God’s Culture
Smack!
A boy in my class at our public junior high school had been harassing one of my friends. I couldn’t understand Japanese at the time, but she sounded distressed. The other students spoke sharply to him, but he didn’t stop. So, I slapped him across the face.
I remember that day for the different responses I received. My classmates were shocked at my violence. The teachers, though probably amused by my “American” response, arranged for us to formally apologize to one another. My parents were proud of me. The boy was wary of me after that. And me? I was confused.
Different values
How could there be so many different responses to one action? Sometimes it takes a conflict to see the differences in cultures. Outside the home, I learned to value perfection and to avoid awkward situations for the sake of others. At home, I learned to take pride in my work and to always be honest. These are not incompatible values, but they do bump into each other sometimes.
Later, while teaching English part-time in Japan, I brought home a paycheck that was smaller than usual. I didn’t want to say anything to my boss: it would have been terribly awkward for him. But my parents couldn’t stand that the pay was possibly dishonest, and wanted me to return and ask about the amount. What should I do?
Turning to God’s culture
Fortunately, I learned what to do when I am caught between cultures. The two greatest gifts my parents gave me were prayer and the Bible—they prayed for me, taught me Bible stories, and encouraged me to study the Bible. When I don’t know what to do, I turn to God’s culture in His Word.
I see now that it was right to stand up to the boy at school. Granted, slapping him was inappropriate, but I could not stand by and do nothing. It was also right to apologize. Through that, I learned respect. I returned to work to ask about my paycheck, honoring my parents. Though I received no extra pay that night, I endured the awkward situation and learned to turn the other cheek.
Grounding in God’s culture comes with regularly reading the Bible. We only learn to act on a culture after we have soaked it up. To really belong to God’s culture, I have to grasp my place in it. Romans 8 tells us where we stand in God’s culture: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Rom. 8:1-2, NASB).
The Old Testament Law could not save us, nor can present-day cultural systems. Our salvation is in Jesus Christ alone, and we have to trust Him. Even though I’m in the US now, I still have to work out conflict. I haven’t slapped anyone lately, but I have made some serious mistakes that have hurt myself and others. Jesus alone gives me the strength to forgive, to accept forgiveness, and to feel safe.
In His culture, my true home culture, I am secure.
Photo by Andrew C.