Incarnation of Christ is the Foundation for Inculturating the Gospel
Date
2006
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
Missionaries, messengers of God's Words are often exposed to different
cultures. The main aim of their presence in the mission areas is to implant the
Gospel message in the heart of the people. How to do it? Is it possible to insert the
Gospel message without considering the mentality of the people which is very much
influenced with the existing culture? Indeed, inculturation is one of the essential
tasks among missionaries. Inculturation in mission is challenging because we are
dealing here with cultures which origin is as complex as the origin of humanity. Out
of its complexity, some missionaries have somehow overlooked its importance.
Others might have tried to work on it in their respective parishes but their
approaches have remained questionable. Certainly, a lot of things have to be
improved in this area. What are the approaches which can be of help to respect the
existing cultures without neglecting or overlooking the Gospel message?
We consider here the rich experience I had with the Basukuma people. It is
an ethnic group in Tanzania which is unique and culturally known for their richness.
Many books have been written about them out of love and interest. Besides my
experience with them, I have also read some of these books. This is how the seed of
love and interest towards the Basukuma vegetated with the desire to deepen my
knowledge and understanding of their culture. In general, if we take into consideration the Basukuma culture, this paper
would not be able to contain adequately the broadness of this culture. The focus here
is mainly to look at a certain practice; the incorporation of the newly born child into the clan. We do some social, cultural and religious analysis but it is not enough to
exhaust the beauty of it. Anyhow, the practice of the incorporation of the newly born child into the
clan is still important among this people and it has still a great influence on their
mentality. Moreover, this practice contains a lot of values that would help us to
enlighten our approach in the field of inculturation.
To strengthen the pillars of this study, let us also acknowledge some
theological insights which have contributed to the development in the field of
inculturation. We shall focus on some views of inculturation among the first
Christian Missionaries, inculturation in Africa and the modern day understanding of
inculturation according to some theologians. However, it is inadequate to talk about
inculturation without considering its Christological Foundation. In addition, we
shall include the Incarnation of Christ, focusing on "self-emptying" with its Biblical
interpretation, some hints of Church's Fathers view and the Incarnation in Vatican
In the application, we shall see how we can appreciate the traditional values
in the light of the Christian values and how does it affect my missionary approach in
the field of inculturation. Focusing on one practice serves only as an example but the
approaches and applications will remain essential.
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Keywords
Incarnation, Christ, Inculturating, Gospel, Newly Born Child, Basukuma