Sharing the Gospel in a Cross-Cultural Context: A Cautionary Tale

When we share the Gospel with people from cultures other than our own, we must be aware of their worldview so as to share the good news about Jesus in such a way that they can understand.

Take for example the Mongolians who turned to Christianity during the era of Genghis Khan (ca A.D. 1162-1227):

• The Mongolian word for “Jesus” was “Yesu”

 • “Yesu” sounded like the word for “nine,” the Mongols’ sacred number  

• “Yesu” was similar to the name of Genghis Khan’s father, Yesugei

• The Mongolians considered Jesus to be a powerful shaman because He triumphed over death

• The Mongolians considered the cross sacred because they saw it as a symbol of the four directions of the world

• Mongke Khan, the grandson of Ghengis Khan, once told a priest, “Just as God gave differed fingers to the hand so has He given different ways to men.” God had given Scripture to Christian, but He had given holy men and shamans to the Mongols.

Because the missionaries to the Mongolians were not aware of their beliefs, they did not explain the Gospel in a way that they could understand. For this reason, the Mongolians really did not become believers, but mistakenly placed their faith in something that was not Christianity.

May we learn to avoid this common pitfall!