Contextualization means, by definition, the need to pay careful attention to the context. Yet what if there are many contexts within the same location? How then do we choose among them? This article suggests that the missionary enterprise has always struggled with this issue and has frequently come up with the wrong answer. Choosing the dominant culture has appeared a natural strategy because it gains the cultural “high ground.” Yet it is possible that this very strategy has distorted the gospel and created long-term difficulties. Can we accept a “trickle down” methodology in mission, or is something more radical required?
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