Cultural Blindness, by Nadine Templer

“If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” 1 Corinthians 12: 17-20

In the church, we have been racially blind, economically blind, and also culturally blind. What do I mean? In our spirit of “kumbaya” and toxic positivity, we have claimed to be color blind and also culturally blind. We are all one, there is no difference, and we all love one another. Isn’t that wonderful? Of course, the ones proclaiming this are in the dominant culture, white males living mostly in the Western world, most particularly the USA.

I have news for you. We are not all the same, and there is a difference. Just because some are on top does not mean they are right. Culture is so very important. The tone has been set by one culture over others. And then we wonder why there is dissonance sometimes. It is not because we are not “unified”. It is because we refuse to recognize cultural differences.

I am French, and I became a Christian in the UK. The church, though, was led by Americans. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for the way my life changed, but the US culture was dominant. And I just did not fit in. I was too direct, too outspoken, too argumentative. And this went on for two decades, as I was always mentored by Americans. Now, if you know French culture, debating and questioning are part of our culture. We do not go for frills and niceties. We are a country of philosophers and intellectuals who speak their minds. And I was criticized for being myself.

Recently, someone called me from Texas to say they were fired for being too vindictive, too fiery. Well, this person is Latina. What do we expect? Wrong place, wrong time, wrong cultural fit. As we hired people for the ministry or leadership, we failed to take those things into account. As someone who has traveled widely all over the world, I can see the differences. They are to be celebrated, not stifled.

The trouble is when one culture asserts itself and dominates. Much damage ensues. Unfortunately, the US culture has been the main influence in too many places. And even within the US, white Southern culture has dominated. Once you get out of North America, imposing a culture in another country leads to failure and resentment on the part of the local people. Most of the time, they do not say anything, as they are afraid of losing financial support, and if they do, they are labeled as rebellious and ungrateful.

I have too many examples to offer a comprehensive overview. But here are a few:

• In many countries, family and community are very important. When someone gets married or has a baby, the physical family is very close and handles things. Church people would insert themselves and dictate what should happen, which led to much heartache and family conflict.

• In a culture like Eastern Asia, being “fired up” and loud is considered disrespectful. Making people be loud and speak loudly is not appropriate.

• Condemning a South American woman for being “insubmissive” when really she was just being expressive is hurtful.

• Expecting someone to move into a brothers’ or sisters’ flat / apartment when singles live at home until they get married is insensitive to the family.

• Street preaching or cold contact evangelism in a country where the dominant religion is hostile to Christianity is not wise and actually very ineffective.

I could give many more examples, and I am sure that, as you read, you can think of many more. We just have to respect culture and not try to make everyone look, think, and speak the same. Jesus was very accommodating of various cultures and did not impose his ways. The Gospel will look different in different cultures. The core values remain the same, but their expressions may vary. And that can be so beautiful!