Eurocentric Christianity

We think what we think because of the mental paradigms that we have come to embrace as a belief system. For instance, some societies look down upon overweight people because it is unconsciously believed that extra pounds imply carelessness, laziness or apathy. It is perceived as ugliness. It is worth noting, however, that there are many cultures that appreciate fatness, for it represents abundance, diligence and wealth. 1 A fat person may have high- or low-self esteem depending, not only on the culture he may live, but also on the belief system he has come to adopt.

After the tower of Babel incident, races were scattered, and people groups began to form and settle in certain regions of the world. These people groups, in turn, sought places where the climate and the environment would be compatible with the physical and psychological makeup of the majority. It has been the observation of some sociologists that people with more structured, control-loving personalities tend to live in northernmost regions, while flexible, laid-back temperaments have made their home in the south. This preferred mode of operation (structure/flexible) is the key factor for issues like entertainment choices, working preferences and perception of time. 2

Much of our Christianity is
heavily influenced by European
thought.

Most of us come from countries heavily influenced by European thought. We are well-acquainted with the history of Europe more than with any other continent. While some cultures consider values like humility, honor and quietness as pivotal, the European thinking pattern thrived on theorization, articulation and conquest. The best example is the extensive colonization done by European settlers in virtually every continent in the world. Is it right for the more powerful to take over the possessions of the weaker and establish his own way of life in his property? Most people would agree that this is immoral. However, most of our history books (including those written in a "Christian perspective" 3) praise the European land-theft and genocide, perpetuate their monopoly on the truth and present their thinking patterns as the only true framework for understanding life.

Our understanding of Christianity has been heavily influenced by European thinking. Somehow, we feel a need to theorize the unexplainable attributes of God. 4 We do not want to enjoy gifts that we do not feel we are the rightful earners of. We seek to produce, haste, institutionalize and quantify the work of God. 5 We do not feel at ease in worshiping with people who are different from us. We immediately criticize people who may explain the same truth from a different perspective. We want to control our children: their dress, thoughts and actions. We do not feel useful unless we are leading: a project, a business, a person. And, ironically enough, although we pay lip service to self-denial, we seem to be better enforcers of this when it dealing with other people. We are guilty of perpetuating European thought into Christianity.

The main reason people of other cultures reject Christ is because of the way we have chosen to live out the Christian life. We have chosen to take upon ourselves a rigorous code of rules and convictions while unconsciously pushing those who have not done so, away from ourselves. The Pharisaical Christianity we have practiced for so long is a religious expression of our own human nature and beliefs. This happens when seek to bring about the work of Christ using human methods. We want to get personal sanctification through rule-keeping, create harmony through external compliance, and bring national revival through conservative legislation. Before the court of history, our Christianity is charged with Eurocentrism. God pronounces it guilty.

The Scripture offers us an alternative: to learn from the way it was written. The books of the Bible were written by people of different cultures, languages and personalities. Because this is true, many passages will seem to contradict each other. However, the truths conveyed by these different angles will always harmonize themselves. It is inevitable for human beings to be biased towards a perspective, culture and angle. However, we must let go of the notion that ours is the only correct framework of Scripture interpretation. After all, truth is absolute, but our perception of truth is far from adequate.

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1. Extra weight was considered a blessing in cultures like Old Testament Israel. See passages like: Proverbs 13:4 and 28:25. Some contemporary cultures include African and some Caribbean (eg. St. Lucia).

2. This is a general, sociological factor. There are always individual exceptions to every rule. See: http://www.cognitivemedia.co.uk/wp/?p=272

3. The famous History of Civilization book used on Fundamentalist Christian college campuses, called World history and Cultures (published by A Beka Book), for example, present the European colonization of North America from the perspective of "conscience-bound" religious people (ie. Anabaptist and Puritans) who faced persecution in their Protestant countries. Not much is said about the atrocious, systematic genocide done to the first peoples of our continent. See: http://www.amazon.com/World-History-Cultures-Christian-Perspective/dp/B000ASIPTK

4. The debate between supralapsarianism and infralapsarianism, for example, is unnecessary. It is foolish and prideful to try to pry into the secret, eternal decrees of God. See: Deuteronomy 29:29.

5. Have you ever felt that sinners could only be converted by hearing the gospel preached at a specific denominational church? How about the need to secure a conversion by a sinner's prayer? Quantify converts by an altar call or a raise of hands?