North and South Growing Together: The Differences It Makes Essay

The Global North and South are in a state of change, that can continue to grow further from a real and loving relationship with God, or become a religion that is closer to what Christ had intended for all us. In the north we see a rise in an individualism, a idea that forgets the evil (SIN) in religion, substitutes God’s grace for self-knowledge, and makes Christ mission about self help instead of global defeat and global salvation. â€Å"Jesus, who became the Christ of faith, suggested that the gospel need some concretization within cultures for it to have a capacity to transform destructive tendencies in them. The evangelizing objective was to seek life-giving elements in cultures which could â€Å"give flesh† to the gospel vision of reconciliation, peace, justice, compassion, and love.† The development of the Christian life and message in context with cultural living is not always clear and can be manifested appropriately in a specific cultural context, however but is not always clear with keeping to the Jesus traditions and Christian traditions at less. Christian traditions are built on Jesus traditions; however, where there is man there is error in caring out Christ’ traditions and teachings without personal characteristics interfering with the inerrant word of God. We are not capable on our own to carry out God’s will without the guidance of the Spirit. Some may ask how the life changing and life giving elements of God’s grace and God’s word determine through culture the true perspective and vision of the gospel? Pedro Arrupe, the former Superior General of the Roman Catholic Jesuit order stated that faith in Christ can be achieved globally if we work to bring the  Gospel needs concretization within cultures for it to have a capacity to transform destructive tendencies in them. Arrupe also stated these words were not his alone but came from Christ. Arrupe stated that inculturation is 1 Thomas Grenham, (2001). Exploring changing religious, cultural, and faith identities in an African context. the â€Å"the incarnation of Christian life and of the Christian message in a particular local cultural context, in such a way that the experience not only finds expression through elements proper to the culture in question (this alone would be no more than a superficial adaptation), but becomes a principle that animates, directs, and unifies a culture, transforming and remaking it so as to bring about ‘a new creation.†3 â€Å"If the Christian life and the Christian message can be embodied in a particular local culture, it seems obvious that a diverse religious way of life and its worldview could be manifested within Christianity, thus ‘a new transformation’ would take place simultaneously for Christianity and a diverse religious worldview.† The changes in some cultural worldviews are changing in a way that incorporates the Gospel of love and relationships into their way of life. This is good as Christ’ missionary work was about relationships, and about restoration of a relationship with God through his sacrifice for all mankind. In the Turkana’s who inhabit Kenya’s northern territories is bringing the good news to everyone including their poor. Traditionally with many of the Southern religions Liberation theology is the normative in their religious beliefs. Where Liberation theology was Pentecostalism has come. But today much of the religious sect in the south are turning to a straight forward reading of the Gospel with a direct interpretation on how to live. We are seeing a beginning of another reformation but not with a idea of some other belief but a reformation back to what we have lost. This is a global influence that is beginning to become a trend amongst many religious sects within the Christ ian worldview. We have lost sight of the Goal but as we begin to emerge from the ashes of sin that we have been living under we begin to be made aware of our transgressions by the Spirit. In is seen more and easily confirmed by this shift in thought by humans that the Triune God is ever so busy in our lives globally as a family imbedded in Christ’ body  that is being made possible by the Spirit. 3 Thomas Grenham, (2001). Exploring changing religious, cultural, and faith identities in an African context. Bibliography Thomas Grenham, (2001). Exploring changing religious, cultural, and faith identities in an African context. Retrieved on August 25, 2013 from Pacifica.org, PDF.