August 22, 2008
Olympic Shifts
What new global realities mean for the church
Shifts happen all the time - shifts in economics, politics, theology, church, and culture. But we usually don't comprehend the full nature of the shift until much later. One subtle shift happened in Beijing last week. You may have missed it amid the pageantry of the Olympic opening ceremonies.
Many consider it an historic event for modern China to host the Olympic Games, and the show proved to be amazing. It was an experiential canvas of creativity few have ever seen before on such a scale: techno-utopian shows, creative and innovative artistry, massive numbers of participants synchronizing poetry through dance and song. The opening ceremony masterfully put the world on notice: a shift has occurred. Here's what I saw communicated:
1. China is increasingly more open to the "barbarians"
In one of the most beautiful sequences in the ceremony, the dancers displayed the Great Wall reflecting one of the most notable metaphors of China. It was a reminder to the world that barbarians weren't welcomed. Things have changed. The dancers transformed the walls of China into a bridge of flowers. Sure, the doors may still be closed in many respects--human rights and religious freedoms are still lagging in China--but there seems to be a growing openness in the culture. This is probably the result of many who have prayed and fueled the movement of the Holy Spirit.
2. Skin color and racial stereotypes are becoming irrelevant
Did you see the group of children representing the 51 different cultures of China! China, like so many other places today, is multi-cultural. A group of young people is emerging that some call Third Culture - a wave of people who will lead the missiological movement because of their ability to adapt to different cultures. Being comfortable moving between cultures all of their lives, these people will be more equipped to become all things to all men.
3. China is not just about copying things
The Chinese have a heritage of being some of the most creative and artistic people on the planet. The opening ceremony showed that China wasn't content to copy what other countries have done in the past. They created an innovative experience unlike any before. New ideas are coming from Asia, and not just the West. Although most Christians see the West as the center of Christian activity and mission in the world, some are now predicting that Korea will soon outpace America when it comes to missiological initiative.
So what does this mean for the church? I believe an ecclesiastical and theological shift is happening too. An expanded and new wave of theological scholarship and creative ministry expressions will take shape and continue to fuel God's global movement, and these will increasingly come from outside Western cultures. The emergence of China and other Asian powers on the world stage parallels what's happening in the church.
How should we respond as Americans? One practical thing to do is experience what God is doing globally by reading a macro perspective of the shifts happening in Asia by authors like Fareed Zakaria. I highly recommend The Post-American World. It's an inexpensive trip to take a journey with your mind.
Secondly, I'd encourage you to take a vision trip overseas - not to serve as much as to learn. There are great partnership groups like World Vision, or you can email me at dave.gibbons@newsong.net and I will put you in touch with great groups I work with in Asia and beyond. There is no better way to experience a great move of God than by being in the middle of one. If you do that, watch out? you may never be the same. I know because it happened to me.
Read about Dave Gibbons' ministry-changing, and life-changing, experience as a pastor in Bangkok, Thailand in the summer issue of Leadership.
Dave Gibbons is pastor of NewSong Church in Irvine, California.
Posted by UrL Scaramanga on August 22, 2008
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Comments
You make some good points. However, I'm not so sure I can agree that China has become "multi-cultural" in any sense that we would use that phrase in the West.
China is still pretty much dominated by the Han culture.
(While China officially recognizes 56 minorities, not 51, there are actually many more distinct minority groups within China according to experts who are free to disagree with Beijing.)
Posted by: Steve at August 22, 2008
Chinese culture is also extremely racist. Even believing Han Chinese regularly look down on minorities. Here in Yunnan, there are still clear class distinctions often solely based on ethnicity. Furthermore, the Han Chinese are still very suspect of foreigners and generally look down on them if there's no personal benefit.
China has come a long way as this post makes clear, but we still have a long ways to go.
Posted by: Ranger at August 22, 2008
Any comment on the openning ceremonies unfortunately remind me of two other reports: the lip-synching angelic child who was preferred over the uglier actual singer, and the disclosure of added computer generated fireworks to "beef" up the real ones in the footages provided.
Having been reminded of that, I appreciate your comments on the "world church", and that we have much to learn in North America from our broothers and sisters overseas. There are some amazing things happenning in China (hush hush), Asia, as well as Africa. You are right: we have to get our eyes off ourselves and our "stuff" and look around us. We need to be creative in ministry and our faith expression.
But, as in the openning ceremonies, we need to make sure it is not just a show to promote ourselves, going to any cost to "win". It is about following Jesus by surrendering all - as individuals. Always has been, always will.
Posted by: Steve Grove at August 22, 2008
The Opening Ceremonies is one of the last things I would cite as an example of positive change in China. You say "the barbarians" are now welcome. Meanwhile outside the stadium, peaceful dissidents are being arrested (including 5 US bloggers), and in the Press Center internet access continues to be restricted. If only the many imprisoned journalists could speak freely about the "increasing openness in the culture."
Yes, the Opening Ceremonies were impressive to watch. But at what cost? Forget the lip-syncing girl and the CGI fireworks, and look at what the performers endured. The martial artists were confined to military barracks and forced to practice 16 hours a day. One rehearsal lasted 51 hours, during which the cast of thousands was only fed twice. They even had to wear adult diapers because they weren't given enough time to pause for bathroom breaks.
Performers were injured after being forced to practice in the rain. Others suffered heatstroke. One 26-year-old dancer fell during a rehearsal and is now paralyzed from the waist down.
The director of the ceremonies maintains that "suffering and sacrifice" were necessary to pull off the event.
And sure enough it was breathtaking. NBC can sell their Opening Ceremonies DVDs, and we can all praise the beauty and pageantry...but once we sift through the propaganda, it's clear the Opening Ceremonies were really a reminder of what hasn't shifted in China: their blatant disregard for human rights.
Posted by: Tyler at August 22, 2008
It's interesting to see how Dave and those leaving comments thus far responded differently to the opening ceremonies. Dave saw positive developments by China exhibited in the ceremonies while the comments point out ongoing injustices.
If Dave is right about a new wave of theological scholarship and creative ministry expressions that will increasingly come from outside Western cultures, then these different ways of seeing the ceremonies are significant. How will the Western church respond to developments around the world? Will we be confident in our own analysis of these developments, or will we actively listen to the Church in these countries?
Posted by: David Swanson at August 22, 2008
Your comments on the church in Asia are very interesting and probably true. But, your description of the opening ceremonies is off. I took a course in college called "The Rise And FAll of Nazi GErmany" and we had to watch "Triumph of The Will" that is what the opening ceremonies reminded me of.
Posted by: Tim at August 22, 2008
"An expanded and new wave of theological scholarship and creative ministry expressions will take shape and continue to fuel God’s global movement..."
Isn't this statement a bit man-centered and arrogant? Christ said that he would build His Church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. In contrast to this Unstoppable Force, are not most of our "new waves of scholarship and creative ministry expressions" simply wood, hay and stubble, no matter how impressed with ourselves we seem to be?
Posted by: Kendall Lord at August 25, 2008
Two missionaries from my church are in China, teaching, and from what they report, some things are changing for the better.
But, it still illegal to disseminate christian literature, it is still illegal to form unregistered home churches (happily, they are still forming), and lastly it is still illegal to promulgate Christianity unless the citizen initiates interest.
Perhaps in another twenty years more things will change for the better, and here is to hoping for those changes.
Posted by: sheerahkahn at August 25, 2008
Right on, Dave. The log in our own American eye is our fierce individualism, which makes it very hard to see beauty in the willing sacrifice the performers made for the good of the whole and their country. The Chinese athletes too seemed to be competing for the pride of their nation to a depth far beyond the Americans or most others. Just because statism can be taken to a dangerous extreme does not mean it has no place; yet our American Experiment seems determined to exalt nothing but the individual. It's such a pervasive flaw in our exercise of our faith as Christians, as well, that I think it becomes quite difficult for us to pluck the speck from our brother's eye, much less learn anything from him. I agree with you--we desperately need our Christian brothers and sisters from other worldviews to inform our faith, as we need our global neighbors to expand our worldview.
Posted by: Cory Trenda at August 25, 2008
Dave,
Great post and I was particularly interested in how you tied this into the global movement of God.
We in America have been so used to exporting Christianity that we have, in large part, failed to realize the first hand experience of God among the developing nations. They are not getting our "religion", but they are experiencing a great movement of God. I hope I, and all of us, can be humble enough to learn from it and celebrate it.
John Johnson
Posted by: John Johnson at August 25, 2008