Kenyan Culture

How do you help change something in a culture that has persisted for hundreds of years? I’m reminded of the saying, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Perhaps changing anything in a third world country will take time.
We spent several days with a group of 45 Kenyan pastors and wives during our trip to Africa this past month and I believe we took a few bites out of the elephant of the Kenyan culture.
You see even though most Kenyans call themselves Christians they still hold to some cultural practices that run counter to the values of a follower of Christ.
The Kenyan Christian’s faith is very conservative and leans to be very legalistic. There is a very hierarchical system of leadership with the pastor doing most of the ministering. The most obvious difference is the way the men treat the women in their culture. It is considered demeaning for a man to walk side by side with his wife. The men sit on one side of the church with the women on the other side. In one church in which I preached, the children sat in the middle with rows separating the men from the children and the children from the women. There is little love or respect in marriages where a Christian pastor could easily have more than one wife. It is culturally acceptable to beat your wife. Women are relegated to child bearing and doing most of the work.
During our time with the pastors we emphasized the need for the church to change and for men and women to be involved in ministry, using their spiritual gifts. In the small discussion groups we were able to share and talk about what the Bible says about love and respect between husband and wife. We used Ephesians 5 as we shared about the men’s responsibility to love the wife as Christ loved the church and what needed to change in their culture for the men to love their wives. The men were actually very open and honest about how their culture teaches the males to look down upon women. For instance the pastors explained that a man in their culture would never say he is sorry or ask for forgiveness from his wife because it would lower him to her level. We pointed to scripture and the words of Jesus to point out that Jesus requires us to lower ourselves by asking for forgiveness and forgiving others when we are wrong. We were able to share that when culture conflicts with the moral standards of Jesus and the Bible, a choice must be made. A true believer yields to scripture and does not conform to the world’s view. By the end of the conference we sensed a real desire from many of the men to change their ways. The younger men seemed to be more willing to make the change but there were some older pastors who accepted the need to change. I guess the first step is recognizing the need to change. Pray that the word of God would penetrate their hearts and change would begin in that section of Kenya and spread.

The Shack theology

It is interesting to read the comments for and against the book. Chuck Colson wrote that he thought the author took "a low view of Scripture. For example, Mack is tied to a tree by his drunken, abusive father, who 'beats Mack with a belt and Bible verses.' "

I never for once thought that as I read the book. It is amazing how people can read the same thing and get something totally different. Theologians I guess read with a fine tooth comb trying to find faulty doctrine. The book certainly was not written for theologians. From comments of those seeking God, they seemed to have received great encouragement and a whole new perspective on what a relationship with God could be.

Just wonder about your thoughts on the book's theology. There is a ton of it in the book.

For example one of the thought provoking concepts the book brings up that I had not considered was the hierarchy in the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Mack assumes the Father is the leader or head but is told that there is no need for a hierarchical relationship when the relationship is in perfect unity and harmony as it is between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We only need a chain of command in the world because of its fallen state.

From Papa..."Once you have a hierarchy you need rules to protect and administer it, and then you need law and the enforcement of the rules, and you end up with some kind of chain of command or system of order that destroys relationship rather than promotes it. You rarely see or experience relationship apart from power. Hierarchy imposes laws and rules and you end up missing the wonder of relationship that we intended for you."

"We (the trinity) have no concept of final authority among us, only unity. We are in a circle of relationship, not a chain of command or 'great chain of being' as your ancestors termed it. We don't need power over the other because we are always looking out for the best. Hierachy would make no sense among us. Actually, this is your problem, not ours."

Think about this as it applies to the husband and wife relationship.

I recommended a book to you recently that I ran across at Lifeway called The Shack. It has had a profound impact on me spiritually and how I see and relate to God the father, Son and Holy Spirit. I've mentioned it to a few others and recently one of those was Tiffany Crawford a Christian counselor who attends Grace Point. Her response was so profound, a day later, that I have decided I better tell and encourage more to read it.
Tiffany uses our offices after hours to council and does a wonderful job. She had asked to use my office this week and I playfully agreed only if she read the book The Shack. She so promised and I wondered whether she would even remember the title. But she did and she actually finished it in one day. I received her email the following day thanking me for suggesting the book. Her email said the book changed her life forever.
In her blog Tiffany wrote what I have had difficulty in expressing…This book is intriguing...and filled with God's love and patience-- His wonder and honor. It will teach you the truth of who God is---the truth of the Word he's shared with us for so many years. You will be free from religion and rules--from responsibility and expectation--you will learn to rest in Him, love Him and find joy in Him.It is amazing how God can use people and the words they write to encourage, inspire, and bring healing and His love.
All this from a small book and it can be passed on by just a few words of encouragement to buy and read a simple book entitled The Shack. I feel ashamed that I have not told more people about the book, that I have chosen only a few when everyone I know should have been told. But it is the same with God’s love. Why do I choose to share with a so few? Why not tell everyone! As Tiffany proclaimed in her blog, and I whole heartedly agree… Buy the book--read it, pass it on...make everyone you know read it...and then read it again... I will read it at least 1000 more times.... Next time, I will read it slowly--but I couldn't put it down this time...I just wanted to know more about God...