“A
People of Many Faces” is one of the more intriguing sections of Pope Francis’s The Joy of the Gospel, having to do with
cultural incarnations of Christianity. “We would not do justice to the logic of
the incarnation if we thought of Christianity as monocultural and monotonous,”
he writes.
Earlier
he states, “The history of the Church shows that Christianity does not have
simply one cultural expression, but rather, ‘remaining completely true to
itself, with unswerving fidelity to the proclamation of the Gospel and the
tradition of the Church, it will also reflect the different faces of the
cultures and peoples in which it is received and takes root.’” Here he is quoting
John Paul II.
The
direction of his argument appears to be that Western culture should not impose
our cultural values on other cultures, affirming “it is not essential to impose
a specific cultural form, no matter how beautiful or ancient it may be…we in
the Church can sometimes fall into a needless hallowing of our own culture, and
thus show more fanaticism than true evangelizing zeal.”
Quoting
John Paul II once more, he encourages us “to work in harmony with indigenous
Christians,” because no culture or tradition has a monopoly on Christian
expression.
Progressive
Christians would applaud that and have tried to apply that in attempting the
globalization of our respective denominations and traditions. In my view we do
so at the risk of compromising our own cultural values. The equality and rights
of women as well as of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender women and men
immediately come to mind.
The
faltering Anglican Communion over women priests and gay bishops and the recent
disappointment of the United Methodist General Conference to change its
policies on LGBT Methodists serve as examples of the imposition of the values
of other cultures, failing to respect Western and specifically American
culture, which have “evolved” on both issues.
A
step further: the logic of Pope Francis’s argument would also culturally contextualize
conservative Christians’ reliance on church tradition regarding the place of
women, the definition of marriage, and the treatment of sexual and gender
minorities.
“We
cannot demand that peoples of every continent, in expressing their Christian
faith, imitate modes of expression which European nations developed at a
particular moment of their history, because the faith cannot be constricted to
the limits of understanding and expression of any one culture.” And here again
the footnote doesn’t cite the progressive Second Vatican Ecumenical Council,
but John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Ecclesia
in Asia.
Countless
books, articles, and dissertations have been written that document how church
tradition on issues of concern to progressive Christians has been held captive
to previous cultural understandings, misunderstandings, and prejudice. The
competition between the less egalitarian and more dualistic Christianity of
Rome and the more progressive Celtic Christianity is but one example of how Christian
cultures collided early on.
The
Bible counters culture well: “Behold, I am doing a new thing.” “You have heard
it said of old…but I say to you.” “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new
creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” “For
freedom Christ has set us free.” “Do not call unclean what God has called
clean.” “God shows no partiality.” “Why should my liberty be determined by
another’s scruples? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I condemned for that
for which I give thanks?”
“New
occasions teach new duties,” as the hymn “Once to Every One and Nation”
proclaims. We may learn from other cultures, but multiculturalism cuts both
ways. Other cultures may learn from us.
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Posts referencing Pope Francis:
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