Written By Mum Bahadur Gharti Magar
Introduction.
Contextualization in my understanding is to
contexualize our faith and ministry within a perticular assigned context
without compromising and harming the people in that context. It is a
crucial approach in the practical
theology. Doing the contextualization in the practical theology involves
both challenges and opportunities . For
example, One family came to Odesia in India. They came to work and attempted
to contexualize their ministry ended up
lossing their life. however, the people
in that place came to Christ later. This paper will explain about the
contextualization in Pratical Theology and its challenge and opportunities for the local church in Nepal. It will
include its praictce in my local church as well.
Definiaion
Pratical theolgoy is one of the vast field as the systematic
and biblical theology are. There are numurous topic under the pratical theology
just like in others field. Pratical
theology is doing theology. It is not set of
belief and activity but is a movement
between action and reflection[1]. There are many ways or process of doing
pratical theology. Contexualization is one of the best process in doing
pratical theology. It is said that to contextualize is to tailor the presentation of the gospel to the
wider sociological context in order to achieve greater understanding and
greater acceptance of the gospel.[2]
Contextualizations is not only the form of
communication or application but alose the way of interpretation of the
scripture. It is firstly our response to the gospel then we only can communicate
it in assigned context. If we go to the context without understanding the
content, then we are in trouble. We can't do contextualization in that way. Therefore we first need to
understand the content the gospel and then understand the context. After that , we can do
contextualiztion in pratical theology.
Contextulization in the pratical theology is not
about the changing gospel message but to learn
how people think and feel so that
good news lands clearly.[3] It
is about to contextulize the unchanging message to changing context and cultur.
We must keep in our mind that we can change our gospel to please the people, if
we do that will no escape from the judgement of God ( Reve22:18ff), but we can have belief in God that we can change
the people by sharing the gospel.For example, he can be forgiven from his or
her sin and can reconcile with living and holy God. He or she can be
transferred to the kingdom of Son Jesus Christ from the kingdom of darkness(
Col:9)
The need of
Contextualization
It matters in pratical theology because it is
theologically sound, found in bible and missionally faithufl.[4]Contexualization
is a simple way of putting or expressing the gospel in culturally embedded
ways. It makes sense theologically because it takes the communicative dimension of what the Bible tells about
the enduring importanc of culturel. It
is found every where in the Bible. We can take the book of act as example where
the apostle Paul preached to the
different group of people like Jews Act13, to idolatrous philosophers Act17 to
the church leaders acts 20. Each sermon
was same but in its own context.
the missionary from the early each to now have used the process of contextualization
in practical theology. They reache out to the new people in new setting. They
explained the gospel in a way that people could understand. For example. they
contextualized by knowing which idols to confront, which stories to subvert,
and which language to use.
Types of contextualization
in pratical theology.
One can have many kinds of contextualiation which can be used in pratical theology. The
first one is Exegetical contextualization. It is about to interpet the
scriputre from the cultural prespective. It means that we interpret scripture
through a cultural lens. It does not
mean that we put our ideas in rather we tries to see what actually is already
in the text and how can it be relevance to our present context.
The second one is cultural contextualization. It
means to one's interpreting cultural from the a biblical prespective. It mens
seeing what is true about a culture as a result of one's having a biblical
lens. likewise, The bible gives new and
true ways of assesing a cultural context. It helps the people to see the need
of God for them to get out of sin.[5] It will reform the cultural from the dark
into the light by contextualizing the theology into that cultural.
The third one is philosophical contextualization. There
are numerous philosophical world view in the entire world. It is usefull to
understand that before doing the contextualiztion in practical theology. Philosophical
contextualization is to understand the
philosophical world view of a particular context and to interpret our belief within this context.
For example, Our Neplese philosophical
world view is different than the world view of
Europ's country like dresssing up in the wedding. In the Europ People
wear white in Nepal they wear red. Why
they do must be understand before doing contextualization in pratical theology.
The fourth way of doing contextualization in
pratical theology is verbal
contextualization. God revealed himself to us by speaking. It has been
happening throughout the history. We can
take our scripture as example. God spoke in different stage of time with
various people. God still speak to us . So, We can follow this model to do contextualization in pratical theology.
Speaking unchanging truth to changing people in their context is called verbal
contextualiation.
Challenges
Contextualization in pratical theology has been challenges
for the Neplese local churchh over the period of time. We can go back to
our christian history to understand this
well. In the period of Rana, It is said that the king Prithivi Narayan Shaha
did not allowed to say the Cappuchin father in the land of the Nepal resulted they ended up in china.
Moreover whoever believed in Christ as their saviour exilled to the place
called Bihar in India. It was so challenges for them that they could not stay
in ther own land. It was not
enough. Foreign people was not allowed
to come and work in Nepal. So, People from the outside ended up working near
the boarder. Some of the missionary were doctor and Nurse by their established
the hospital and school worked there. One of the most famouse hosptial is Doncon
hospital in the boarder of Nepal and India
Some of the
Nepalese like David Mukhiya used to work in Doncon hospital came to
Nepal in Pokhara established the first church of Nepal is called Ramghat
Church. Despite of many challenges God has never been stoppped working to
expand his kingdom. Many of the Nepalese
christian exilled and put to prison yet God has beeen working so far.
Most of the
Nepal Christian has been converted from the Hindu. They were sick and possesed
with evil spirit. They are set free and came to Christ. It is cleared that
challenges were not only natural but also supernatural. What I means is that People only do not
attemped to stope people to believe in God but also Evil spirit also did.
People are still facing many challeges in doing the
contextuation in pratical theology inside the christianity. One of the
major challegnes is intercast marriage. I have wittenesss that Pastor
has failled to contextualise their faith into practice. He is one who regullary
preached in the congregation saying that we all are equal in Christ but once
when comes to the intercast Marriage he failed to do. This is the real example
I have mentioned here. one of my student being fromt the Tamang community was
about get married to the man who is from the Dalit community. Initially, her
parents were not convinced. She was able
to convinced her parents and went to the
pastor and Pastor told her parents that I won't give marriage. As result, They
got married but her parents and church family are not in contact with her. It
is not tragic?
Christian are facing challenges from the outside of
chritianity. One of the major challenges is the government law. It is not
allowed to proclaim the gospel opendly in Nepal. People can go to the jail for
the reason of prozelyting people into Christian.The majority of the people
knows the chirstian as foreign religion and named it differently which reduce
the confidenc of the christian. As result , Many people are afraiding of practicing their faith.
One of the bigest challenges in the present context
in and outside the christianity is the false Teaching. People are not able to
do contextualization in pratical theology well because of false teaching. False
teaching is everywhere. They are forcefully trying to make people
christian which do not welcome true christian to do their
work. Some of the example for the false teaching is Sachhai and Jehowa witness.
Which is biggest challenges.
The language barrier is the one of the main
challenges in the doing the contextualization in pratical theology. There are
over one hundred and twenty language in Nepal. Each language represent their one
community. Learning lanuages is not a
piece of cake. Therefore, It is one the main challenges for doing
contextualization in pratical theology. One must learn their language if one
wants to be better in doing contextualization in pratical theology.
Religion is also main challenges in doing
contextualization in pratical theology. The countery Nepal is filled with
mulitreligion but the majority of the
people are the follower of the Hindus. They are targeting christian in Nepal to
kill and put them into prison because they thought that christian are not
Nepali religion and tryin to fool the Nepali. It is not challenges to do contextualization
in pratical theology in such context.
Culture is another kind of challenges for those who are doing
contextualization in pratical theology. One can learn their language but it may
take to understand and adapt their cultural. Unless one can understand their
cultural , one can' t do contextualation properly. Therefore , Many missionary
lived for long time in particular cultur like India and Nepal just to adapt the
cultural and make the word of God
relevance in their cultural. It is said that if the gospel is not
contextualized , the word of God will
remain an unincarnate word, a messge that touches our lives only tangentially.
There are other two risks of contextualization. They
are known as syncretism and cultural
imperialism. Sycretism is simply combining the unchanging gospel with changing
philosophy and context whereas cultural imeprialism imposes foreign forms and
ingores local meaning.[6]
These two word are not as simple as they
are. These two are very dangerous temptation for those who
are in mission of doing contextualization in practical theology becaseu
these two word are tempteting. Many
of the people are falled in trap of syncretism. It is helpful to know them well
and it will save use from the falling to
the same tempation.
Opportunites
There are huge demand of it for local church in Nepal even though it has
many challenges. The total present number of the christain in nepal now is the
result of doing contextualization in pratical theology. As I mentioned above
its challenges like language, cutlural
and religon and so on. In other ways these are also opportunites to do
contextualization in pratical theology.
The Nepal is also known as Hindus country even
though it has many religion. It is big scope to learn their belief and pratice
and share our belief and pratice by staying within this religious context.
There are still many people dying in Nepal without bebieving in Christ. We can
go and make disciple by doing the contextulizaiton .
Translation of our scripure is another opportunity. We have also numerous cutural in Nepal
such Magar, Tamang, and Gurung and
brahamin. We can chose their language at one time and we learn . We can go
within this culture and do contextualizaiton of our faith by providing Bible in their own language.. It is one of
best opportunites of contextualization.
We can take Translation mission as
example. There are many translation mission in Nepal like Nepal Bible Society
and other.
Opening the theological seminary is also the best opportunity. To do contextualiztion in
pratical theology , People need training and a year of experience. This
work has been done by the theological
seminary well. So, We neplese church need theological seminary
oppened more so that more people can
come and equipe and contextulize their theology within their context.
Planting new church in various place of Nepal is also opportunity of doing
contextualiztion in pratical theology.
We can contextualize our belief and pratice by planting new church. For
example, if we go to Chepang community. We do not know their language and
pratice and how can we get the opportunities to contextualize our theology. We
only can do when we plant new churchh their by picking their people from their
own context.
Working in the faith-based organiation is the
opportunites for those we can contextualizae their faith. Some people are not
able to contextualize their faith and ended up having the great opportunities.
Other people are expert in doing contextualization of theology. I have
experience that some christian are over
spiritual and onely want to work insid the church and failled to work in other
faith-based orgnization. They even can't think about it but contextualizatio in
pratical theology can help the such people to think globally and act locally.
Doing contextualization in pratical theology offers
local churchh in nepal to respect its cultural and people and everytings in it.
I have seen that when one become christian they are treated themselves that there are
aliens. They are told to not engage with
people in the world. They even tries to hate the pratices of the people
including their dear owns. As result,
Chrsitian has been becoming the enemies of Hindu day by day. It is all the result of lack of contextualization of
theology.
In my local church
To connect the contextualization in pratical
theology in my local church. We have both challenges and opportunities of the contextualization in
pratical theology. As I have already said that pratical theology is all about
doing theoloy and living it day to day life. We have challenges because we are newly
emerged leader in our church .Some peole seems they do not believe our
leadership because they thought that we are young.
Another challenges is that it is hard to lead
the uppper classs people even though we
are equal in christ however we can see some of akwardness between them.So, I am trying to balance it by proclaiming the
gospel and telling them that we are told to live not to know only about what we
believe. Sometime, we are limited
ourselves in kowing not living what we
believe as result we ended up in borken
ourselve with shame and so on.
It is challenges because we are in urban area where
most intellectual people live and come to the church as well. We all need more
preparation and are able to answer their
question. It is not as easy as in the
Rural area. It is challenges that they
are more adavance in their faith and lifestyle and skills. As emerging
leaders , we need be ready in season and out of season to preach and
teach the word to them and help them to grow in faith and in relationship of
with God.
We are challenges financially in our local
church. We are tring to contextualize of
our theology but when it comes to finance it is limited in our mind. It is hard
for us to be generous. We are trying to be better than before in giving and
helping others.We are told and taught to give our tithes and offerings which can use to church adminstration and
other logestic things.
There are opportunities as well in my church. We are
community of diverse people. Everyone are welcomed to the new idieas. They are
welcomed to learn new hymns and learn to the word of God in their own context.
It is a great joy to teach them regularly from the word of God and help them to
understand it. Even we are different and have different background and cultur.
We gather every saturday together and sing the word and hear the word and pray
the word and encauraged one another to live the word. We do not only do that we
also do share the gospel to our friend and neighbours. I always encourage to my peer to share the
gospel because we are told to do ( Matthew28:19).
Conclusion
To conclude that pratical theology is doing
theology. Contextualization is one of
the way of doing pratical theology.It is way
by which one make the good news
relevent in the new seting. We need to do contextualization in pratical
theology becase we are told in the bible as well as it is theologically sound
and missionally faithfull. There are many ways doing contextualiztion in the
pratical theology. They are exegetical, cultural, philosophical and verbal
contextualization. doing the
contextualition has both challenges and opportunites in the context of nepal.
It is challenges because we are in diveresed cultural, langauge , religion and
people. We are neglected and hated by other religion and banned by the nepal
government to share the good news. It is
alos opportunites for us to do contextualization in pratical theology becaue
the more problem there is the more we get opportunity to address.
[1]
What is pratical theology?, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daisyllVomM
[2]What
is contextualization? https://www.gotquestions.org/contextualization.html
9/7/2026
9:04 AM
[3] Connie Thomson, Four foundation for Biblical
contextualization, https://www.jesusfilm.org/blog/contextualizing-the-gospel-for-all-people/
9/7/20269:04 AM
[4]
Stephan Stallard, Intro to Contexualiization: https://www.thecgcs.org/resources/post/intro-to-contextualization/
9/7/20269:04 AM
[5] Brad Vaughn, Two Kinds of Contextualization
and why they matter, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jacksonwu/2013/01/16/two-kinds-of-contextualization-and-why-they-matter-part-2/
9/7/2026,9:04 AM
[6]
Connie Thomson, Four foundation for Biblical contextualization, https://www.jesusfilm.org/blog/contextualizing-the-gospel-for-all-people/
9/7/20269:04 AM
Comments
Post a Comment