Jenny Fulton is a special guest author on More Reason to Write today. Her brand new heart-tugging children's book, just released, helps children come to terms with the tough topic of death and eternal life in a tender and understandable way. Welcome Jenny, the author of Princess Lillian and Grandpa's Goodbye.
The Gospel and Cultural Diversity
by Jenny Fulton
Conversations about diversity, race, and inclusion seem to be everywhere. Is there room for these discussions within Christianity? What does God think about these matters?
Is there
such as thing as one Christian culture that looks the same no matter where you
are in the world?
Does
converting to Christianity require that a person turn their back on everything
related to their culture?
Does
cultural diversity have any place in the kingdom of God?
From Genesis
to Revelation, here are some scriptural passages and reasonings that can guide
these discussions and have led me to my conclusions on these matters.
Reaching
the World
“In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1, NASB
“The heavens
are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His
hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their line
has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the
world.” – Psalm 19:1-4, NASB
“For since
the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and
divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been
made, so that they are without excuse.” – Romans 1:20, NASB
God longs
for us to see and know him. Perhaps for this reason, when he created the
physical world, He poured Himself into it. He put his character on display
throughout the entire earth. The sky speaks of his beauty and never-ending
presence. Storms display his strength and power. Stars speak of how much God
cares for each individual in the midst of countless others. The Sun tells of
God’s desire and ability to bring light and life. Water describes his
refreshing, life-giving presences. By means of the heaven and earth God
created, he reaches out to everyone in every culture and beckons them to
himself.
Foreign
Followers of God
Genesis
records a lineage of righteous people stemming from Adam to Abraham. For his
divine purposes, God singled out a specific group of middle eastern people to
work with. Through them, he would display his character to the rest of the
world, bring forth the Messiah, and complete his greatest act of salvation.
However,
that doesn’t mean God excluded those who were not of this people. Genesis 14:17-20
records Abraham’s interactions with a foreign king as he was traveling through
the land his descendants would one day inherit.
“And Melchizedek
king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.”
– Genesis 14:18, NASB.
In the midst
of the land that God would one day give to Abraham’s descendants was a king who
followed God. He reigned over a city that would one day be renamed Jerusalem.
Although Melchizedek wasn’t part of “God’s chosen people,” he was chosen by God
to serve him in a special way. Did the culture in Salem look exactly the same
as it did among Abraham’s family? Not likely. But they served the same God. Melchizedek’s
significance shows up again in the book of Hebrews (5-7).
Other
foreigners in the Old Testament who followed God include King Nebuchadnezzar of
the Chaldeans, King Darius of the Medes and Persians, and the entire city of
Nineveh (from the time they repented in Jonah to when they returned to evil and
God destroyed them).
Foreigners
in the Lineage of Christ
The first
chapter of Matthew is one of two places in which the lineage of Christ is
recorded. In this account, four foreign women are mentioned.
Tamar was a
Canaanite who followed the customs of the day to produce an heir for Judah and
security for herself. Her actions were deemed righteous.
Rahab was a
harlot in Jericho who recognized God’s hand at work in the land, lied to city
officials, saved the lives of Israelite spies, and lived out her life with the
Israelites. She is mentioned in Hebrews 11 in the “Hall of Faith.”
Ruth was a Moabite
woman who left her home to follow Naomi back the land of Israel. “Your people
shall be my people, and your God, my God.[1]”
Bathsheba
was first married to Uriah the Hittite, a man who proved himself to be more
righteous than the king at that time. While it doesn’t specifically say if
Bathsheba was an Israelite or not, she was married to one.
The
relevance of these women to this discussion is this: God was already proving
his love for people of all nations and including them in his story. Although he
warned the Israelites countless times not to marry foreign women who would
cause them to turn after other gods, the emphasis was on the second part (turn
after foreign gods) rather than the first (marry foreign women).
The Jews
and the Gentiles and Allowable Differences
According to
the people of Jesus’ day, there were two groups of people. The Jews and
everyone else, a.k.a. the Gentiles. The book of Acts records the Holy Spirit’s
movement from God’s Chosen People to everyone else whom God also loved.
· At Pentecost (Acts 2), the Holy
Spirit came upon the disciples and they shared the Gospel in the language of
every Jew who was in Jerusalem.
· In Acts 8, Philip was sent to an Ethiopian
eunuch who was searching for the truth. After explaining the Gospel and
baptizing him, Philip was taken away and the Ethiopian court official continued
on his way.
· Acts 10 records the account of the
Roman centurion Cornelius who desired to follow God. Before bringing Peter to
visit, God gave this loyal apostle a vision in which he showed Peter that
following the Jewish food customs weren’t a necessary part of living out the
Gospel. Whereas Jewish culture dictated that their people shouldn’t associate or
eat with Gentiles, God showed Peter that in his kingdom, this wasn’t the case.
· When Peter shared God’s word with the
Gentiles in Caesarea, “ the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening
to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed,
because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.[2]”
· After Saul converted to Christianity
and became the apostle Paul, God sent him to minister to the Gentiles. The
Gentile version of Christianity didn’t look like the Jewish version. They
didn’t follow the Jewish laws and customs.
· In Acts 15, a council was held in
Jerusalem to discuss the cultural differences and practices among the two
groups. Were these differences allowable or not? Could there be cultural
differences within the body of believers? After a great deal of discussion, the
council wrote a letter with their conclusions. “...“For it seemed good to the
Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that
you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things
strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things,
you will do well. Farewell.”[3]”
· 1 Corinthians continues this look at
look at different practices within the body of believers. Paul’s conclusion: different
practices are allowable as long as they remain within God’s moral absolutes and
are done from a place of faith.
“For when
Gentiles who do not have the Law do ainstinctively the things of the
Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,” – Romans 2:14
Transformed
by the Renewing of Your Mind
So, does
converting to Christianity require that a person turn their back on everything
related to their culture?
According to
Acts and 1 Corinthians (and other places), there are cultural elements which are
neutral and allowable. The Roman centurion didn’t stop being a Roman or a
centurion. However, his faith dictated what kind of Roman centurion he became.
However, every
culture, every walk of life, has some aspects that don’t line up with God’s
heart and mind. God calls all of us, from every nation and culture, to come
away from that which isn’t good, from that which doesn’t reflect his character,
and to draw closer to him in our hearts, minds, and actions.
“And do not
be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so
that you may dprove what the will of God is, that which is good and
acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2
From
Every Nation
God is not
limited to one culture and one nation. His Gospel isn’t for only one group of
people. Instead, his love reaches through all of creation. It stretches into
the cultures, languages, and practices of all people and calls everyone to
follow him.
“After these
things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from
every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne
and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their
hands;” – Revelation 7:9, NASB
“For I am
not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone
who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” – Romans 1:16, NASB
What Do
You Think?
I pray these
passages may guide discussions. I’d love to know what you think and any
question you have, so let me know in the comments below.
About the Book:
Princess Lillian and Grandpa’s Goodbye
Can two
worlds exist at the same time?
Little
Princess Lillian learns the spiritual world can interact with the physical.
Imaginary is used to explain a reality, how heaven reaches down to earth as a
young girl observes her grandpa awaiting his entrance into his eternal home.
How do
you explain death and heaven to a child?
Led through
a long hall in a hospital, Princess Lillian holds her mom's hand as an angel
whispers comforting words.
Incorporating
bits of Native American and Christian tradition, an intimate celebration of a
loved one's passing occurs as a family says good-bye to a man eager to meet his
best friend, the King Above All Nations.
Purchase
the Book
Jenny Fulton
is a wife, mother, children's book author, YA fantasy author, blogger, and
freelance writer with a B.S. in Bible, a B.S. in elementary education, and an
endorsement in K-12 ESL. After graduating from Grace University in 2007, Jenny
worked as a teacher in a variety of cultural and educational settings, both
abroad and in the United States. She is a storyteller, a follower of Christ, and
a seeker of truth.
An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, Jenny grew up hearing stories from her
dad about the supernatural workings on the Navajo Reservation. Her days are now
mostly spent raising her three young daughters (homeschooling two of them) and
writing as much as time and opportunity allows.
Jenny is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW),
Faithwriters.com, and is an author with Capture Books.
Connect
with Jenny:
Website: https://heart-soul-mind.org/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JennyFultonWriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennyannfulton/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorFulton
[1] New American
Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman
Foundation, 1995), Ru 1:16.
[2] New American
Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman
Foundation, 1995), Ac 10:44–45.
[3] New American
Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman
Foundation, 1995), Ac 15:28–29.
