FORMATION OF INDIGENOUS CHURCH

TOPIC: INCULTURATION IN MISSION

 The word inculturation was introduced by the Catholic missiologist Pierre

Charles in 1953, replacing earlier expressions like accommodation, assimilation,

adaptation, indigenization or contextualization.

 The term ‘Inculturation’ envisages “a process by which a ‘Particular Church’

expresses its Faith and life in and through the local culture”

 In the process of Inculturation, the message of Christ penetrates into a given

social environment, and its values.

 It makes the believers more committed to their Christian Faith since they

understand it through the visual of their own culture.

 Today, the word inculturation is very common in the field of mission and

evangelism.

 Today, generally inculturation has been understood as the process of incarnating

the Gospel among the people who respond and live it in faith in a given cultural

context.

 Jesica Atnet observes that, “Etymologically, the word ‘inculturation’ means the

insertion of new values into one’s heritage and worldview.

 Inculturation is a theological and missiological concept used by many theologians

and in Church statements to justify the inclusion of local culture elements,

including art forms such as music, architecture, dance and dress, into various

aspects of Christian witness and life, including liturgy.

 K. P. Aleaz define it as, an attempt by which one’s faith is understood and

expressed through the symbols and language of one’s own home and culture.

 Inculturation allows the Gospel message to speak through and in the language,

music and expression of the people.

 Inculturation brings local culture and its values into the life of the Gospel.

 It is a creative and dynamic relationship between the Christian message and a

culture.

Biblical Basis of Inculturation

Although inculturation is a contemporary theological concept but its practice can

be traced from the Bible. The Bible-both Old and New Testaments- provides

certain insight into the process of inculturation

Inculturation in the Old Testament

 The Old Testament is the best example of inculturation in the sense of borrowing

religious ideas and cultural elements from the neighbouring nations of Israel.

 Various concepts of God in the Bible-El, Elohim, and Yahweh-were borrowed

from other tribes.

 The images that had been used in the Hebrew poetic texts were common in the

Ancient Near East region surrounding the Israelites.

 The wisdom texts of the Old Testament have some influence of Egyptian and

Mesopotamian wisdom tradition.

 Ps. 29 is based on an ancient hymn to Baal. Ps. 104 is a modified version of the

long hymn to the Egyptian Aton

 Inculturation in the New Testament

 Jesus himself was involved in inculturation.

 He bound himself to the definite social and cultural conditions of those human

beings among whom he lived.

 He also reached out people in language and actions they understood, and they saw

him as someone with and like them.

 The Synoptic Gospels portray Jesus interacting with non-Jews living in Galilee

and also with non-Jews living other regions.

The Importance of Inculturation in Mission

 Christianity came to India in its foreign cultural forms, and by and large it still

lives on its borrowed Western identity.

 The missionaries had not only brought the gospel, but also the culture and

tradition. Then people of different regions adopted the new culture, symbol,

customs and practices.

 The purpose of the inculturation is to incarnate the message of Gospel in the rich

historic cultures

 If the Gospel, which is to be preached to all peoples, is to be properly

understood and assimilated it must be become “incarnate” in their own

culture.

 A Christian in India must feel at home with his/her local cultural context.

Therefore, inculturation is necessary for any local Church, in any and every

cultural context.
 Inculturation is obviously not just about indianization, in case of the local Church

in India; rather it is continuing incarnation of the message of Christ and the

creative integration of faith with life.

 Vatican II has expressed openness to the riches of the people and their cultures.

Ever since Vatican II, inculturation has become the central concern in mission and

proclamation.

 After the IInd Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church in India positively

involved in the sphere of inculturation in worship and life-style.

 To begin with, from the early 70s attempts were made to create an Indian

atmosphere of worship, consisting mainly of postures, gestures, objects and

elements in the liturgy, vestments etc

 Inculturation touches people at the personal, cultural, economic and political

levels of individuals and communities so that they can live a holy life in total

union with God.

 Inculturation inspires us to love each other and eradicate all forms of division,

domination and oppression

 Inculturation helps local people to actively participate in worship and worship

God in the culture that has been formed and developed by the people.

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