The “Gospel” of Cultural Sustainability: Missiological Insights Anna Ralph Master’s Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at Goucher College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability Goucher College—Towson, Maryland May 2013 Advisory Committee Amy Skillman, M.A. (Advisor) Rory Turner, PhD Richard Showalter, DMin Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... iii Chapter One—The Conceptual Groundwork ................................................................................. 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 Definition—“Missiology” .................................................................................................... 4 Definition—“Cultural Sustainability” .................................................................................. 5 Rationale ............................................................................................................................. 7 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 11 Review of Literature—Cultural Sustainability................................................................... 12 Review of Literature—Missiology ..................................................................................... 14 Chapter Two—Historical Models of Cross-Cultural Mission Initiatives ........................................ 16 Ethnocentrism and Worldview ......................................................................................... 18 Mission as “Coercion” ....................................................................................................... 20 Mission as Protection ........................................................................................................ 24 Mission as Assimilation ..................................................................................................... 28 Mission as Adaptation/Accommodation .......................................................................... 33 Mission as Indigenization .................................................................................................. 39 Missionaries as Advocates ................................................................................................ 44 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 47 Chapter Three—Contemporary Models of Cross-Cultural Mission Initiatives ............................. 50 Mission as Contextualization/Inculturation ..................................................................... 54 Mission as Insider Movement ........................................................................................... 62 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 68 Chapter Four—Cultural Sustainability Case Studies ..................................................................... 71 Case Study #1—Various Missionaries, with the Mizos in India ........................................ 72 Case Study #2—Clair Good with the Maasai in Kenya ..................................................... 77 Case Study #3—Bruce Olson, with the Motilone Indians in Colombia ............................. 80 Chapter Five—Implications for the Work of Cultural Sustainability ............................................ 88 Implications ....................................................................................................................... 89 Best Practices .................................................................................................................. 104 Concluding Thoughts ...................................................................................................... 105 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 109 ii Abstract Christian missionaries were some of the earliest cross-cultural workers. The author, a former missionary and current student of cultural sustainability, notes a close correspondence between the passions of missionaries and cultural sustainability practitioners. Each field believes it has good news to share. Each desires to serve communities in ways that enhance their vitality—ideologically and pragmatically. Neither is satisfied simply to observe and document cultures; they have a desire to actively engage with people, helping to facilitate community-driven change that honors and sustains cherished cultural values. Both confront the powerful impulses of globalization. The author contends that these commonalities warrant an examination of Christian missionaries’ two millennia of cross-cultural experiences for insights which could benefit the emerging field of cultural sustainability. This research surveys the models employed by missionaries as they interacted with foreign cultures, both historically and in contemporary times. It describes three case studies which illustrate the application of cultural sustainability principles to work on the mission field. Finally, based on analysis of the historical survey and case studies, it offers a number of implications for the work of cultural sustainability and presents a set of recommended best practices. iii Chapter One The Conceptual Groundwork My enrollment in the Cultural Sustainability program at Goucher College came soon after my return to the U.S. following two years as a Christian missionary in Ethiopia. “Missionary.” My husband, son, and I did not fit the image that many people would associate with the title. We did not live in a hut in the bush, laboring to convert unsaved tribespeople to Christianity. Instead we lived in the capital city, in a modest house, and worked with the national Mennonite church leadership there, primarily in the arenas of leadership development and trauma healing. Our work took us to more remote parts of the country, but even there we focused on teaching workshops for church leaders. All of our contacts with other East Africans were an extension of that work. Our time in Ethiopia was brief, but had a profound impact on my thinking and understandings. I could not have anticipated in advance how it would feel to live for two years as part of a small minority group, and to have my Caucasian skin stand out in every crowd. To compound my discomfort, despite my best efforts, I was unable to master the local language on more than a rudimentary level; every interaction, therefore, relied on others’ English proficiencies and translation skills. Throughout our term, I struggled to understand the customs and expectations of that culture. Some of my most basic cultural assumptions were challenged as I learned about differences in communication styles, “telling the truth,” and concepts of time. It was humbling to be so foreign, so dependent. The Ethiopians were gracious and patient, but my heart longed to be able to enter more fully into their worlds. The two years were simultaneously very short and very long. This time in Africa offered many social and anthropological insights. Ethiopia is unique among its East African neighbors in some significant ways. Ethiopia was the earliest major empire to 1 officially adopt Christianity as a state religion, dating back to the 4th century.1 Due to centuries of isolation from the rest of the Christian world,2 the Ethiopian Orthodox Church developed as a unique, indigenous expression of Christianity which is a blend of Jewish/Hebrew, Christian, and primal religious beliefs and practices (C. Shenk 259-268). Contemporary Ethiopian cultural practices reflect a continuing commitment to this form of Christianity. Ethiopia also retains a distinction as the only African nation which was not colonized.3 This liberty impacted Ethiopian culture in ways which have distanced it from its previously-colonized neighbors. Ethiopia did not “benefit” economically and technologically as the other nations did. However, this isolation left it with traditions (such as music) and dynamics of power (including church structures) that are uniquely Ethiopian rather than adaptations of Western ideas. Ethiopia now finds itself, though, scrambling to catch up with the rest of the world, to integrate technological “progress” into a traditional culture. Missionaries, who span both worlds, often wrestle with how to introduce beneficial community development in ways that will respect existing cultural values and promote partnerships and community ownership. Our time in Ethiopia left me with observations and questions that continued to dominate my thinking. Nearly all of these concerned the nature of change as it relates to existing culture. Although the extent and speed vary, every culture inevitably experiences change. Defining the acceptability of the initiators and parameters of change can be challenging, even divisive. Every innovation that is introduced into a culture—African or American—comes at some cost. It is essential, then, to grapple with issues of agency and to determine who is in the best position to decide what is an “improvement” and whether or not it is worth any corresponding trade-offs. 1 Some Ethiopian legends trace the introduction