Thursday, February 22, 2007
Inculturation: A Plague To True Roman Catholicism
A native Indian dances round the Altar (the Altar is the round structure clothed in red and yellow). This took place during the National Tekekwitha Conference. There was also a Eagle dance that took place after communion. First is must be defined, what inculturation is. Inculturation is a term used in Christian missiology referring to the adaptation of the way the Gospel is presented for the specific cultures being evangelized. This term was popularized by the encyclical "Redemptoris Missio" of Pope John Paul II (1990), but predates that encyclical.
Inculturation has no place in true Roman doctrine. It never was in the plan or in the mind of Christ. When our Blessed Lord, on the day of His glorious Ascension to the Father's right-hand, bade His Apostles to, "Go, therefore, preach the Gospel to all nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teach them to observe all that I have taught you. And behold, I am with you always, even unto the consumation of the world" (St. Matthew 28:19-20).
Our Lord never commanded His Apostles to compromise with the way of the world or with the culture of the nations, in order to successfully carry out His Divine mandate. Why? Because the very Gospel that He had entrusted to them has a power all of its own to change people, nations and the whole world. As the holy Apostles went out after Pentecost to bring the Gospel to all peoples, at no time did they ever "blend" the Gospel with the local practices and customs of the people in order to win souls.
The power of winning souls was not in and has never been through the use of inculturation, rather it is found in the Word of God and through the Holy Ghost. As the holy Apostles preached the Word of God, the Holy Ghost moved sovereignly to add to the Church, the souls the Lord was saving daily. Holy Writ clearly proves this in the following verse, "The disciples went and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and proving their preaching was true by the accompanying signs that followed" (St. Mark 16:20).
Hence, the whole issue of inculturation is just man's way of making other men feel not so uncomfortable with the Gospel. Inculturation is mankind saying to one another, "It is alright, you can offer joss sticks on the sacred altar, as long as you offer it to the Lord" or "There is no problem, you can have the ladies of the village do the semi-nude tribal dance during the offertory procession, because it is part of your way of celebrating and God understands." But does God understand? NO! How can He understand something He did not command?
There is no necessity to begin with, to introduce inculturatiion at all. As pointed out, Holy Writ is very clear that the Word of God and the Holy Ghost are all one needs to obey our Blessed Lord's command to preach the Gospel to the nations. Inculturation came on the scene because men have decided to do things their own way.
Inculturation in truth is the modern day Church actually telling God to His face, "Thank-you for a wonderful Gospel, but God You can keep Your Great Commission, I am going to spread Your Word my way. I do not need any instruction on how to get it done, I have got everything in place." How utterly irreverant! How disgusting! How revolting! To take the holy Gospel of God and promote it in the most compromised way, so as to avoid offending one's hearers.
Therefore, if this be the case, then the Gospel has ceased to be the focus and mankind, who is receiving the message has now become the focus. When the modern Church engages in inculturation, she can be likened to the salesman who will do anything under the sun, even bending over backwards, just to sell his product.
In this postmodern day and age, the Church has become the great salesman of the Gospel, doing whatever is necessary, including compromising, in order to bring across some semblance of Christianity, a semblance that looks actually rather half-baked and pathetic! The Scriptures have a word for such behaviour: spiritual prostitution!
It is sad to note that the 21st century Church has sold out to focussing on mortal man and his feelings. The very Church who has been entrusted by our Divine Lord with the great treasury of truth, has now played the harlot and sold out on the very mandate that she was given by Christ. As such, one cannot tell anymore whose Lord is superior. Inculturation has left a sour after-taste in our mouth that says, "All roads lead to heaven.....just take a little bit here and a little bit there." Yet, the truth remains that if one does not really know where one is heading, then any road will take him there.
Where will this all end? When will this all end? It is any man's guess. Catholicism today has become so blended and syncretic, that it has become barely recognisable. What began in the Apostolic Church as a message of change, power and renewal that shook the world and impacted souls has today become a potpurri of "anything goes and just tell it gently, while not hurting anyone's sensitivity type of religion."
The Church must wake up and stand to witness boldly in obedience to Christ's command. Inculturation must give way and in its place must once echo the words of the holy Apostles, St. Peter and St. John, "Obedeince to God comes before obedience to men. We cannot help but speak of what we ourselves have heard and seen" (Acts of the Apostles 4:19-20). Amen!
Acknowledgements: The Society of the Seven Dolors
Labels: Catholic Belief, Inculturation
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