Anthropology for Christian Witness

This is a summary and a response to the book, "Anthropology for Christian Witness" by Charles Kraft

Anthropology is a behavioral science that focuses on the concept of culture and worldview. These concepts have been helpful to Christian mission work in developing concepts for cross cultural communication and understanding. This understanding helps the worker bring the gospel in understandable terms to people with different assumptions and beliefs about life. These different beliefs permeate every area of life from the mundane to the profound. Therefore, it affects how the recipients, regardless of the intent of the messenger, hear the message.
Anthropology is also a social science in search of reality. The concept of reality is an important subject in that some will want an objective reality whereas others will opt for a subjective reality. Christianity sees an objective REALITY that is God’s reality. However, as we develop subjective realities we do this on the journey toward objective reality but we are not there yet. Therefore, discoveries of subjective reality move us farther on the trail to objective reality. Anthropology is one of the ways of discovery of this subjective reality particularly concerning, people, cultures, and crossing cultures. Since there are some strengths in both the discipline of theology and the discipline of anthropology these two disciplines could combine their strengths for maximum effect in bringing the message of the gospel cross culturally.
Though there are basic, human needs that are common to all people the ways people meet these needs are different among different groups thereby creating different cultures. At the core of a culture is the worldview, which manifests creatively in several subsystems. These subsystems proceed from assumptions, habitual, and creative behaviors. These subsystems include major areas such as social, technological, religious, and economic and communication subsystems. It is significant that in each culture, the forms used in the culture have meaning and these meanings may differ from culture to culture. Therefore, when terms and customs move from one culture to another they receive a different meaning. Therefore, it is extremely important to communicate in culturally relevant ways. This includes not only words but also customs. Understanding the customs of the culture comes through this developmental understanding of the meanings of the forms as well. Several areas of culture need understanding before effective communication can take place. Material culture and technology having to do with tools and methods of using the physical world for survival and protection this would include electronic advanced technology as well as bows and arrows. Economies and the way of communication are also a part of the cultural reality of a group of people. Religion is part of the culture as well which means as we communicate the gospel we need to understand this area of the culture so we do not repress their culture in bringing the gospel. Communication is an integral part of culture that not only communicates the messages of words spoken but also reveals thought processes in the people of the culture. Social issues are an important part of culture in the way families develop and function properly in that group. In social role, there are also different ways that status forms and then the roles that go with them. There are differences in the way these statuses occur in each culture as some societies ascribe them at birth and in others, they occur as a process. This difference causes deep differences in the societies particularly having to do with issues of freedom and security. As change agents Christians need to use contextualization, bringing the message in a way that is understood in that culture, and avoid syncretism, a mixing of Christianity and their culture in a way that the result is neither Christian nor their culture. There are barriers to change but there are also helpful processes. The messenger can become an in culture advocate of change by becoming part of the culture and being an implementor of change or by finding insiders who become acceptors of change then become implementors inside the culture.
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Response -
I have finished the Kraft book and I found it to be informative andinsightful in many areas. I think his explanations of worldview inconnection with culture were very good and the many connections hemade in the book concerning the ramifications of ethnocentrism weregood as well. He makes many good points comparing western culture withmany other cultures. Though I thought he was a overly negative in a couple of the comparisons. Western culture has been overbearing but there have been some bright spots along the way - like some of these anthropological insights. I found his negative stance on school a little surprising though I agree with some but not all of his insights there. I think again there are some redeeming qualities to western education - though it is not a cure all by any measure. And it needs to be adjusted for use in other places but it has some use - I believe. I thought his discussion about family and religion was very insightful and helpful. I did find his rather adamant stance on the evolutionary process a little troubling.I do not dispute that there is evidence. But I would dispute how he interprets the evidence. It has to do with worldview - from whence you begin in your thinking affects where you end up. This is how he processed the information in his book. Therefore my worldview is very supernatural because I oppose the Kantian view of life that there are 2 separate worlds. Therefore it affects the way I see the evidence.Now, I think he can interpret it like he wants because of his worldview presuppositions, but those interpretations do not have to be superimposed on all for the proper understanding of anthropology. I am not appealing so much to subjectivity here as to worldview issues. One of us is right and one is wrong on this but that does not have to be settled to overcome issues like racism.