BRIDGING CULTURES FOR CHRIST FALL CHAPEL SERVICE September 17, 2003 Gal. 3:26-29; Eph. 8:25-32; I Timothy 2:5

Transcription

1 BRIDGING CULTURES FOR CHRIST FALL CHAPEL SERVICE September 17, 2003 Gal. 3:26-29; Eph. 8:25-32; I Timthy 2:5 Intrductin 1. In January 2003 I appinted a Task Frce n Diversity. I asked them t present a reprt t me by early summer. An utstanding reprt was presented and received by me in August. A standing cmmittee is in the prcess f being appinted t implement the recmmendatins. Yu can read the full reprt in the Library. my ffice, and we will send yu an attachment f the narrative f the reprt. 2. Our fcus n Diversity has brught back memries f ur years in Manila, The Philippines. Asia Pacific Nazarene Thelgical Seminary (APNTS) is a Reginal graduate schl with students frm: ecnmically affluent cuntries Japan, Krea, Australia, New Zealand, and, ecnmically depressed cuntries Philippines, Indnesia, India. The Mtt f the Seminary is: Bridging Cultures fr Christ. The key passage f the schl is I Timthy 2:5 There is ne Gd and ne mediatr between Gd and man, the persn Christ Jesus. This passage is critical when yu cnsider the regin where the seminary is lcated: Indnesia is 90% Islamic, India is 84% Hindu, China, 1/5 f wrld s ppulatin, is predminately Taism & Cnfucianism, Thailand is 95% Buddhist, In all f the Asia Pacific Regin nly 3% are Christians (Prtestant and Rman Cathlic).

2 3. Ann, Stephen and I have great experiences and memries in Manila. I remember my first night in Manila Did I make a mistake? The traffic/pverty were hrrific. The annual capita incme per family was $ The answer sn came. N, I did nt make a mistake. I sn realized that perhaps I culd cntribute t them, I immediately recgnized that they definitely had a cntributin t me! Fr instance, Anne befriended a female Philipin physician. She tld Anne: Fcus n the few yu can help nt n the masses yu can t help. Anne assisted students and pr Filipins with: Glasses, teeth, clthes, and csmetlgy schl enrllment. At a csmetlgy graduatin, the mayr f the small cmmunity said t Anne Yu are the first alien t attend ur graduatin services. Kreans are well knwn fr their early mrning prayer meetings. They meet at 6:00 a.m. fr prayer in an utdr chapel in the center f campus. They prayed ludly! And fr all f us! By name and smetimes by prblem r cnflict! Anne, ne evening with a baby dll and mthers f yung children, asked: hw d yu put a diaper n yur child in yur hme cuntry? very different! right r wrng? N - just different! rice cked in dining cmmns different, yes, -- but nt necessarily the nly way! Isn t it ur tendency t think, Our way is the right way? I learned t deal with cnflict differently with the different cultures: One culture wuld be in yur face, lud and demnstrative. Anther grup n campus, frm anther cuntry, by cultural traditin, required that I g thrugh a third party t discipline a persn. Saving face was s imprtant t them. 2

3 Perhaps yu better understand why the theme at APNTS was BRIDGING CULTURES FOR CHRIST. The thrust was nt t merge cultures, r change cultures, but t bridge cultures... fr Christ and His Kingdm. I ften asked the questin in Manila: HOW CAN WE LIVE TOGETHER AS CHRISTIANS SO THAT OUR RELATIONSHIPS ARE REDEMPTIVE AND A WITNESS TO UNBELIEVERS OF THE RECONCILING WORK OF GOD IN CHRIST? 4. This questin first came t my mind in 1978 during my first year as dean at the Eurpean Nazarene Cllege Lcated n the Swiss-German brder lcated near Schaffhausen, Switzerland. EuNC is a reginal, undergraduate thelgical institutin serving students frm: Nrthern Eurpe, wh tend t be frmal and distant, and frm Suthern Eurpe, wh tend t be infrmal and clse. I remember ur first evening in the small German village. The transfrmer in ur apartment blew. I needed help and culd nt find the lights r drbell n neighbr s prches where I was tld t g fr help. We culd nt find the blinds t cver the windw. N crds! Our first full day was spent by shpping by urselves in a German grcery stre! We cried. We did nt understand the language nr culd we read German at that time. With all the cmplexities n campus arising frm the different cultures, I asked the questin in my first year at EuNC: HOW CAN WE LIVE TOGETHER AS CHRISTIANS SO THAT OUR RELATIONSHIPS ARE REDEMPTIVE AND A WITNESS TO UNBELIEVERS OF THE RECONCILING LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST? 5. This questin was n my mind when I received a call very early in mrning n July 28, 1989 infrming me f my electin as MVNU President. 3

4 Hw can I relate my experience and training in multicultural educatin institutins in Wrld Missin areas t a reginal undergraduate cllege in the US? Will yu pray abut it, was the questin asked f me. Yes, I respnded. I received what I believed by faith was a cnfirming wrd frm the Lrd. I accepted the electin f the Bard withut understanding all the implicatins. In a telephne interview with me the day after I accepted, Jan Hendrix, then MVNU Cmmunicatins Directr, asked me what I thught I wuld bring t MVNU? I respnded: An emphasis n living mre simply, lving mre deeply, giving mre generusly, and thinking mre glbally. It did nt take lng fr me t recgnize the cultural diversity within this educatinal regin Ohi (N/S, E/W) (W. Virginia and Kentucky.) And n this campus, I began t ask the questin HOW CAN WE LIVE TOGETHER AS CHRISTIANS SO THAT OUR RELATIONSHIPS ARE REDEMPTIVE AND A WITNESS TO UNBELIEVERS OF THE RECONCILING WORD OF GOD IN CHRIST? 6. Answers t this prbing questin came frm several surces: Frm scripture: Especially Ephesians 4:25 Therefre each f yu must put ff falsehd and speak truthfully t his neighbr fr we are members f ne bdy. Regardless f clr, red, yellw, black, r white, sci-ecnmic backgrund, thelgical traditin, IQ r EQ: Cnvictinally, we, by grace, believe There is neither Jew nr Greek, slave r free, male nr female, fr we are all ne in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-29) Regardless f the level f maturity r immaturity, lud r silent, we believe that the ther persn, n the basis f his r her testimny f faith in Jesus Christ, is my brther and sister in Christ. Remember I Timthy 2:5 Fr there is nly ne Gd and ne mediatr between Gd and men, the man Christ Jesus. Christ is the Center arund which we view ur cultural differences! 4

5 Christ at the center can transfrm ur biases, ur prejudices and very narrw cultural perspectives. Frm Christian writers: especially thelgian Dietrich Bnheffer. In his bk, Life Tgether, Bnheffer talked abut seven expressins f ministry by which a Christian must be judged. 1) The Ministry f Hlding Ones Tngue He wh hlds his tngue in check cntrls bth mind and bdy, James tells us. 2) The Ministry f Meekness He wh serves must learn t think first f thers. 3) The Ministry f Listening The first service that ne wes t thers in the fellwship cnsists f listening. Listening can be a greater service t peple than speaking. 4) The Ministry f Active Helpfulness Simply assist thers within the Christian cmmunity in external matters, big and small. 5) The Ministry f Bearing (Supprting) Carry each ther s burden is the challenge f Galatians 6:2 6) The Ministry f Prclaiming Bnheffer des nt mean the message f Scripture prclaimed in a frmal setting such as in the wrship service. He is referring t the free cmmunicatin f the wrd f Gd frm persn t persn. 7) The Ministry f Authrity (Leadership) This is the paradx f ministry. Jesus made authrity in the fellwship dependent upn brtherly service. Frm hymns: Especially the APNTS favrite In Christ there is n east r west I learned VALUABLE LESSONS frm experiencing the cultural differences, especially peple differences, and seeing biblical and thelgical answers t these differences. Lessn 1 - Peple wh are different frm me are lved by Gd just as much as I am lved by Gd. Lessn 2 - These individuals can enrich my life, bradening my understanding, and enlarge my visin f Gd, thers, self, life and the wrld Gd created. Lessn 3 - If I am ging t be a glbal Christian, I must learn t think glbally. 5

6 Lessn 4 - On the basis f the testimny f the redeemed children f Gd, we must learn hw t live tgether as Gd s family n earth, in preparatin fr ur life tgether in heaven. Lessn 5 Gd grieves (Eph. 4:30) when his children brthers and sisters in Christ - relate t each ther in ways that are n different frm unbelievers. 8. At the beginning f this sermn, I referred t the President s Task Frce n Diversity. I tld the Task Frce that within fur years I wanted MVNU t receive the Cuncil f Christian Clleges and Universities (CCCU) annual award fr RACIAL HARMONY. This award is given t the institutin making the mst prgress in a given year in the areas f RACIAL HARMONY, DIVERSITY and RECONCILIATION. This years recipient was Spring Arbr University, a Free Methdist university in Spring Arbr, Michigan. Fr several reasns, we need t cllectively embrace this gal. In cnclusin 1) I believe MVNU can becme a dynamic labratry f learning hw t live tgether as the family f Gd. We can grw in ur understanding, by Gd s grace, in hw t live tgether redemptively at MVNU. In the midst f differences f culture, varius thelgical traditins, cnflicting expectatins, explsive persnalities, differing levels f spiritual maturity, in the midst f all f these differences f pinin and perspectives we can discver, by Gd s grace, hw t live tgether in such a way that ur relatinships are redemptive and a witness t unbelievers amng us f the recnciliating wrk f Gd in Christ. Our schl will be strnger; cultural differences will be affirmed. Christ will be hnred. We are talking abut a deeply thelgical issue. Gd grieves when we live tgether in ways that d nt reflect the Christian cmmunity a faith cmmunity - he desires fr us. 2) Each f us must be practive in mving utside ur cmfrt zne t participate in cultural settings very different frm ur wn. Example Cleveland Arabic Church Pastr Fawzi Khawaja Cleveland Nueva Luz Church Pastr Max Rdas Clumbus Funtain f Hpe Rev Jsephus Fster 6

7 Cincinnati Higher Grund (in pastral transitin) Munt Vernn Jubilee Church f the Nazarene Pastr Kevin Petersn 3) Cnsider study abrad and wrk and witness prgrams MVNU Wrk and Witness trips (at hme and abrad) talk t Je Nnen * Spring breaks, * Summer trips, * J-term trips Semester abrad prgrams Italy, Csta Rica, Mscw, Oxfrd, Cair, Rmania, Hungary, Shanghai, China and ther majr glbal cities and cuntries. (talk t Dr. Paul Mahle) 4) Take initiative n ur campus: Jin the multi-cultural r crss-cultural club see Ramn McGee, Directr f Multicultural Affairs and Student Recruitment. Invite minrity students, internatinal students, missinary kids (MK s) t yur hmes n weekends, n hlidays, and ther special days. The lng hliday weekends and schl breaks are especially difficult fr these individuals. Take the initiative t get acquainted with these students: * in the dining cmmns; * the resident halls, * classes, and * acrss campus. Embrace them as yur brther r sister in Christ Because they are... 5) Bridging Cultures fr Christ, using Ephesians chapter fur as a text and the sng In Christ There Is N East Or West as ur thelgical cnvictin, we can grw and mature tgether during the next few years as we seek t increase in RACIAL HARMONY, DIVERSITY AND RECONCILIATION at MVNU. 6) In a few mments, I want the fllwing grups t stand tgether (students, faculty, staff): Persns f clr at MVNU individuals frm cuntries ther than the United States, r MK s (Missinary Kids), If yu are frm the Appalachian cunties in Ohi, West Virginia r Kentucky. Students, faculty and staff frm denminatins ther than the Church f the Nazarene, Individuals wh wuld like t travel beynd the brders f this regin t learn mre abut the diversity f Gd s creatin, 7

8 IF I INCLUDED YOU IN ONE OR MORE OF THESE GROUPS, WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND ( OR IF YOU ARE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND). A lt f peple standing. Lk arund! I m sure there are peple standing yu dn t knw. Will everyne please rise? 9. I challenge each f yu every faculty, staff and student t find at least ne persn wh is different frm yu in clr, language, ecnmic status, physical ability r academic ability. Get acquainted with the persn, their histry, family, strengths, backgrund. Eat their fd. Enjy their music. Explre their backgrund. Experience their traditins. Examine their culture. Learn abut their family and celebrate their faith jurney. Learn abut the persn and benefit frm their friendship. Bth f yu are members f Gd s family. Gd desires fr us t live tgether in cmmunity in such that reflects ur relatinship t Gd and ur identity thrugh Christ with each ther. Yu may cntribute smething t thers. I m sure yu will. But yu will definitely be enriched by mving ut f yur cmfrt zne t embrace a brther r sister in Christ wh is different frm yu. And the Bdy f Christ will be strengthened... when we live tgether in such a way that, by Gd s amazing grace, ur relatinships are redemptive and a witness t unbelievers f the recnciling wrk f Gd in Christ. 10. Clsing Prayer Rev. Jsephus Fster 8