{"id":3416,"date":"2018-02-01T16:45:07","date_gmt":"2018-02-01T23:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/?p=3416"},"modified":"2018-02-16T16:18:27","modified_gmt":"2018-02-16T23:18:27","slug":"immigrant-pastors-give-their-views-on-american-christianity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/2018\/02\/01\/immigrant-pastors-give-their-views-on-american-christianity\/","title":{"rendered":"Immigrant pastors give their views on American Christianity\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

This guest post is written by Kate Harveston, a writer and political activist from Pennsylvania. She blogs about culture and politics, and the various ways that those elements act upon each other. For more of her work, you can follow her on Twitter<\/a> or subscribe to her blog, Only Slightly Biased<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

To know God, and through that relationship live the\u00a0best life one can lead, is at the centre of many <\/span>religions. As one of the prominent religions on the planet, Christianity has evolved into different <\/span>expressions of faith across all points of the globe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two places that are geographically close can have incredibly different outlooks on spirituality. Marshall Shelly, director of Denver Seminary\u2019s Doctor of Ministry program, recently set out to explore the way that people from all over the globe differ in their expressions of Christianity relative to the brand of faith seen in the United States.<\/p>\n

For Christians and non-Christians,\u00a0Shelly\u2019s findings are an eye-opening and refreshing reminder of how <\/span>nuanced the topic of faith is, and how easy it can be to forget that your approach to religion isn\u2019t <\/span>everyone\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Surveying the globe<\/h2>\n

Shelly spoke to pastors from\u00a0Mongolia, Korea, Guatemala, and Africa who have immigrated to the United States and practiced the faith. His reflections on what they had to say offer a diverse pallet of Christian practices and outlooks, which he shares in \u201c<\/span>What Christians in the US Can Learn from Immigrant Pastors.<\/a>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What becomes apparent when you\u00a0read Shelly\u2019s thoughtful piece is that American Christianity has, in <\/span>some ways, neglected the parts of Christianity that encourage believers to challenge themselves. <\/span>Accepting some of what these immigrant pastors shared might require some followers to step outside of <\/span>their comfort zone, but isn\u2019t that worth a <\/span>closer relationship with one\u2019s faith<\/a>?<\/span><\/p>\n

The importance of community in faith<\/h2>\n

Young people are leaving organized\u00a0Christian churches these days. To get them interested again, <\/span>pastors\u00a0<\/a>are changing their approach, adopting a take that focuses more on doing good in the community and<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>building relationships<\/a>. It\u2019s the antithesis of the megachurch culture that has influenced many American <\/span>Christian organizations, turning them into informal pot lucks where no one actually knows one-another.<\/span><\/p>\n

While big faith isn\u2019t necessarily informal, Mongolian pastor Mojic Baldandorj, who now practices at Colorado Mongolian Church, contrasted the arms-length relationships of US churches with a system in Mongolia that clings to expressions of respect for the church, but also fosters stronger interpersonal bonds.<\/p>\n

In Mongolia, for example, it\u2019d be awkward to\u00a0hear a pastor encouraging people to attend an event <\/span>simply because it should be fun. Instead, the focus of a church event should be its value as a means of <\/span>becoming closer to one\u2019s faith.<\/span><\/p>\n

The focus on relationships was echoed by Endashaw Kelkele, pastor of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Denver. To consider attending a funeral for someone you had never met seems alien to Americans. In Ethiopia, it\u2019s thought of as very appropriate \u2014 a Christian lost has an impact on the entire community, and part of observing one\u2019s faith is to help fellow Christians lift that person up.<\/p>\n

The gospel around the globe<\/h2>\n

Another area of faith that Shelly\u2019s\u00a0research sheds light on is the approach to the gospel in the United <\/span>States.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mandy Smith, a pastor from Australia,\u00a0shared with him that \u201cit\u2019s hard for the gospel to feel new here. Most people have\u00a0<\/span>heard some form of Christianity (from cultural references to it in the media). But they\u2019ve often heard a perversion of it. So the resistance isn\u2019t to the gospel as often as it\u2019s to some misrepresentation of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s point is easy to follow.<\/p>\n

The misuse of organized religion\u00a0has led to people to associate gospel with some kind of racketeering; a means to an end. In places like Guatemala, where respect for spirituality is heavily integrated into the culture, <\/span>you see the evangelical side of Christianity more freely expressed, often in the form of people preaching the gospel<\/a>. For example, a follower might share the gospel on a city bus or train, and there\u2019s nothing awkward about that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grace and understanding<\/h2>\n

Practicing extroverted evangelism\u00a0in the US might evoke different responses than it does in Guatemala, <\/span>but the topic of grace is something American Christians can change their approach on at a personal level.<\/span><\/p>\n

More than one of the pastors that Shelly interviewed\u00a0cited an unwillingness to accept the self-critical side <\/span>of religion in American Christians. As Shelly puts it \u201cResting in God\u2019s grace is quite different from \u201cwork <\/span>out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But these things are healthy to discuss, and less\u00a0than they\u2019re negative, they\u2019re informative. In <\/span>Christianity, there\u2019s still room for balance, not everything is perfect, and practicing Christians have to be <\/span>honest with themselves about that. It\u2019s through this lens that Shelly\u2019s observations become <\/span>developmental, rather than critical.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To know God, and through that relationship live the\u00a0best life one can lead, is at the centre of many religions. As one of the prominent religions on the planet, Christianity has evolved into different expressions of faith across all points of the globe. 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