Isabell Ides was 101 years old when she died in June, 2001 (see Ides article). A Makah Indian, a member of a whale-hunting people, she lived in the last house on the last road on the farthest northwest tip of the United States.
Isabell was known far and wide because she loved and taught Makah culture and language. Hundreds of people learned to weave baskets under her hands. Several generations learned words in their language from her lips.
Young mothers brought their alder-smoked salmon. After chewing a bit, she could tell whether their wood was too dry. Archaeologists brought her newly excavated 3,000-year-old baskets, and she could identify what the baskets were, how they were made, and how they had been used. "It's like losing a library," an anthropologist said at her funeral.
Isabell also taught Sunday School at the Assembly of God church on the reservation. She attributed her long life to her Christian faith.
Did Isabell's basketry matter to God, as well as her Sunday school teaching? How important was her ethnic heritage in the Kingdom's big picture?
These questions get at the heart of what culture is and whether or not it is an important part of the Kingdom of God. While on earth, we live in distinct cultures with different languages, foods, costumes, dances, songs and achievements. But what about when we get to Heaven? Will everyone be exactly alike? Will all of our cultural qualities, distinctions and achievements be lost or will they be celebrated and showcased?
Revelation 21:24-26 speaks of the Heavenly city saying:
the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it...
The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.
Isaiah 60:11, speaking of the Heavenly city, says:
Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night,
so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations-- their kings led in triumphal procession.
From these passages it is clear that there will still be some sort of distinction between nations/people groups. Their "splendor," "glory," "honor," and "wealth" is believed to be referring to each nations' cultural achievements that bring glory to God.
Imagine what we will see: people from African tribes, Scottish clans, Chinese dynasties, American towns, South American pueblos, bringing their distinctive songs of praise to the Lord, works of art that glorify Him, dances that give Him praise...all to honor and worship the Lord who made them. Each culture with its unique and beautiful characteristics that shed light on God’s own, multi-dimensional character, will cause Him great delight as He watches the various ways that people express their love and worship of Him!
Our God, the God of creation, has an incredible capacity for variety, beauty and wonder. "Our Creator delights in colors. He generates smells, from onion to rose. He shapes every fresh snowflake. He births billions of unique personalities," (Miriam Adeney).
But what about the human world? Are we endowed with as much creative variety as the animal world? Yes! While it may not be as apparent in our appearances (we all look pretty similar compared to the variations seen in the animal world) God’s amazing creativity comes through in the culture of each people group. From different languages and dress to different forms of music, dance, writing, inventions, etc., the capacity for variety in culture is truly amazing.
This variety in culture was created by God. It delights Him to see all that man has made; to see the creative capacity of each people group which comes from being created in His image. When this creativity is used to worship God, through music, art, dance, science, inventions, etc., God is glorified and honored.
God put a bit of His incredible character qualities into each people group. Different cultures are known for their different characteristics: Filipinos are family oriented, Koreans industrious, Japanese technically savvy, Mexicans hardworking, African cultures colorful in dance and music...the list goes on and on. Each culture that God created has unique characteristics all its own, characteristics which showcase a creative and loving God. As these cultures use these unique qualities in the worship of God, they are bringing the “glory and honor” of every people into the heavenly city (Rev 21:26).
This pleases God immensely. He does not desire that we all worship Him in the same way, just as He did not make an animal world of only giraffes. He loves variety and is truly glorified when that variety is used in the worship of Him.
This appreciation of each culture must be understood and embraced by the Church of today. Sadly, in the past, many Christians have tried to enforce their culture’s way of worshipping God on the people they were sharing the Gospel with. This lack of appreciation for cultural differences resulted in many viewing Christianity as a “Western” religion or a religion of the “white man.” Nothing could be further from the truth!
I believe that modern technology is helping to change this. With the advent of television, the computer, movies, and widespread access to books, people of today can learn all about the cultures of other people. As they learn about them, God places an appreciation for and love of each culture into His followers’ hearts.
Thus, when Christians, especially missionaries, encounter new cultures today, they are much more likely to find the good aspects of that culture which can be used to bring worship and honor to God, rather than try to recreate the culture to resemble the personal culture of that missionary. “Mission work can be seen as helping people begin to bring God a measure of the ‘glory and the honor of the nations,” (Miriam Adeney). God is truly a colorful God!
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