Christianization

In modern times, there have been numerous accusations that Christians want to Christianize the world.  However, the popular concept of Christianization is extremely distorted.  Proper evangelism is dramatically different from this, being both founded on analogy of universal experience with basic Christian theology (i.e., parables) and backed up by the evangelist’s personal sanctification.

The primary problem with this concept is probably the tendency of cross-cultural evangelists to promote their own cultural taste alongside the Gospel.  Culture and authentic Christianity, while always mixed in practice and often confused, are not the same thing.  If any part of a Christian’s culture obstructs evangelism, it is to be adapted – at least for a specific situation.  This is of course a very difficult skill, and adaptation may mean that a different person represents Christ to a certain group.

The record of wars in the Old Testament has often been used to justify atrocities, including the Crusades, the Inquisition and, with less involvement (maybe even none) from church officials, the Holocaust.  Modern Christians, myself included, have a deep loathing for any mention of these events.  It is therefore comforting, in a very biased way, that God’s war is now for souls and against sin rather than for Israel’s purity and against sinful ethnicities.

I want to make one final point which will reinforce both of the others.  Like the medical profession, Christianity has seen its share of malpractice.  But unlike physicians, Christians are often supposed guilty by association for what their fellows have done.  Yet several verses in Scripture confer a sense of duty which is similar to but greater than that of the Hippocratic Oath.  So I must ask anyone who wishes to blame modern Christians for historical atrocities, what is your rationale for doing so?

So in short, I refuse to apply the term “Christianization” to legitimate evangelism because it has been so tainted by historical usage.  For an explanation of what legitimate evangelism is, see Evangelism.