Indigenization
and Contextualization & Theological and Ministerial Training Institutions.
Presented by:
Lalhlenzova, Lalrammawii Thangluah and Laldanmawia
………………………………………………………
Introduction:
The 20th Century brought a new pattern in mission which looked
for all places and situations. It put more emphasis on setting the foundation
of mission in the culture of where it’s being preached. Then there came
indigenization, inculturation and contextualization. They all have same idea
and goal but used interchangeably from time to time. Then these movements made
great contributions in mission. So in this paper, we will look upon the concepts
and approaches of indigenization,
contextualization and theological and ministerial training institutions
which came under the sub topic of ‘indigenous and national Christian movements and
churches’ in the syllabus.
1. Definition and Elaboration of the
Terms:
1.1. Indigenization: The word indigenization means putting self
into the other side of its situation, and to make increase local
participation.
According to Kosuke Koyama[1],
Indigenization means
“theologically informed endeavour to make the
content and expression of Christian theology, ministry and life adapted and
rooted in a community of different cultural localities”.[2]
This definition seems to be the adaption of
Christian theology to be rooted in the local culture. To the word
indigenization, one person is remembered, who is none other than Robert de
Nobili.[3]
We can bring him as an example as he got himself changed as Indian as much as
he could in order to make his mission more meaningful. At the same time he
wanted to present Christianity to the Indians in an Indian way.[4]
Giving first priority to the people’s situation rather than self is one of the
main aims of indigenization. It is very true to the life of De Nobili as
mentioned above. To be accepted by the higher caste, he put himself to their
feet and ate among them.[5]
1.2.
Contextualization: According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary, the word contextualization means “considering things in relation to
the situation in which it happens or exists”. Here the meaning refers to
putting importance to the situation according to the context where something is
done. R. Yesurathnam defines contextualization as “part of an evolving stream
of thought that relates the gospel and churches to a local context”.[6]
In
a theological field, the term contextualization can be defined as ‘doing
theology in relation to the place where it is being done’. In other words, we
may say it is bringing salvation in relation to the people’s condition,
encountering their socio-cultural environment. It stresses more on the
situation of the people’s economic, cultural, social and political contexts. We
may also say that it is all about doing mission works to the people according
to their present situation and by considering their own conditions.
The word Contextualization itself is formulated in Christian mission
dated back to 1970’s. It is a missiological must and is really imperative that
brings the concern for relating gospel and culture.[7]
1.3. Theological
and Ministerial Training Institutions: The 19th and 20th Centuries witnessed development
in founding and running theological and ministerial training institutions throughout
the world, particularly in the West. These institutions were the places where
people had been doing their studies and their researches. And from there,
ideologies in large numbers had been coming up to meet the challenges of each
situation.
In America, today’s well known seminaries laid
their foundations to these centuries. We can learn how their functioning was
effective. The famous Princeton Theological seminary (1812), Union Theological
Seminary (1836), Andover Newton Theological School (1807), Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary (1859), American Baptist Theological Seminary (1924), Nyack
College (formerly known as Missionary Training Institute, 1882),[8]
and other theological and ministerial
training institutions promoted the national integrity in one way or another.
And in Europe, the following institutions were established in the same centuries: Budapest University of Jewish Studies (Hungary, 1877), All Nation Christian College (England, 1971), Belfast Bible College (Northern Ireland, 1908), International Christian College (Scotland ), London Theological Seminary (England, 1977), South Wales Baptist College (Wales, 1807), Augustana Divinity School (Germany, 1947), Evangelical Theological seminary (Croatia, 1894), Johannelund Theological Seminary (Sweden, 1862).[9]
2. Approaches in Indigenization and Contextualization:
There
can be some more approaches in doing indigenization and contextualization of
mission, but this paper limits them into four points only in order to make it
concise and rigid. Those are:-
2.1. More participation of the indigenous people: To have more successful indigenization and
contextualization, letting the native people involves in that mission is a
must. The more indigenous people participate; the mission will run more
meaningfully. As the new paradigm of mission looks ahead on promoting people’s
oriented, the success will lie on the opening of the gate for the participation
of indigenous people. The involvement of the context people is needed to launch
with the consent of the missionaries.
2.2. Transferring the ownership: There are three basic elements which make the church more indigenous,
they are self-propagation, self support and self-government.[10]
To achieve these goals the ownership of the planted churches in the fields are
to be transferred to the native Christians.
Developing people to have courage, ability and interest in organizing
church is a necessity through which more people will be coming up to take
responsibility. However transferring the ownership may not necessarily means
giving them full authority at one time; rather it should be materialized from
time to time and in a slow and steady developing process.
2.3. Living like them: One
of the most important approaches in indigenizing and contextualizing is to live
the life like them. Even God has turned down to the world and lived among the
people to affirm the contextualization.[11]
The Divine One became Jesus of Nazareth, doing ministry in the Jewish context
and he immersed himself to be Jewish man who fulfilled the religious
requirements as he said in Matthew 3:15. The incarnation is thus a good example
for indigenizing and contextualizing ourselves to the context where we work. The
greater result will be depended on the absorption of the missionaries to the
life of the native people.
2.4. Propagating cultural based
Christianity: Unless Christianity
is culturally rooted, it may not last long in active. That is why promoting
cultural based Christianity is essential in doing mission. The plurality of
cultures presupposes a plurality of theologies.[12]
Likewise, the plurality of cultures demands their own cultural based
Christianity. And then the cultural based Christianity can be promoted through
indigenization and contextualization.
3.
Approaches in Theological and Ministerial Training Institutions:
Some
of the approaches in theological and ministerial training institutions are:
3.1. Institution based on the context: Many of today’s theological institutions aim for training students
evaluating contemporary challenges in the light of the gospel and giving strong
emphasis on mission and evangelism.[13]
They stand on the contemporary context. Similarly, the 19th and 20th
Centuries’ institutions were also based on the context. Colleges of different countries
were directly or indirectly influenced by their own context and were instituted
on their own situational bases. On the other hand, the institutions were
established to provide workers in the churches and other organizations
according to the needs of their context.
3.2. Institution of social concern: Many of the institutions had been coming up with having social concerns.
The social conditions of the respected areas played important role for influencing
the curriculum of theological training colleges, because the social problems,
social evils and other troubles relating to societies were to be found which caused
people to suffer. To bring off all these problems, training institutions also
have responsibilities, and they provided students to look for solution for such
problems. Some theological training institutions include social concern as idea
or department like Princeton Theological Seminaries have ‘social conservatism’
as her ideology.[14]
3.3. Promoting cross-cultural mission: The focus of some training institutions was
to train people for cross-cultural Christian mission services anywhere in the
world. It is doing mission which covers abroad particularly to the other
cultures of countries or places. Committed people got training there; equipping
themselves and learning techniques and all. It was these institutions which
contributed lot in producing cross cultural missionaries. By sending out missionaries,
the mission was promoted.
Concluding
Remarks:
The
two approaches mentioned above are practiced in the history, even till today.
The Mission movement is consolidated with such words like indigenization and
contextualization. They bring the missionaries near to the people, particularly
to their culture. Even though the terms were formulized a Century back, they
are still active to be used for doing mission in today context. The foundation
that was laid in the previous centuries brings the results; so that the
indigenous people receive their dignity through transferring of authority to
them towards the planted churches. The mission fields are now the bodies that
make the new mission fields in turn in other places. Indigenization and
contextualization made indigenous people to have zeal in mission, as well as to
have responsible authority towards the mission.
The
theological and ministerial training was given regards; and we may call the 19th
Century an Era for establishing such institutions in America and Europe,
because most of prominent training institutions in the West were opened in this
century. The development in every field of life also demanded development in
theological circulation which also encouraged the churches to run theological
seminaries in their respective places. And thus training institutions had been
emerged in large numbers. Then these theological and ministerial training
institutions had a great contribution for promoting theological speculation and
mission movement.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Anderson,
Gerald H. and Thomas F. Stransky. Mission Trends No. 3: Third World
Theology.
New York: Paulist
Press, 1976.
Bosch,
David J. Transforming Mission:
Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. New York:
Orbis Books,
1991.
Hodges,
Melvin, L. The Indigenous Church. Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1953.
Jeganathan,
WS Milton, eds. Mission Paradigm
in the New Millenium. Delhi:
ISPCK, 2000.
Jeyakumar,
D. Arthur. Christians and the
national Movement. Calcutta: PK
Bhattacharya
Punti Pustak,
1999.
Sumithra,
Sunand and F. Hrangkhuma, eds. Doing Mission in Context. Bangalore:
Theological
Book Trust, 1995.
WEBLIOGRAPHY:
(13 July 2012).
[1] Kosuke koyama was a Japanese well known missionary to
Thailand who propounded the so called Water Buffalo Theology.
[2] Sunand Sumithra and F. Hrangkhuma, eds. Doing Mission in Context (Bangalore:
Theological Book Trust,
1995), 17.
[3] Robert de Nobili was an Italian Jesuit
missionary who came to Madura (India) in 1606.
[4] Sunand Sumithra and F. Hrangkhuma, eds. Doing Mission…, 19.
[5] Sunand Sumithra and F. Hrangkhuma, eds. Doing Mission….
[6] R. Yesurathnam, “Contextualization in
Mission” in Mission Paradigm in the New Millenium. Edited by WS Milton Jeganathan (Delhi:
ISPCK, 2000), 52.
[7] R. Yesurathnam, “Contextualization in Mission” …, 52.
[10] Melvin L.
Hodges, The Indigenous Church (Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1953),
22.
[11] David J
Bosch, Transforming Mission:
Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (New York: Orbis
Books, 1991), 426.
[12] David J
Bosch, Transforming Mission…, 452.
