time is market capitalism by the regime of the global empire. As Julius Nyerere said we are living in a market system where the masses work, and a few people – who may not work at all – benefit from the work. The few will sit down to a banquet, and the masses will eat whatever is leftover. “Capitalism is very dynamic. It is a fighting system. Each capitalist survives by successfully fighting other capitalist enterprises.” The global market system operates at the expense of the poor and the earth’s resources. Today the global market empire and the greed of capital are making a tremendous impact on the geopolitics of the world; it is touching, destroying, and threatening all life, especially the poor and marginalized indigenous people. Suffering and cries of human persons and all other living beings throughout the world are on the increase due to exploitation.
Competition among different religions and markets is a serious concern worldwide. This competition has become a source of hatred; daily human conflicts and almost all killings are related to religion and market competition. People are trapped in a new kind of worship, the worship of pleasure and greed. Houses of worship are mega shopping malls, and such places of worship and competition have emerged everywhere.
Market capitalism and denial of justice to indigenous people go hand and hand. With the slogan “minority should sacrifice for the sake of majority,” many Indigenous people in Asia have been forced to sacrifice their land, forest, and water. Some of them have been forcefully evicted. Many of them are treated as mere commodities and beasts.
Furthermore, commercial tourism as a tool of a neo-liberal economic project is promoted everywhere. To meet the demands of the arrival of tourists, the hosts have to sacrifice many things, including their culture, bodies, water, electricity, land, and a variety of infrastructure. One profound negative impact on the Indigenous people and nature is objectification. It means treating a person merely as an instrument of sexual pleasure, making them a ”sex object” without respect for their personality and dignity. It also involves objectifying indigenous people’s culture, customs, rituals, sacred shrines, places of worship, music, and ceremonial dress; traditions are mere markets or gazing commodities. People’s culture and natural environment are mere objects for gaze and enjoyment. Today, commercially modified differences are on sale in the market.
This is not an affirmation of diversity but a commercialization of diversity. There is no Gospel of Jesus without relating to this exploitative market capitalist.
Contextualization of the Gospel in market life involves transforming people to choose the value of life, but not money; choose solidarity, but not competition; choose the protection of life and family, but not a rejection; choose trade and economic co-operation based on equality and sharing of life and resources, but not unjust trade and manipulation; choose mutuality of support and respect of one another’s life, but not exclusion and condemnation, and choose sanctity of human life as well as the entire God’s creation, but not exploitation.