Column by Josh Butler

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Columns | Send mail to The Voice Don't dismiss native culture We've all heard the stories: Western missionaries enter a region and not only preach the gospel but push locals to abandon their tradition, culture, ceremony, dance and song. In the ensuing vacuum, the gods of tradition are quickly replaced with Western gods such as capitalism and individualism. Yet if the gospel is divorced from the riches of traditional culture, is it truly the gospel? For Noelani Jai, a native Hawaiian graduate student at Multnomah, the answer is no. As a young girl in Hawaii, Jai learned to dance the hula. When she became a believer, she was discouraged from this and soon gave it up. Missionaries had banned the hula because of its pagan undertones, a stance that created resentment in Hawaii's traditional community in the church. Jai grew up feeling caught between her identity as a native Hawaiian and as a believer. "I found this confusing growing up," she said. "How could I be both native and Christian? I loved God -- so how could I also love my culture?" Should God and culture be set at odds? If not, how can the conflict between them be reconciled? Years later as a young adult, Jai danced hula to a Hawaiian version of "How Great Thou Art." The experience transformed her outlook on the hula as worship. "Over the years, I have grown in my love of worshipping God in this way," she said, "and I remain committed to redeeming the hula for the Lord." Some people dismiss native forms of worship as "pagan" or "sensual." She sees this as a "way that we impose our own cultural and personal preferences as biblical standards." She believes that native peoples and others outside a Western tradition have a powerful cultural voice with which to proclaim the gospel to the world. Dedication to the revitalization of culture is not an arbitrary choice for the church nor a ground for neutrality. It is a vital element to a true witness of the gospel. So dance the way God made you, and encourage others to do the same. Jai urges those preparing for ministry to seek to develop greater cultural understanding and sensitivity. "Go to a Buddhist temple," she said. "Go to a Mosque. Go to a Native American pow-wow. Don't judge. Leave your preferences at the door. Just listen and learn. God exists above and outside or culture -- and yet He works through culture in relating to humans. May we do likewise." Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Columns | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2003 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.