How Christians Can Be "Salt" and "Light"

I must begin by confessing that contextualization was foreign to me until a few years ago. I was raised as a "fundy", largely being taught to basically withdraw from culture, forming my own Christian sub-culture. The thought of contextualizing to a culture was virtually unheard of in the circles I grew up in. Furthermore, theology is a passion of mine, but contextualizing this theology is a struggle. Various articles, among others, have been beneficial; for, I long to "connect" with all the people who hear the Word of God from my lips.

If a missionary is to effectively become an "insider" in the culture he wants to reach, then 1) He must do whatever it takes to understand the culture. 2) He must do whatever it takes to be considered an "insider" or "peer" of the culture by the individuals in the culture (this will vary from one culture to the next.) 3) He must examine the culture's conscience-spurring and creation-spurring consistencies, agreeing and correcting where need be in order to proclaim the God of the Bible. 4) He must present the Gospel in the cultural context and language of the people he hopes to win. Missionaries must be careful not to lose the Gospel in this endeavor; or to have their hearers associate the God of the Bible with their present gods.

In order to carry these truths out, missionaries must understand the culture to the point where they "are" the culture. In my culture, I don't think about what clothes I'm going to put on or how I'm going to talk. I am completely acclimated to the culture in which I live. I "am" the culture. Missionaries must be not only in the culture, but be seen as "of" the culture in the eyes of their hearers. Their hearers must see them "as one of them". The priority can be summed up by the Apostle Paul, as found 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, which reads, "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." Without violating the Scriptures, missionaries must pursue God's glory alone as they do whatever it takes, that they might "by all means save some!" The church too must be willing to do the same in order to reach their cultures as well.

For God's glory alone brothers and sisters.