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What are some aspects of Christianity, as you practice it, that may be the result of your culture more than of the gospel? Have you seen churches of a culture other than your own expressing the gospel differently than you? In what ways?
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Living in western culture, it is easy to list aspects of Christianity that have come through our culture: Sunday morning worship, meeting in a specific building which has pews, singing hymns, reciting the Lord’s prayer, specific services, etc. Even within the western culture, there are varieties such as the lifting of hands, speaking in tongues, use of dance, communion, and the like. Many of these things come from preferences of people, but they can come from specific cultures, practical needs, and long-held traditions, as well. I do hope to one day experience church services outside of western civilization and worship with my brothers and sisters in their cultures. If it does not in this life, then in Heaven.
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One thing that comes to mind is the celebration of Easter.
I have been a part of a church in the past that expressed the gospel differently, while it is not specifically of a culture, they taught that Jesus was a prophet and that one must earn their way to salvation.
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The practice of Christianity can be profoundly influenced by cultural contexts, often leading to differences in how faith is expressed and lived out. Being an Asian church, we usually have the following differences compared to churches in other parts of the globe.
a) Asian churches are a testament to the power of tradition and unity. We often incorporate traditional cultural elements, fostering a sense of belonging and respect, and have a more uniform approach in our worship styles.
b) Asian services tend to be more formal and lengthier.
c) Community involvement is a cornerstone of Asian churches, emphasizing the importance of collective worship and its profound impact on the faith community.
d) As for leadership style, Asian churches tend to have a hierarchical, family-like structure with significant respect for authority and elderly members.
e) Apart from Easter and Christmas, we also celebrate other festivals in the church, such as the Chinese New Year celebration, where the church members will dress in red or lantern festival, during which we invite the non-believers to attend.
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Yes. When I was growing up, I attended a Baptist church and I thought that was the whole Christian church in a nutshell. The way the pastor preached, the way the choir sang, the way we sat down and ate together was all there was. When I became an adult, I started to realize that all Christians were not Baptist and being Baptist had nothing to do with Christianity. The whole experience left me feeling mentally challenged. I learned that Jehovah Witnesses were only studying half of the truth about God and Sanctified Christians had a different church culture than Baptist people. I learned that the church organization added names to their titles like; apostolic, evangelistic, Baptist, sanctified, catholic, etc. to actually distinguish difference in organizational culture. According to Revelation 22: 18,19 these words of scripture, we shall not add to them nor take from them. The goal is, through persistent worship, praise, honor, faith, and wisdom we all must become one perfect Christian community under God.
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CONTINUATION……..the use of rosary beads etc. None of these practices are found in the gospels. Other churches in the community did not practice any of these behaviours. When I was able to educate myself with bible study and history, I made significant changes.