Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
The Gospel that Changes “Who I am”

The Gospel that Changes “Who I am”

Last updated on: May 3, 2016 at 9:57 pm by Brad Vaughn

The Gospel that Changes “Who I am” 2016-05-03T21:57:33-07:00 Brad Vaughn

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In today’s guest post, Martin Munyao shares a powerful testimony about how the gospel changes people from an honor-shame perspective.

Having earned a Th.M. from Daystar Academy of Nairobi, he previously served as a pastor and theology teacher in Kenya. He is now working on his Ph.D. at Concordia Theological Seminary.

For the past century, conversion into Christianity has meant different things for Kenyans (I guess for other regions in Africa too). During the colonial days, i.e. late 1890’s through 1950’s conversion to Christianity was seen as abandonment of African Traditional Religious values and it’s practice to join a strange sect. During the struggle for independence from British in Kenya, 1950’s through 1963 and even early after independence conversion to Christianity was seen as abandoning Africanism to join a White man’s religion. That was met with a lot of hesitation and reservation from most Kenyan people.

Becoming a Christian was interpreted as abandoning your own community to join an unknown community.

Credit: YouTube.com

It often left the new converts with a great deal of shame, humiliation and separation to deal with. That is why alternative communities such as The Kenyan African Union, The Young Kavirondo Association, Gikuyu-Embu-Meru-Akamba Associations were formed; groups that later became the MAU MAU who engaged in guerilla warfare to fight for our independence. On the religious side of things, alternative religious communities such as African Initiated Churches (AICs) were formed. Identifying with these African groups was the noble thing to do.

Groups define “Who I am”

However, in the recent days all this has changed as there is no more independence to fight for, and other dynamics have come to play in the 21st Century Kenya. In the contemporary Kenyan culture, groups and group values are essential in defining “who I am.”

For example, every young man is circumcised with fellow age mates. This initiation ceremony is carried out in the woods where boys of the same age are set apart for one month where they don’t get to see their family members, especially their mothers or sisters to avoid defilement. By the end of the 30 days during which boys are taught values that will make them honorable and responsible men in the community, they will have formed a very strong community bond of age mates. One can die for a fellow brother whom you went through initiation with.

In my case, this group literally became family for me.

“Us” but never “Me”

When I heard the gospel and accepted Jesus, I had to join the church. Just like any other young man, becoming a Christian seemed like betrayal in my friend’s eyes. It actually felt like I was literally ripping off a piece of me from myself.

This is because we were only taught to think of ourselves as “Us”, never “Me” again!

Credit: publicdomainpictures.net

To join the Christian family I accepted a gospel that said that I had ‘broken laws’ and needed to confess with my mouth so as to gain a ‘personal salvation.’ This was the hardest thing for me to grasp as living with the community of boys in the watch of elders and bigger brothers there is no way I could have possibly broken a law!

In order to be seen as a faithful follower of my new found faith, I had to transfer my allegiance from my age group members to the church.

In my foundational days of Christianity, I remember hiding on numerous occasions, whenever I met with my former friends because not only did they see me as a traitor, I actually felt like one. I hid my face from them. If only I knew what I know now perhaps my reaction would have been different.

Salvation in Community

Salvation in most Kenyan communities is a transfer of identity and allegiance from one group to another.

It’s a switch from an ordinary group membership (one’s tribal background and its practices) to an honorable community of believers. The gospel as taught by Western missionaries is not packaged in a manner to biblically frame this status transfer to an African audience.

Ephesians 2:11-22 comes to my mind. Hearing the gospel and conversion in a typical Kenyan community is transferring of allegiance to a more superior family; it’s becoming “… members of the household of God.” Sometimes this decision is made individually, but mostly it’s a communal decision.

For example, when in a family the father (head of the house) believes in Christ and is converted, most likely his wife and children, nephews and nieces will follow suit. It is the honorable thing to do. When Christ established his reign and rulership in a noble man’s heart, those who respect the man will most likely want to acquire the noble man’s new status.

Discipleship in a Kenyan context ought to help believers live a faith that is not designed to overthrow their cultural values that don’t contradict the gospel.

A Simple Approach to Honor-Shame Gospel Presentations

Previous Post

April 14, 2016

Learning Contextualization with "Uptown Funk"

Next Post

April 21, 2016 "Does the Plan of Salvation Make Disciples?" (Infographic)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atonement Biblical Theology Book Reviews China Chinese Church Chinese Culture Chinese Language Collectivism Contextualization Culture (General) Ecclesiology Evangelism Gospel Honor & Shame (Face) Interpretation/Exegesis Justification/Righteousness Missiology Mission Methods One Gospel for All Nations Other Practical Contextualization Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes Resources Romans Salvation (General) Saving God's Face Seeking God's Face The Cross in Context Theological Contextualization Theological Education Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many days was Jesus tempted in the wilderness?

Select your answer to see how you score.

60 days 50 days 40 days 30 days

Books by This Author Books by Brad Vaughn

See All Titles »

The Gospel that Changes “Who I am”

Groups define “Who I am”

“Us” but never “Me”

Salvation in Community

Related articles

How many days was Jesus tempted in the wilderness?