The robe - an emblem of working cross-culturally
Talking about the robe with people has been interesting and illustrates some of the issues that we face in adapting to working in France. It'd make a good title for a book, too, wouldn't it! The robe...
The robe helped French people to accept the church as a real church, a proper church, with real roots in the history of the country, and a French church - especially important when the church meets in the basement garage of a suburban house and the preacher has an accent that belongs in a British WW2 sit-com ('Allo 'allo, is he thinking gendarmes here..?)
After all, French history is different from British and American history. An American friend told me about his successful church-plant in New England. He's Congregationalist. There was a town with no Congregational Church. He started one. The Congregationalists came. Bingo! Job done!
In Britain it's not quite like that. At least, not in North Wales! But we have towns with no evangelical witness at all, and there we would start services with the aim of planting an evangelical or a Baptist church. We may not use the word evangelical, because that's pretty scary in Britain. Baptist is OK, but it still may keep some people away.
Here in France évangélique (evangelical) is a very scary word. That's those weird Americans who jump around and fall over, no? Baptiste? Scary! That's what George Bush is isn't he? No? Well I am sure one of them was. Réformée? That's not scary. That's French, OK, but aren't they basically about Kierkegaard and hospitals and youth clubs and stuff? Protestante? Oh yes - those are the people who stood up for what they believed even if it cost their lives. And after all many of the reformers who had most influence on us were Frenchmen. Chrétien? Well I suspect that most French ears will hear that word as Roman Catholic, but Christian is what we are after all, and the Christian message is what we are about.
OK - that's a caricature, but in a predominantly RC country the denominational variety of Britain and the USA looks really weird! Five churches in one street? What's that all about? And we can talk till we are blue in the face about gospel unity and dividing over secondary issues, but the French ear will hear sectes.
In Britain a new church, well it wouldn't be scary and you may even go and check it out. And cults and sects? Our instinctive reaction is "nutters". Not scary. Here in France there is a genuine fear of psychological manipulation and of new groups because they are sectes, aren't they. Obviously.
So you have to remember that you are not in Britain. And adapt.
And you also have to think long and hard about what you really are. What is important to you? Is it to be a Baptist and to have that on the gate? Are you wanting to see Baptists flourishing in every country of the world? Do you want to fight for the word evangelical? Some people do. And after all it's a word with a long and illustrious history.
One man said, "I don't read these words in the Bible". I said, "Well, John the Baptist..."
The robe helped French people to accept the church as a real church, a proper church, with real roots in the history of the country, and a French church - especially important when the church meets in the basement garage of a suburban house and the preacher has an accent that belongs in a British WW2 sit-com ('Allo 'allo, is he thinking gendarmes here..?)
After all, French history is different from British and American history. An American friend told me about his successful church-plant in New England. He's Congregationalist. There was a town with no Congregational Church. He started one. The Congregationalists came. Bingo! Job done!
In Britain it's not quite like that. At least, not in North Wales! But we have towns with no evangelical witness at all, and there we would start services with the aim of planting an evangelical or a Baptist church. We may not use the word evangelical, because that's pretty scary in Britain. Baptist is OK, but it still may keep some people away.
Here in France évangélique (evangelical) is a very scary word. That's those weird Americans who jump around and fall over, no? Baptiste? Scary! That's what George Bush is isn't he? No? Well I am sure one of them was. Réformée? That's not scary. That's French, OK, but aren't they basically about Kierkegaard and hospitals and youth clubs and stuff? Protestante? Oh yes - those are the people who stood up for what they believed even if it cost their lives. And after all many of the reformers who had most influence on us were Frenchmen. Chrétien? Well I suspect that most French ears will hear that word as Roman Catholic, but Christian is what we are after all, and the Christian message is what we are about.
OK - that's a caricature, but in a predominantly RC country the denominational variety of Britain and the USA looks really weird! Five churches in one street? What's that all about? And we can talk till we are blue in the face about gospel unity and dividing over secondary issues, but the French ear will hear sectes.
In Britain a new church, well it wouldn't be scary and you may even go and check it out. And cults and sects? Our instinctive reaction is "nutters". Not scary. Here in France there is a genuine fear of psychological manipulation and of new groups because they are sectes, aren't they. Obviously.
So you have to remember that you are not in Britain. And adapt.
And you also have to think long and hard about what you really are. What is important to you? Is it to be a Baptist and to have that on the gate? Are you wanting to see Baptists flourishing in every country of the world? Do you want to fight for the word evangelical? Some people do. And after all it's a word with a long and illustrious history.
One man said, "I don't read these words in the Bible". I said, "Well, John the Baptist..."
Comments
Sometimes I begin to wonder if I have a subconscious.
Naaah - if I had a subconscious surely I'd be aware of it!