BETHEL BIBLE COLLEGE

Topic: Inculturation in Mission

Subject: Contemporary Issues and Trends in Christian Mission and Evangelism
Submitted to: Prof. Neuto Kiho Submitted by: Frincibirth Sangma, Solomon.S

Introduction
The word inculturation was introduced by the Catholic missiologist Pierre Charles in 1953,
replacing earlier expressions like accommodation, assimilation, adaptation, indigenization or
contextualization.1 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.

1.The Concept of Culture

Culture is “the way of life of a people, it is their way of being human. It is a people with all
beliefs, values, customs, language, music, arts, as they are assimilated by the members of a
society and form the ordinary framework of their daily life”.

2.The Definition of Mission

The word mission is derived from the Latin word ‘mitto’ and the verb form ‘mittere’ which
is a translation of the Greek term ‘apostello’ meaning ‘to send’.2 Agreeing to this Rajan
Abraham observes that, since mission is an act of sending it always involves a sender along
with sender’s purpose and authority in sending.3 John Arun Kumar defines mission as, the
aim, purpose and activity of evangelizing, disciplining, and serving others in obedience to
the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.4 John Stott defines mission as everything the church
is sent into the world to do. 5 According to V. S. Lalrinawma, “Mission has been defined in
many and varied ways in the course of history of the church. It is divine operation, and it was
1
Augustine Kanjamala, The Future of Christian Mission in India: Towards a New Paradigm for the Third
Millenium (Bengaluru: Theological Publications in India, 2016), 186.
2
V. S. Lalrinawma, Missiological Issues Facing the Contemporary church in India (Bangalore: Centre for
Contemporary Christianity, 2011), 2.
3
Rajan Abraham, “Mission in the Old Testament,” Bethany Journal of Theology: 7.
4
John Arun Kumar, “Mission and Postmodernity, Neocolonialism and Globalization,” in Edinburgh 1910
Revisited-“Give Us Friends!”: An Indian Perspective on 100 Years of Mission, edited by Frampton F. Fox
(Pune: Centre for Mission Studies, 2010), 119.
5
John W. R. Stott, Christian Mission in the Modern World (Bombay: Gospel Literature Service, 1978), 30.
born in the heart of God before the foundation of the world.” 6 He further states that, mission
is all that the church is and does.7 Thus, generally mission is understood as witnessing and
expression of Christ’s concern and action for the whole world.

3.Meaning of Inculturation
The term ‘Inculturation’ envisages “a process by which a ‘Particular Church’ expresses its
Faith and life in and through the local culture”.8 In the process of Inculturation, the message
of Christ penetrates into a given social environment, and its values.9 It makes the believers
more committed to their Christian Faith since they understand it through the visual of their
own culture.10 Culture therefore needs to undergo purification (Evangelisation of Culture)
while the essence of the Gospel message has to always be re-expressed and reformulated so
as to be relevant to a given culture (Inculturation). Therefore, whenever there is
Inculturation, purification of Culture (Evangelisation of Culture) also takes place. 11
Inculturation, consequently, is an ongoing process by which a Christian community, rooted
in the local culture, expresses, celebrates and lives its Faith in a manner which respects the
core of the Faith and, at the same time is congenial to that culture.

4.The Importance of Inculturation in Mission

The western culture that has handed over by the tradition that is after all five centuries old.
They argue that due to this long period the Western culture had become so to say our own
culture. Christianity came to India in its foreign cultural forms, and by and large it still lives
on its borrowed Western identity.12 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. Instead of taking the gospel and announcing to new people in
such a way to facilitate the growth of new church with creative cultural expression in that
society, they developed western cultural expression. 13 Therefore, George Nedungatt states

6
V. S. Lalrinawma, Missiological Issues Facing the Contemporary church in India, 2.
7
V. S. Lalrinawma, Missiological Issues Facing the Contemporary church in India, 3.
8
J. Saldanha, Inculturation (Bombay:St. Paul Publication,1987), 9.
9
Thomas Menamparampil, Cultures in the Context of Sharing the Gospel (Bombay:St. Paul Publications,2002),
56.
10
John Paul II, Ecclesia in Asia, Apostolic Exhortation on Jesus Christ the Saviour and His Mission of Love
and Service in Asia (Trivandrum:Carmel International Publishing House,2005),22.
11
Paul Vadakumpadam, Missionaries of Christ: A Basic Course in Missiology (Shillong:Vendrame Institute
Publications,2006), 185.
12
Joseph Mattam and Sebastian Kim, eds., Dimensions of Mission in India (Bombay:St.Paul’s Publication,
1995),19.
13
Somen Das, Christian Faith and Multiform culture in India (Bangalore: VTC, 1987), 131-134.
that, the Gospel should be expressed in the language and culture of those to whom it is
announced27 and thus the inculturation is very important. The purpose of the inculturation is
to incarnate the message of Gospel in the rich historic cultures. 14 M. Stephen states that, the
mission should be incarnational; it should be rooted in the context. Christian message should
incarnate in the context.15 Nedungatt feels that, “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.”16 Indeed, inculturation is a means in the spread of the Christian message. Thus,
inculturation is desirable for the good of the cultures as well as for the full spreading of the
Gospel.17

5.Dimension of Inculturation
Inculturation has many dimensions; however we shall be seeing only two dimension of
inculturation. They are: Reception of Culture and Inculturation and Catholicity.
5.1 Reception of Culture
A local Church emerges from the faith response and lived experience of the Gospel. Rooted
in the Word the Church grows through continual interaction with life. Inculturation,
therefore, will entail inserting the Gospel message within the socio-cultural, economic,
political and religious situations of the people. 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.18
The role of local language in inculturation is so important. If the Gospel message is to
permeate the entire life, its medium surely must be the language of the people of a particular
region. For language not only encodes and transmits culture but it also gives identity to
individuals and groups.19
5.2 Inculturation and Catholicity
Identity of the local Church is not confined to its immediate context, but includes relation to
other local Churches as well. Identity of the local Churches need to be looked at from a
14
V. S. Lalrinawma, Missiological Issues Facing the Contemporary church in India, 88.
15
M. Stephen, A New Mission Agenda: Dialogue, Diakonia and Discipling (Delhi: ISPCK, 2000), 64.
16
George Nedungatt, “Evangelization, Inculturation and the Theology of Religions,” 492.
17
Stanislaus Chinliankhup, “Inculturation in the Postmodern Context in Conversation with John Henry
Newman and Ignacio Ellacuria. I.,” Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection 77/3 (March, 2013): 213.
18
Evelyn Monteiro, Church and Culture: Communion in Pluralism, 59-61.
19
Evelyn Monteiro, Church and Culture: Communion in Pluralism, 62.
global perspective of cultural pluralism. The universal dimesion of the Gospel calls upon
each Church to transcend the narrowing frontiers of nationalism, regionalism syncretism,
exclusivism, racism, casteism, fundamentalism, etc., and move forward towards global
fellowship. The ultimate objective of inculturation is not only the benefit of the local Church
but the enrichment of the Whole Body of Christ.20

6. Inculturation in the Church

6.1 Areas of Inculturation
Following are the areas of inculturation:
i) Language, Literature.
ii) Basic knowledge of cultures and religions of the region.
iii) Sociological inculturation (social customs, dress, food, habitation, major events of
life, birth, marriage, funeral).
iv) Incarnation among the people; identification with them; insertion into the
mainstream of national life: socio-political, cultural and religious.
v) Arts (dance, drama, music, painting, decoration, sculpture, architecture).
vi) Liturgy and Prayer/Meditation
vii) Spirituality: sadhanas and margas.
viii) Theology.
ix) Religious life.
x) Indigenous forms of preaching of faith-education.
xi) Ministries and services.
xii) Organization, institutions and structures.
xiii) Self-reliance in finance and other sources.
xiv) Life-style.21
6.2 Efforts for Inculturation
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. 22 Thus,
several efforts have been made for the inculturation, the process by which the Church
becomes really incarnated in every human group, in every place and time and in every

20
Evelyn Monteiro, Church and Culture: Communion in Pluralism, 64.
21
K. P. Aleaz, “The Theology of Inculturation Re-examined,” 138.
22
Joseph Mattam , “Inculturated Evangelization and Conversion,” Voices from the Third World XXVI/1 (June,
2003): 79.
culture and religious tradition; the process by which every aspect of the Church’s life and
each of its activities can be authentic and meaningfully expressed through its socio-cultural-
religious signs.23

6.3 Inculturation in India

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. An India Anaphora was
also prepared and approved by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) in 1972.
The Anaphora affirmed God’s presence in the whole creation. However, due to the
intervention of the Perfect of the Congregation for Divine Worship the Indian Anaphora was
forbidden by CCBI in 1991.
Nevertheless, inculturation was encouraged in India. Prayer and meditation through
Christian Yoga and Indian type of Ashrams were encouraged.24

Conclusion
India is multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural country. Therefore, in spite of some
negative points, inculturation has a special urgency in India, where still Christianity is often
considered as a foreign religion. In country like India, it is very important to respect and
foster the local culture in living with the faith, so as to be in union with the local society. It is
very essential that the Church in Europe is to be European in culture, and the Church in
Africa should be African in culture, and the Church in India should be Indian in culture.
Thus, anyone who wishes to work with the people must understand and keep on
understanding their culture, starting with the language and slowly moving into the core of
their attitude, belief systems and world views. However, inculturation is to assume into the
life of the church all that is good, true, and beautiful.

Bibliography
Das, Somen. Christian Faith and Multiform culture in India. Bangalore: VTC, 1987.

23
K. P. Aleaz, “The Theology of Inculturation Re-examined,” 142.
24
K. P. Aleaz, “The Theology of Inculturation Re-examined,” 142-143.
John Paul II. Ecclesia in Asia, Apostolic Exhortation on Jesus Christ the Saviour and His
Mission of Love and Service in Asia. Trivandrum: Carmel International Publishing House,
2005.
Kanjamala, Augustine. The Future of Christian Mission in India: Towards a New Paradigm
for the Third Millenium. Bengaluru: Theological Publications in India, 2016.
Kumar, John Arun. “Mission and Postmodernity, Neocolonialism and Globalization.” In
Edinburgh 1910 Revisited-“Give Us Friends!”:An Indian Perspective on 100 Years of
Mission. Edited by Frampton F. Fox. Pune: Centre for Mission Studies, 2010.
Lalrinawma, V. S. Missiological Issues Facing the Contemporary church in India.
Bangalore: Centre for Contemporary Christianity, 2011.
Mattam, Joseph and Sebastian Kim, eds. Dimensions of Mission in India. Bombay: St.Paul’s
Publication, 1995.
Menamparampil, Thomas. Cultures in the Context of Sharing the Gospel. Bombay: St. Paul
Publications, 2002.
Monteiro, Evelyn. Church and Culture: Communion in Pluralism. Delhi: ISPCK, 2014.
Saldanha, J. Inculturation. Bombay: St. Paul Publication, 1987.
Stephen, M. A New Mission Agenda: Dialogue, Diakonia and Discipling. Delhi: ISPCK,
2000.
Stott, John W. R. Christian Mission in the Modern World. Bombay: Gospel Literature
Service, 1978.
Vadakumpadan, Paul. Missionaries of Christ: A Basic Course in Missiology. Shillong:
Vendrame Institute Publications, 2006.

Periodical Journal
Abraham, Rajan. “Mission in the Old Testament.” Bethany Journal of Theology: 6-27.
Aleaz, K. P. “The Theology of Inculturation Re-examined.” Bangalore Theological Forum
XLII/1 (June, 2010): 136-157.
Chinliankhup, Stanislaus. “Inculturation in the Postmodern Context in Conversation with
John Henry Newman and Ignacio Ellacuria. I.” Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection
77/3 (March, 2013): 207-220.
Mattam, Joseph. “Inculturated Evangelization and Conversion.” Voices from the Third
World XXVI/1 (June, 2003): 68-90.
Nedungatt, George. “Evangelization, Inculturation and the Theology of Religions.” Asian
Horizons 8/3 (September, 2014): 486-514.