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Introduction:
Christianity, Culture & Identity
Alwyn Thomson
Christianity
and Identity
Joe Liechty
CHRISTIANITY,
CULTURE, & IDENTITY
It comes as a challenge to all of us to be told that we are not at liberty
to dismiss another's culture. In this community1 where culture has so
often been a weapon of political conflict, our natural reaction is to
dismiss, ridicule or disparage what we do not understand or what we perceive
to be a threat.
The Irish language provides a good example. In other times Presbyterian congregations in Ulster worshipped and preached in Gaelic. Yet today many within the same Ulster - Scots tradition see the Irish language as belonging to nationalists alone. And, sadly, some nationalists have been willing to use the language as a divisive cultural symbol.
As Christians what are we to do when culture becomes a battleground and our cultural distinctives become weapons? All of us are shaped by our culture to some degree. We cannot be blind to it. So, how should we respond? Cur conference on Christianity, Culture and Identity was an attempt to address these matters.
Sadly, our main speaker, Professor Donald Macleod, had to withdraw but Dr William Storrar was able and willing to step in at short notice. In two main sessions Dr Storrar reflected Oh the theme from a biblical perspective and from a personal perspective.
Cultural identity is the gift and task of creation.
His biblical perspective was drawn from Psalm 24. This Psalm proclaims that all things, including culture have their source in God. Moreover, culture is not uniform but diverse and this diversity is an integral part of God's creative activity. However, human beings in their falleness have twisted this diversity into a source of alienation and hostility. Yet Psalm 24 presents a vision of the Temple of God where all may come to worship. And human culture and cultural diversity, when directed by God and to God, is an integral part of the worship we bring.
God's people, therefore, are confronted with a challenge - the challenge of affirming God given cultural diversity, and at the same time confronting those elements which are unworthy. The further challenge is to confront in a way that offers the possibility of the transformation - the redemption - of culture. In this vision culture and cultural identity is the gift and task of creation. It is a gift because it is given to us as part of our createdness. It is a task because we are called to develop - and confront - that identity.
Dr Storrar's personal reflections centred around three bibles - a Moffat translation, a King James version and a Scottish Gaelic translation. Each reflected aspects of both his Christian identity and his cultural identity. In this way he reminded us that though we sustain both our Christian and cultural identities by grace, in the present there can be tensions between these identities. Our identity is also at times ambiguous being formed by many cultural strands. Our challenge is to wrestle with that tension in hope, with the vision of the Temple of God before us.
ECONI WELCOMES the submission of unsolicited articles, but does not guarantee publication, and manuscripts cannot be returned. Opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECONI. Permission to reprint any original article in Lion & Lamb should be sought from the Editor.
Editor
Derek Poole
Asst Editor Ruth Hutchinson
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