Cultural Harmony and Gospel Fidelity

Introduction

A crucial conversation in the ever-changing global Christian scene is how cultural adaptability and unique Christian identity interact. Andrew Walls’ foundational ideas of the “indigenizing principle” and the “pilgrim principle” make understanding this connection possible.¹ Chinese house churches (家庭教会), which function under unique cultural and political constraints, should especially consider these ideas. This article examines these ideas and their significance and the practical implementation in the Chinese house churches movement. 

Engaging Culture and Adapting: the Indigenizing Principle 

The indigenizing premise holds that Christianity needs to take root in the local culture. According to it, the gospel should be communicated in the local language and cultural forms so that people can understand and access it. This principle backs the idea that the gospel must incarnate in every culture and people of the world (the Great Commission) rather than seeming foreign.²

We encourage the Chinese house churches to consider applying the indigenizing principle according to their local context. We suggest that churches include Chinese literature and art in their worship, combine Christian instruction with traditional Chinese values like filial piety, and address social concerns that affect their local communities. In addition to improving the gospel’s receptivity, this strategy helps believers feel more a part of their culture rather than as a departure from it.

Pilgrim Principle: Uniqueness and Prophetic Witness 

In contrast to indigenization, the pilgrim concept highlights the uniqueness of the Christian community. It implies that Christians must live as pilgrims and uphold beliefs and customs that could go against accepted societal mores, even when they are a part of their culture. We are aliens in our own culture. This idea demands a critical interaction with the culture in which Christians participate and act as prophetic critics of their society.³

We also encourage the Chinese house churches to apply the pilgrim principle, embodied in countercultural positions on corruption, unbiblical family loyalty, and state control over religious expression. Holding to biblical principles that defy social conventions helps these congregations remain unique while also attesting to the gospel’s transforming power.

The Value of Conflicting Principles

An excellent Christian testimony requires a constructive tension created by the interaction between the indigenizing and pilgrim principles. This tension ensures that the church does not become culturally captive even while it is understandable to other cultures. On the other hand, while maintaining its unique identity, it does not cut itself off from the culture it seeks to change. In China, where the political climate is frequently hostile to overt religious expression and cultural conformity, it can sometimes entail surrendering fundamental Christian principles; this balancing is essential.⁴

Chinese house churches must deliberate on how to be genuinely Chinese and truly Christian. Both the concepts that are overemphasized cause distortion. It takes constant navigating to be “in the culture but not of it.” One can get perspective from global communion with the varied body of Christ. Authentic Chinese Christianity will result from keeping both ideas in healthy tension as Chinese house churches negotiate between indigenizing and acting as pilgrim communities. Over-indigenization could result in cultural enslavement, but contextualization done poorly makes the faith seem alien. The transformational, prophetic edge is preserved by keeping the pilgrim call central. House churches can be totally Chinese and entirely Christian if they are well-balanced. 

Application of the Two Concepts in the Setting of Chinese House Churches

The following recommendations show creative ways to preserve the Christian identity while interacting closely with the cultural setting—for example, using the indigenizing and pilgrim concepts in Chinese house churches.

a) Community Involvement in Contrast to Prophetic Distance

While keeping a prophetic distance, Chinese house churches should consider their dual function in providing Christian social services and community development. This entails evaluating how well they maintain their prophetic position by promoting human rights and religious freedom while integrating into society via constructive contributions like community service. Think about the potential and problems this dual involvement brings. Think about the effects of vehemently opposing government laws that limit the freedom of religion. Consider measures to ensure this involvement improves the church’s witness and gospel proclamation rather than jeopardizing its primary purpose.

c) Gospel Integrity vs Adaptation

Perhaps Chinese house churches could consider how they explain Christian doctrine utilizing ideas from Chinese philosophy. Think about how lessons are customized for the local setting and assess how well syncretism is avoided while maintaining the authority of Scripture and the specialness of Christ’s atonement. Consider making the gospel relevant to a broader audience while maintaining its fundamental truths. Consider if the changes improve knowledge and acceptance of the gospel without sacrificing its essential principles.

b) Christian Interpretation of Traditional Festivals

Chinese house churches may want to think back on how they engage in customary Chinese holidays like the Spring and Mid-Autumn Festivals and how these can be chances to share their faith with the larger community. Consider how bringing Christian concepts like community and thankfulness into these festivities honors the cultural history and effectively conveys the gospel in a relevant setting.

Remarkably, it is advised that house churches consider how they could pay tribute to the departed in a way that does not go against Christian doctrine against idolatry on Qing Ming festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day. Given the Christian faith in the resurrection, consider the custom of honoring loved ones’ lives and contributions. Think about how getting together to share Bible stories, pray for families, and stress eternal life in Christ might turn this critical day in culture into a potent chance to demonstrate and confirm the promises of the gospel.

d) Following Christian Ethics vs Keeping Family Values

Chinese house churches might consider the possible tensions between Christian ethical principles and the cultural focus on family peace and loyalty. Crucially, problems like ancestor worship or pressure from family to follow non-Christian religious customs can undermine believers’ fundamental convictions. House churches should keep teaching biblically-based respect for family and urging members to stick to their beliefs in Christ simultaneously. This contemplative practice may foster a setting where faith and family respect coexist without sacrificing the core of the gospel. Analyzing this equilibrium can help society to more skillfully and truthfully negotiate these intricate cultural and ethical terrain.

Conclusion

Chinese house churches must research and make these ideas a reality daily. Encouraging their Christian experiences and acting as a dynamic model for global Christianity, the indigenizing and pilgrim concepts will be woven into daily life and show how profoundly the gospel may permeate and flourish in various cultural contexts. In doing this, Chinese house churches can deepen their spiritual experience and spread their impact while offering insightful guidance on remaining faithful to the gospel while carefully interacting with the outside world. As they travel this road, they can produce a distinctive and potent Christian expression firmly based on biblical truth and genuinely Chinese.

The Chinese house churches will offer the global church insightful information and inspiration as they develop and mature from their experience of balancing the indigenizing and pilgrim principles. By accepting their unique position as spiritual pilgrims and cultural bridges, Chinese house churches can permanently influence the course of global Christianity by proving the gospel’s transforming power and eternal relevance in a constantly changing world.

1. Andrew F. Walls, “Culture and Conversion in Christian History,” in The Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission of Faith (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1996), 54. 
2. Keith E. Eitel, “Continuities in Contrast: World Christianity and the West,” Southwestern Journal of Theology 61, no. 2 (2019): 127–128.
3. Ibid, 128.
4. Retief Muller, “The Indigenizing and Pilgrim Principles of Andrew F. Walls Reassessed from a South African Perspective,” Theology Today 70, no. 3 (2013): 312–313.

Jeferson Chagas

Dr. Jeferson Chagas has served among Muslims since 1996 and served in China from 2005 to 2015, including among the Hui. He also has over 20 years of experience working with gospel workers to equip them in the areas of intercultural communication and understanding Christianity in the majority world. Dr. …View Full Bio

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