Comments on: 3rd Culture Thursday: Multi-Cultural vs Third Culture

By: daveingland

daveingland — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:18:25 +0000

Lovelee, while I don’t know the intent behind the comment from Hybridboy, I can say this from my experience:

1) Becoming an American Christian is basically acultural in the mainstream church.

2) White American culture is forced upon most of us in the church.

In most churches people of all races are invited to be a part of the membership, but it’s on the terms of the majority in the church. It’s evident in the way messages are preached, the casual nature of dress, contemporary songs, branding, etc. We aren’t asked to come represent our distinctiveness, rather we are invited to assimilate and be one happy white Christian family that happens to not all look alike, but are expected to act and think alike.

By: daveingland

daveingland — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:13:41 +0000

I know that Western & Eastern Canada are very diverse places, yet from what I understand, the church isn’t as diverse as we’d think it should be. There is a lot of conformity expected in Canada just as in the US. Australia on the other hand, is much different.

By: daveingland

daveingland — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:12:01 +0000

Lovelee, moving towards a third culture environment for the church will definitely go beyond race. It’s more about culture than race, although I have been tending to define more from a racial perspective in these early posts for 3rd Culture Thursdays. From my lens, I tend to see gender and social equality as an aspect of our culture as well. It’s interesting how we as the church tend to almost look down upon others and act like rescuers of those that have less or in the case of women, offered less. For third culture to function in a church, there definitely would need to be diversity and sharing in leadership.

As difficult as it may be to realize this dream, I am doing what I can to stay true to the value of the church being a place of reconciliation and allowing us, children of God, to know the true expression of what it means to know who we are in Christ and why we were created to look like we do, think like we do, and live in the places that we do.

By: Lovelee Brown

Lovelee Brown — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:41:21 +0000

I’m replying with no intention of stirring conflict or argument but the above statement does seem to imply either or both of the following, that 1) becoming “american” is acultural and/or 2) Non-”american” culture is secondary to “american”

By: Hybridboy

Hybridboy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:33:32 +0000

The American church is reflective of the country in general – put away your culture and become “American”. I wonder if this phenomenon exists in Canadian churches where multiculturalism is embraced.

By: Lovelee Brown

Lovelee Brown — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:57:57 +0000

In theory I think it would be great for the church to simulate the analogy you gave but unfortunately due to issues of comfort, tradition, and (what people may be less likely to directly say) efficiency, I don’t see these changes coming quite yet or even any time soon.

Also “White” churches aren’t the only ones that aren’t so keen on this integration/ cultural exchange concept. Possibly as a response to the establishment of racial majority churches you commonly see other ethnicities sprouting their own culturally exclusive churches.

However, one of the things that does get me is when these rare culturally accepting churches (or non-cultural churches) has a completely white administration while the “help” of the church, those who more crassly do the grunt work, are minority members. If that isn’t a twisted derivative of Colonialism’s Christianity then I don’t know what is… perhaps this is a digression.

Still, I believe that to strive towards this “third culture” church we’ll have to get passed more than just the racial/ethnic/cultural obstacles. We’d have to strive towards things like gender and class equality as well as work towards addressing rather than just thinking we’re eliminating the ways in which we separate ourselves by ignoring them as we (the church) seem to do now.