INCULTURATION: BLENDING CHRISTIANITY INTO LOCAL CULTURE
Abstract
As Christianity seeks to spread its mission around the world, they face cultural barriers in a way that Christianity is not always easily acceptable to the non-European settings due to the differences in values and cultural practices. In order to cope with such challenges, the churches established inculturation and equivalent policies in evangelizing and minister the non-western communities worldwide. In Kampung Bungan Besar, Matu, a Melanau-populated village, Christianity at the present time is the main religion alongside with the minority practitioners of traditional belief. The growing of Christianity from a totally ‘foreign’ religion to the main religion among the Melanau can be associated with the missionary efforts, and it is the inculturation process that ensured the triumph of the mission. Liturgical inculturation and object-centered inculturation is the most obvious two inculturation strategies used in spreading of the gospel message among the Melanau.
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