How We See the World

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.               Acts 10:34-35

Western culture is centered around the individual. Eastern culture tends to be more focused on the community. Of course these are large generalizations, but these concepts provide a fascinating look at how we see the world.

As a student in the American educational system in the 50’s and 60’ and into the 70’s, I learned a history that tended to focus on “western civilization”. We had very little exposure, in grade school and high school to Eastern and Asian culture. Consequently, I still have a real deficit in my education. I see the world through “western eyes”.

In terms of spiritual ramifications, I note that when western Christians tried to evangelize other parts of the world, the “individualized” western worldview seemed to emphasize personal salvation, versus community salvation. I believe that each individual must make their own decision about where they stand with God, but this emphasis on individualization caused a bit of a blind spot for the evangelizers.   

For example, in some Native American tribes, there was difficulty in understanding how God could be understood in personal terms versus a collective or tribal way. God would be seen as Nature which provided for the tribe which lived off the land. Personal salvation was a difficult concept. Indeed, personal property ownership of land was also a new concept. The land was what provided for the tribe, not the individual.

I bring this up to consider how we look at people who see the world differently than us. Culture helps form the way we see the world. Christians believe that God has manifested himself in the form of Jesus, coming to Earth as a man. The Bible states that there is only one way to God, through Jesus. While there is one way to God, there are a lot of ways to find Jesus. Jesus can be found in many different ways. Let’s not limit the ways of finding Jesus through our own cultural lens. We cannot set the formula for how people find Jesus. We need to be open to the creativity that God has which is beyond our capacity to understand.

Prayer: Lord, you have created us in your image, but diverse and beautiful in our own way, Amen