Contextualization

As a social work major I've studied a lot about the culture of poverty.  It's not something we often think of as a culture.  We think of cultures as being directly related to race or geographical location, but the reality is that cultures have subcultures, and these subcultures are often very different from what we would normally think of as a culture.

So when we talk about contextualizing the Gospel it is also important to remember cultures like poverty. Escobar writes, "Some aspects of Pentecostal religious life and theological emphasis coincide with characteristics of the culture of poverty, such as an oral liturgy, narrative theology, uninhibited emotionalism, maximum participation in prayer, worship, dreams, and visions, and an intense search for community and belonging" (115).  I think one of the most beautiful things about the Gospel is its ability to be contextualized and to fit into every culture through different expressions, but we sometimes rob cultures of seeing this beauty when we limit contextualization.