Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Woman’s Perspective
As a woman, I strive to be the best I can be. I strive to love and care for my family. I strive to love others around me. I strive to know my worth and value. I strive to love my body and all the flaws that come with it. I strive to embrace my femininity and understand the power within that. These are the things that as a woman, I want to be able to know and accept.
As a Christian woman, I want to be able to do all these things but to be aware of God’s unconditional love for me through it all. I strive to be the best I can be in reflecting the love of Christ through my actions. I strive to love and care for my family in teaching and sharing with them the gospel. I strive to know my worth and value in being a daughter of Christ. I strive to love my body and flaws because I have been created as a masterpiece. And I strive to embrace my femininity because that is the way God made me. As a woman of God, I am called to be a part of his Kingdom, and it is so important that, through serving Him and doing His work on earth, our connection with both Christians and non-believers is evident.
We live in an abundant, diverse world that is rich with many cultures, languages, colors, lifestyles, laws, ideologies, religions, practices etc… It’s amazing and mind-blowing to think of just how big and vast creation really is! Therefore, in knowing the extent of how big the world around us is, we can then understand the fact that with all this comes many differences within the human race. People look different from one another. People have different beliefs, values and morals. People respond differently. People differ in lifestyles. And people do not always agree with one another.
As people of God, we are always constantly changing, adapting and evolving, so it is important Christians take notice and grasp this concept. For although the word of God will never change, we as people do! So, in order to do God’s work in the world, there must be understanding and acceptance of the differences between one another. In our attempt to share the good news with one another, we need to adapt our approach. This is where the idea of cultural anthropology comes in.
The practice of the word “anthropology” can be broken into two parts which reveal the breadth of the discipline. In Greek terms, the word “anthro” relates to “human,” and “ology” relates to the word “study.” There are four categories specific to anthropology: archaeology, physical/biological, cultural and linguistics. If we look at the idea of “cultural” anthropology, it is in relation to the diversity within the human race. Howell and Paris write, “...cultural anthropology is the description, interpretation, and analysis of similarities and differences in human cultures. It is a diverse discipline encompassing a wide variety of topics related to human beings.” (1)
As Christians, we are continually trying to live by the way of the Lord and striving to share God’s love with others around us. Cultural anthropology is an important element to the Christian faith because it relates to people -- being able to better understand the diverse world around us means we are then better able to serve others. When we better understand the methods involved in the practice of cultural anthropology, we also start to see where we can be more active in matters of church life and our own lives, in order to understand our role in culture and in our understanding of the gospel.
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” - Galatians 3:28 (NIV)
First, it is important to not think that because we are accustomed to a certain way of living, that it is therefore the only right way to experience God. For God is a God of all people, including those of a different race and ethnicity than our own. We are all His children who become part of His kingdom, so someone’s skin color, national origin or cultural experience should not be considered less than because it is different.
For example, missionaries doing God’s work in foreign countries use the tools of cultural anthropology to be as effective as possible where they are. They learn the importance of cultural context so they can communicate in a way that the people there are able to understand the gospel on a personal level.
Years ago, I was in Germany touring as part of a performing arts group, and one night we were singing worship songs in the Hamburg red light district. We were surrounded by pimps, prostitutes, brothels and adult shops - so you could definitely say this was not our usual normal environment. Not only did they speak another language from us, but the surrounding culture of sex and porn was one which could be potentially dangerous if we were to be received wrongly. Amongst all of this, it was quite clear that getting out our Bibles and going around these places and to these workers by preaching at them was not the best option to tell them about God. So, whilst some continued singing worship songs, others went around the street and just talked with people, prayed for them, and just listened to what they had to say, despite the language barrier. We met them where they were -- some responded and some did not.
[God] made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place. -Acts 17:26
Second, “culture” was part of God’s plan for the world from the very beginning. We read in Genesis 11:1-9 about the tower of Babel, and how God scattered the people and confused their language, resulting in a range of diverse cultures. God created these differences into existence, and He blesses cultural diversity by sending out the Gospel to all parts of the world. Being able to understand the need for cultural anthropology within our ability to serve and do God’s work is something we as Christians can learn from. God is present in all cultures, and we can also adapt when we encounter these differences too. Cultural diversity is part of the church as Christians worship and understand Him in a variety of ways. Though differences are evident, Christ unifies us, and that is the most important thing of all!
Praise the Lord all you nations, and let all the peoples extol him. -Romans 15:11
I encourage you to know and grow in the love of God for you and your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Know that you can play a major part in sharing the word of God with others who may live a different lifestyle than you or be part of a different culture. Whether it’s traveling to a third-world country for missional purposes or just meeting other women within your community, you can be of influence. Seek to understand the context you are in. Pray for God’s guidance in the situation. Embrace differences and meet people where they are. As Christian women, let’s strive to be committed to better understand God in all areas of the world and to see people as He sees us.
Brian M. Howell and Jenell Williams Paris, Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011), 4.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jacinda has travelled internationally spreading the word of God with her performing arts. She has a continual passion to share hope into a world of hurt and darkness, and through her story of struggle and redemption, prays that others will also come to know Gods amazing love. Jacinda was the founder of the online faith publication 'Hearts of Gold Magazine' and now currently runs the blog 'The Contented Life' (the-contented-life@blogspot.com) - dedicated to all things relating to motherhood. She has a Bachelor in Theology, Diploma in Christian Studies, and a Certificate in Performing Arts. She is now a full-time stay at home mum to a beautiful little boy, currently residing in a small town called Thames, located in the beautiful coromandel of New Zealand.