Living Theology in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod
Evangelical Lutheran
Church In America
Volume 4, Number 1
Easter 1999
Multiculturalism And Worship
A Primer for
Multiculturalism
This
issue of Let's Talk deals with a variety of topics related to multiculturalism
and worship. The editors thought it helpful at the beginning to clarify some of
the terms that are fast becoming commonplace in our dialogues about worship.
The following is an excerpt from Liturgical
Inculturation: Sacramentals, Religiosity, and Catechesis by Anscar J. Chupungco. It is reprinted with permission from The
Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.
Over
the years different technical terms have been tried in liturgical circles in an
attempt to express as accurately as possible the relationship between liturgy
and culture. They belong to the peculiar terminology used on different
occasions by anthropologists and borrowed gratefully by theologians,
missiologists, and liturgists.
Each
of these technical terms, when used of the liturgy, refers to a particular
facet of the relationship between liturgy and culture. However, none is
comprehensive enough to express the full spectrum of that relationship. There
is no hard and fast definition of these terms, yet care should be taken not to
use them synonymously lest they lose their proper nuance.
Indigenization
Coined
from the word "indigenous," this term refers to the process of
conferring on Christian liturgy a cultural form that is native to the local
community. In the seventies D. S. Amalorpavadass advanced the use of this term
in the liturgy. What he really meant was adaptation of the Christian liturgy in
the framework of the culture of India. Indigenization, he explained, aims
"to give to our liturgy a more Indian setting and complexion." For
him "indigenization" was in fact another word for
"Indianization."
Incarnation
Vatican
II's decree Ad gentes inspired
liturgical writers to refer to adaptation as "incarnation." In imitation of Christ, who by virtue of the
incarnation made himself one with the Jewish nation, the local Church should
strive to identify itself with the people among whom it dwells. As Christ
became a Jew in all things save sin, so the Church should become not merely a
Church in but the Church of a particular locality.
Contextualization
This
term was introduced into the active vocabulary of the Church in 1972 by the
World Council of Churches. Derived the word "contextual," it fittingly
expresses the need for the Church to be relevant.
The life and the
mission of the Church will be relevant on condition that they relate to
contemporary society. The environment and setting in which the local church
lives are the contexts that shed light on its theology, sacramental life, and
missionary activity.
Since in some parts of the world human
oppression is the dominant feature of daily life, the context in which the
local Church lives and works is deeply affected by the struggle for political,
economic, and cultural freedom.
Although contextualization is directly
concerned with the situation of oppression and deprivation, it cannot be said
to ignore the interaction that takes place between liturgy and culture. Context
is a vibrant expression of
human culture.
Inculturation
According
to G. De Napoli, the term "inculturation" was coined in 1973 by G. L.
Barney, a Protestant missionary who was professor at
Nyack Alliance School of
Theology in Nyack, New York. Stressing the need to keep the Christian message
intact throughout the course of cultural exchange, Barney used the term in the
context of frontier missions. He dutifully reminded his fellow missionaries
that in the process of inculturating the supracultural components of the gospel
into a new culture, their essential nature should neither be lost nor
distorted.
Acculturation
In
his enlightening work Toward a Theology
of Inculturation,
Shorter defines
acculturation as "the encounter between one culture and another, or the
encounter between two cultures." One important aspect of such an
encounter, he explains, is that the communication between the two cultures
comes about "on a footing of mutual respect and tolerance."
We may compare acculturation to a
chance uninvolved meeting of two strangers or to a casual hello and good-bye
meeting of two persons. We may illustrate it with the formula A+B=AB. The two
elements of this formula are merely placed side by side, so that neither undergoes
any substantial or qualitative change. Thus they can withdraw any time from
each other without any notable consequence.
Liturgical inculturation
Shorter
defines "inculturation" as "the creative and dynamic
relationship between the Christian message and a culture or cultures." He
lists three of its notable traits. First, inculturation is an ongoing process
and is relevant to every country or region where the faith has been sown.
Second, Christian faith cannot exist except in a cultural form. And third,
between Christian faith and culture there should be interaction and reciprocal
assimilation.