Supracultural Gospel

Mary Lou Codman-Wilson

Description

A Fresh Look at Contextualization 

 

Positive cross-cultural communication is an essential skill when sharing the gospel. Unfortunately, many common Western biblical constructs create stumbling blocks for people of different backgrounds, causing them to reject the gospel. But that doesn’t have to be the case.  

 

Join Dr. Mary Lou Codman-Wilson and Alex Zhou as they dialogue about Alex’s experience becoming a believer in the US and his struggle to share his faith when he returned to China. They model a process of examining our cultural worldview to overcome the tensions associated with living out our faith in a context dominated by different religious or secular systems. Supracultural Gospel presents: seven principles to adapt the gospel to bridge East and West; essential attitudes and practices of emotionally healthy and spiritually discerning discipleship; and key gospel concepts in non-Western terms, while retaining biblical accuracy 

 

Written in a highly conversational tone and validated with personal stories from many Asian internationals, Supracultural Gospel is a powerful and practical tool for those who are passionate about cross-cultural discipleship. Are you ready to unpack your worldview and embrace a supracultural gospel? 

Introduction  

 

PART ONE | Introduction 

Introduction: Swimming in a New “Pond” 

1. A Ready Made Suit  

 

PART TWO | WHAT ARE THE CULTURAL BOXES OF THE GOSPEL IN THE EAST AND THE WEST? 

2. Western Boxes of the Gospel  

3. Eastern Boxes that Restrict the Gospel from a Chinese Perspective  

4. Eastern Boxes that Restrict the Gospel from a Japanese and Thai Perspective  

 

PART THREE | THE SUPRACULTURAL GOSPEL BEYOND THE CULTURAL BOXES 

5. The Core of the Supracultural Gospel  

6. Introducing the Author of Salvation  

7. Reframing Sin  

8. Amazing Grace  

9. The Indwelling Holy Spirit  

10. Belonging to the Body of Christ  

11. The Primacy of God’s Mission in the World  

 

PART FOUR | DISCIPLESHIP ESSENTIALS THAT UNDERGIRD THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX 

12. A Christian Mind  

13. Five Essential Attitudes  

14. Christ’s Lordship in the Believer’s Life   

15. Internalizing God’s Word  

16. Powerful Prayer  

17. Effective Spiritual Warfare  

 

PART FIVE | PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF LIVING OUTSIDE THE BOX 

18. Transformed Living Outside the Box – Transformed Family Relationships 

19. Bridging Faith 

20. Serving Christ through Suffering for His Name  

21. Living on God’s Kingdom Agenda in China  

22. Rerooting the Gospel in Japan  

 

Appendix  

Bibliography 

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Discipleship
• Christian Ministry
• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: William Carey Publishing
• Date de parution: 24 mai 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781645083801
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Endorsements
With her abundant experience with students from all around the world, her caring heart for them, and her listening ears to the Holy Spirit, Dr. Mary Lou gives us the wisdom to navigate cultural differences between Asia and the United States. I believe that Supracultural Gospel will encourage and strengthen Asian students spiritually-as it did me!
M IYUKI A SADA , MA (Japan)
TeachBeyond Global Member-Care Counselor for Single Women
Mary Lou is a warrior of prayer. Her prayers encourage those who are tempted to abandon their faith in Jesus because of their cultural background. Her intimate fellowship with internationals from many nations, especially Asians, along with her biblical and academic knowledge, have woven this book. For a quarter of a century, Mary Lou has been a lighthouse for me to know Jesus.
M ICHIKO T AKAHASHI , PhD (Japan)
Professor Emeritus, Tokyo Gakugei University, Japan Author of Child Developmental Psychology and Graphic Developmental Psychology in Early Childhood
In my eyes, global vision, missionary s heart are the best words to describe Dr. Mary Lou. And this book perfectly reflects her vision and her heart. I believe that readers who have cross-cultural background or experience will benefit from this book, just as I benefit from my mentorship with Dr. Mary Lou.
B ING L UI , MDiv, MA (China)
Translator; Instructor, Timothy Training International
As an InterVarsity staff and cross-cultural worker among international students, I have found Dr. Mary Lou to be a model of Christ s love for the world-devoted to Christ in her personal life and deeply committed to bringing the love of Christ to others, especially international students. Mary Lou is keenly aware of cross-cultural differences and compassionate toward the stresses internationals face in American culture. Her identification with spiritual leaders in other cultures should help us look beyond our own cultural insularity, identify with the common struggles we share with Christians in many cultures, and inspire a wide readership.
N ED H ALE , MDiv (US)
National Archivist, InterVarsity USA Former National Director of International Student Ministry, InterVarsity USA
I was so excited when I heard that Dr. Mary Lou is authoring this book! I have never seen such passion from a pastor to help us Asian international students maintain and grow in our faith when we go back to our respective countries. This book addresses critical issues for us in contextualizing our faith in our home context, since so much of the doctrine and theology that shape our faith are from a Western perspective.
H ANNY T ISHRIANA W UYSANG , MA (Indonesia)
Counselor Education doctoral student, Western Michigan University
Dr. Alex Zhou leaves me deeply impressed with his determination to understand God s Word. I invited Alex to assist me in evaluating Bible study materials for usage at the Island ECC (Evangelical Community Church). Alex devoted a tremendous amount of time to reading the materials, yet his passion for understanding God s Word never waned, even as we studied for hours every week for two months. Alex not only studies the Bible, but also practices God s Word in his everyday life.
A LAN L EUNG (Hong Kong)
Deputy Director of Men s Ministry, Island Evangelical Community Church, Hong Kong

Supracultural Gospel: Bridging East and West
2022 by Mary Lou Codman-Wilson. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise- without prior written permission from the publisher, except brief quotations used in connection with reviews in magazines or newspapers.
For permission, email [e-mail] .
For corrections, email [e-mail] .
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ) , Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (Phillips) are taken from the New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.
Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the Amplified Bible (AMP), Copyright 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org .
Scripture quotations marked (MSG) are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, represented by Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible copyright 1971.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (Passion Translation) are from The Passion Translation .
Copyright 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission.
All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com .
Published by William Carey Publishing
10 W. Dry Creek Cir
Littleton, CO 80120 | www.missionbooks.org
William Carey Publishing is a ministry of Frontier Ventures
Pasadena, CA 91104 | www.frontierventures.org
Cover and Interior Designer: Mike Riester
Illustrations: Sam Wilson
ISBNs: 978-1-64508-378-8 (paperback)
978-1-64508-380-1 (epub)
Digital Ebook Release 2022
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022937744
Dedication
This book is written in honor of Jingjing and the many dear internationals who are embracing the core of the supracultural gospel back in their home countries.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Part 1 | Introduction
Introduction: Swimming in a New Pond
1. A Ready-Made Suit
Part 2 | What Are the Cultural Boxes of the Gospel in the East and the West?
2. Western Boxes of the Gospel
3. Eastern Boxes That Restrict the Gospel from a Chinese Perspective
4. Eastern Boxes That Restrict the Gospel from a Japanese and Thai Perspective
Part 3 | The Supracultural Gospel beyond the Cultural Boxes
5. The Core of the Supracultural Gospel
6. Introducing the Author of Salvation
7. Reframing Sin
8. Amazing Grace
9. The Indwelling Holy Spirit
10. Belonging to the Body of Christ
11. The Primacy of God s Mission in the World
Part 4 | Discipleship Essentials That Undergird Thinking Outside the Box
12. A Christian Mind
13. Five Essential Attitudes
14. Christ s Lordship in the Believer s Life
15. Internalizing God s Word
16. Powerful Prayer
17. Effective Spiritual Warfare
Part 5 | Practical Examples of Living Outside the Box
18. Transformed Living Outside the Box
19. Bridging Faith
20. Serving Christ through Suffering for His Name
21. Living on God s Kingdom Agenda in China
22. Rerooting the Gospel in Japan
Appendix
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
This book has emerged out of global community. That in itself reflects our global world and high-tech communication options. It is also a proof of the reality of the global family of faith in our Lord Jesus. Partnering to write a book with a Chinese scholar-colleague, who is currently in Macau, has sharpened both our insights and brought authenticity to each chapter. Thank you, Alex!
In our global world, one of the most appreciated phrases we can learn is thank you in many languages. So, in broad strokes, since so many were involved in writing this book, let us say thank you :
Xie Xie-Chinese
Arigato-Japanese
Terima Kasih-Indonesian
Merci-French
Gracias-Spanish
Danke-German
Bayarlalaa-Mongolian
Asante-Swahili
Obrigado-Brazilian Portuguese
Ameseginalehu-Ethiopian
Suraya-Hindu Indian
The contributors to this book came from all these language groups. Special thanks to Cathi, Merian, Megumi, Lisa, Vivian, Hanny, Miyuki, Michiko, Junko, Jingjing, Bing, Emily, Grete, Sam, Evan, and the Caucasian contributors! Your perspectives plus those of the brothers and sisters of the New Hope Bible Fellowship gave a global perspective to the book that Alex and I could not achieve on our own.
In addition, our great gratitude goes to the copyeditors from William Carey Publishing. Melissa Hicks and Andrew Sloan, your work was outstanding. You deserve special kudos, as well, for working with authors from the Eastern and Western cultures of the world and harmonizing all the different voices throughout the book. It has been a real privilege to have such an excellent publishing team refining, coaching, and editing our work each step of the way.
I am also grateful for my family s staunch support and faithful prayers. Keith, my husband, certainly heads that list. Sam Wilson, our grandson did the graphics. Bruce and Becky Wilson, Sam s parents, who are themselves global Christians, gave valued input and counsel, as did our daughter Laurie and her family.
They were joined by a large group of dear prayer warriors who prayed for Alex and me over the seven years while this book was in formation. Thanks also to the secretaries and editing friends-Hanny, Eric, Brenda, Christina, Megumi, Marti, Carol, Sarah, Nancy, Carmen, and Susan. A very diverse team has created a challenging book to bridge Western and Eastern perspectives of the Gospel.
Alex and I both echo the words of Paul for his dear Philippians friends: I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now (Phil 1:3-5 NIV). May our labor together bring forth God-multiplying fruit and great praise to the Lord who has made it all possible.
Dr. Mary Lou Codman-Wilson
Wheaton, Illinois USA
Dr. Alex Zhou
Macau, China

Introduction
Swimming in a New Pond
I c