Conscience in Relationship to Culture and Missionary Efforts

"Missionary Elenctics: Conscience and Culture"

Robert J. Priest
Missiology, vol. XXII, #3, July 1!
1. The faculty of conscience is culturally universal (Rom. 2:1-15; 2
Cor.4:2; 1 Cor. 10:25,2!.
2. The faculty of conscience is a natural faculty an" is thus ca#a$le of
$ein% stu"ie", analy&e", an" un"erstoo" throu%h em#irical metho"s.
'. The content of conscience is falli$le an" varia$le.
4. The content of conscience is "irectly "e#en"ent u#on learne" cultural
meanin%s, norms, i"eals, an" values.
5. The content of conscience is li(ely to $e share" $y mem$ers of a %iven
cultural %rou#.
). *n an intercultural situation there +ill $e $oth si%ni,cant overla# an"
mar(e" "iscontinuity $et+een the consciences of interactants. -ut it is
not the overla# +hich interactants +ill ten" to notice. Rather it is in
the area of "iscontinuity, s#eci,cally +here one.s o+n conscience
s#ea(s an" the other.s "oes not.
. *n an intercultural situation each interactant +ill thus ten" to con"emn
the other morally for $ehavior a$out +hich the other has no
conscience.
/. The content of conscience is su0ciently close to 1o".s o+n moral
stan"ar" as to $e 1o".s initial reference #oint in revealin% our o+n
moral failures an" nee" of %race.
2. 3hile human consciences "o e4tensively a%ree +ith an" overla# +ith
morality as reveale" in 5cri#ture, there are also si%ni,cant areas of
"iscontinuity $et+een consciences as sha#e" $y culture an" +hat is
reveale" in 5cri#ture. Conscience on its o+n is not su0cient to
unerrin%ly %ui"e us into sancti,e" moral un"erstan"in%s.
10. The missionary.s conscience has $een sha#e" $y his or her o+n
culture as +ell as $y 5cri#ture, an" his or her conscience sel"om
clearly "istin%uishes the t+o.
11. *n the cross-cultural conte4t, the missionaries +ho attem#t to live an
e4em#lary life an" 6$e a %oo" +itness6 +ill naturally ten" to "o so
+ith reference to their o+n consciences rather than +ith reference to
the consciences of those to +hom they s#ea(. The result is that their
actions, in areas a""resse" $y native consciences $ut una""resse" $y
the missionaries (or "i7erently a""resse" $y theirs!, +ill ten" to $e
8u"%e" immoral.
12. 9issionaries, +hose messa%e entails i"eas of sin an" 8u"%ement, +ill
naturally ten", as alrea"y note", to s#ea( of sin +ith reference to
matters a$out +hich their conscience s#ea(s an" native conscience is
silent +ith the result that native conscience "oes not +or( to su##ort
the messa%e.
1'. 9issionary #roclamation +hich stresses sin +ith reference to that
+hich the missionary.s conscience "eems sinful, an" native
conscience "oes not, has the e7ect of callin% the listener.s attention to
cultural "iscontinuity, im#lyin% that the call to conversion is a call to
a$an"on one.s o+n culture for that of the missionary. This confusion of
%os#el an" culture has t+o #ossi$le results:
a. :eo#le refuse to convert $ecause of the im#lication that
conversion is a conversion from one culture, their o+n, +hich
they are familiar +ith, successful in terms of, an" $elieve is
%oo", to the missionary.s national culture +hich is alien an"
many even seem immoral.
$. :eo#le may choose to convert #recisely $ecause of the
im#lication that conversion is a conversion from their o+n
culture to that of the missionary, such conversion $ein% a
cultural conversion rather than a %enuine conversion to 1o" in
Christ.
14. :reachin% a$out %oo" an" evil in terms of missionary conscience
rather than native conscience results in conversion an" "isci#leshi#
+hich $y#asses native conscience an" lea"s to converts acce#tin%,
relatin% to, an" e4#eriencin% a ne+ set of rules an" norms, not
throu%h "ee# #ersonal moral conviction, $ut as a ne+ system of
ta$oos.
15. Conversion an" "isci#leshi# +hich $y#ass conscience may lea" to
su#er,cial conformity or to a com#artmentali&e" conformity.
1). Conversion an" "isci#leshi# +hich $y#ass native conscience may +ell
create a situation +here the missionary feels the nee" to ta(e the role
of #oliceman.
1. Conversion an" "isci#leshi# +hich $y#ass native conscience often
create a structure of "e#en"ency an" #aternalism.
1/. Conversion an" "isci#leshi# +hich $y#ass native conscience may +ell
lay the %roun"+or( for a $rea(a+ay, in"e#en"ent church.
12. 9issionaries nee" to un"erstan" the role that culture has #laye" in the
formation of their o+n conscience, an" nee" to hel# in "istin%uishin%
scru#les %roun"e" in transcen"ent -i$lical moral truth from scru#les
sha#e", at least in #art, $y conventional cultural meanin%s.
20. The missionary must see( to un"erstan" the native conscience.
21. The missionary must see( to live an e4em#lary life in terms of the
virtues an" norms stresse" $y #eo#le he or she is attem#tin% to reach.
22. *n initial evan%elism, the missionary shoul" stress sin, %uilt, an"
re#entance #rinci#ally +ith reference to native conscience, #articularly
that as#ect of their conscience +hich is in a%reement +ith 5cri#ture.
2'. 3ith conversion, the content of conscience is not instantly chan%e".
-ut un"er the tutela%e of a ne+ authority, the 3or" of 1o", the
conscience of the $eliever +ho is %ro+in% in sancti,cation +ill $e
%ra"ually chan%e" in certain nee"e" areas to+ar" %reater conformity
+ith the +ritten 3or".
24. ;fter conversion, the $elievers. relation to their o+n conscience (+hich
still "i7ers from that of the missionary! remains central to their o+n
s#iritual +ell-$ein%.
25. The metho"s use" $y missionaries to "isci#le native converts must $e
%roun"e" in:
a. a ra"ical esche+in% of any authority $ut that of 5cri#ture.
$. a "ee# humility +hich reco%ni&es that, as a cultural e4#atriate,
one is not in a %oo" #osition to authoritatively an" unilaterally
"eclare ho+ -i$lical #rinci#les shoul" $e a##lie" to cultural
#articulars.
c. a serious res#ect for the consciences of $elievers an" for the
+or( of the <oly 5#irit an" 5cri#ture in "irectin% their
consciences.