Christian Theology of Inculturation

Inculturationis not just a means of evangelization but belongs to the heart of the church’s evangelizing mission. it is not just a way of witnessing to Christ but of accomplishing and fulfilling his work of redemption. It is the continuation in time and space of the dialogue of salvation realized by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. The incarnational economy of salvation means that the self-communication of God, definitively given to us in the incarnatio of his Son, is the paradigm of the saving presence and action of God in history. The inculturation of the Christian faith and life in the local Church is the historical actualization of Christ’s salvation in the midst of every people. Evangelization will lose much of its power and efficacy, if it does not make use of people’s language, their signs and symbols; i.e. if it does not reach and influence their way of life. After a brief introduction on the idea of culture, enculturation and acculturation in social anthropology, a theology of culture, symbol and language is treated in order to lead to the central subject-matter of the Christian theology of inculturation, which is articulated in themes such as revelation and culture, redemptive incarnation as an exemplary model of inculturation, Lay people and inculturation, missionary spirituality and inculturation. The final chapters deal with inculturation in the Indian Church, the meeting of the Gospel with Asian religions, cultures and aspirations for full humanity, and AsianChristian theology