Sociologists describe the world as having three regional mindsets. USA/Europe is described as an individualistic, innocent, guilt culture. Asia is described as an honor, shame, community culture. Africa is described as a power, fear, tribal culture. These are broad strokes to open the conversation, not to create boxes and labels.
Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was resurrected as our Lord and Savior. As believers in Jesus, we are adopted sons and daughters who can now call God the Father “Abba” in this life and in eternity in His presence. From three different cultural perspectives, what did this work of Jesus do for us?
I grew up in the USA. The work of Jesus was often described to me as a courtroom scene. I stand before Jesus the righteous judge accused and guilty beyond any doubt. My penalty is a death sentence. I have no hope. Then suddenly, the judge steps down and says even though I am guilty, he will take my punishment. As a result, my guilt is fully removed. He has taken on the burden of my sin, my guilt, and my death sentence. Because I have made a personal decision to trust in Jesus, he is now my personal Savior and I as an individual, am no longer guilty of any past, present, or future sins. Jesus now stands at the right hand of God the Father and continues to mediate for my sin, reminding the Father that even though I continue to sin, that sin is covered by Jesus taking on my penalty.
In Asia, the scene of salvation might look different. I have done acts that have shamed my face and dishonored my family. I don’t dare look at the face of my Father. I stare at my feet. I am bowed over shaking and crying in my shame and rejection. I have no hope. Then suddenly I feel the palm of Jesus under my chin. He lifts my face and stares directly into it. His eyes show compassion and delight. He forces me to expose my face fully to his and says “I have taken on your shame and dishonor. You are now restored fully with your family.” Then he lifts my head even higher, and I see the face of God the Father and he sees my face, fully exposed. His eyes are full of joy as He looks at me. Jesus says, “I am the firstborn of my Father’s family. He delights in me, and now you are fully adopted, fully restored, and fully able to show your face without any hesitation to your Father, to your older brother Jesus, and to those who preceded you as a community of ancestors and will follow you as a community of descendants.”
In Africa, there is yet another scene of salvation. I have lost my tribal identity because I was expelled from the community of Eden by the tribal leader. That made me a fugitive. I don’t know who I am anymore. I am not under the cover of a leader, so I am lost without direction. People look at me as a rejected outsider. I stand alone and exposed. It is only minutes before I will be devoured by the wild things that surround me. I have no hope. All my personal attempts to belong to the community were futile. Then suddenly Jesus calls me by my tribal name, one that is ancient, but one that I only knew in part before. It is a name of inclusion and hope. The tribal leader sent his Son to get me back into the community. As the tribal prince, Jesus introduces me to my Father, my tribal head, my king. I feel a fear that is deeper than I’ve ever felt. It is a fear that includes profound respect; an awareness that I am in the presence of the true Creator of the Universe; a desire at the depth of my being that this is who I want to follow without any hesitation or argument for eternity. With my new name, I am given new tribal garments. I am fully accepted. All I want to do is to obey every word of Jesus and the Father and do whatever pleases them. I bow before them with joy, hope, and loving fear. They invite me to dance, eat, and laugh with them and my new tribe of parents, siblings, and children. I am at home, forever.
There is a nineteenth-century poem by John Godfrey Saxe retelling an Indian parable that talks about six blind men who are describing the same elephant. One feels the side and says it is a wall. Another feels the tusk and says it is a spear. One feels the tail and says it is a rope. Another feels the trunk and says it is a snake. One feels the ear and says it is a fan. Another feels a leg and says it is a tree. The poem concludes, “And so these men of Indostan, disputed loud and long, each in his own opinion, exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, and all were in the wrong!”
The work of Jesus is much larger than we realize. We have much to learn from listening to how other cultures perceive it.
Most degree and seminar courses in BGU have students from over eight time zones studying online together along with in-person city immersions in cities on five continents. Cross-cultural confusion is an essential part of their studies. As they learn to listen well, they see a much bigger God who is revealed through the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and diverse cultures. It is a unique way to learn and prepares them to share the “whole of the elephant” in their leadership roles in churches, schools, businesses, families, and governments in over 60 nations. Leaders with advanced skills and a bigger God mindset make profound differences in their communities.
We are thankful that our God is so much bigger than the limits of our culture. Please join us in this journey through a year-end donation that will help this unique school share the joy of our God who is far beyond our expectations.
Dr. Brad Smith
Chancellor
PS. Story Theology?
On the first day of my first theology class in seminary, my professor said, “If you cannot explain theology in a way that an 8-year-old can understand it, then you don’t understand it yourself.”
God reveals Himself through inspired scripture which is 43% narrative (true stories) and 33% poetry. There is value in theological positions that involve detailed outlines, arguments, and jargon refined by thousands of disciplined academic minds over centuries. There is also value in simple word pictures, stories, and metaphors that an 8-year-old can understand, simplicity after complexity. Both are needed.