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To the Foul-Mouthed, I Became Foul-Mouthed in Order to Win Them
by Al Tizon

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The Alban Institute builds up congregations and their leaders to be agents of grace and transformation to shape and heal the world through publishing, workshops, online activities, education, consulting, research etc.

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When Father Frederick Loos addressed drug-using street youth in Mexico City’s San Hipolito Church in their “gangster language,” he drew much attention. While his youthful audience listened intently, some questioned the use of profanity in bringing God’s message.

“When you go to China you have to speak Chinese,” the priest explained afterward, slipping out of his vestments. “If you’re speaking to kids you use their idioms. I don’t think God is offended if it brings them closer to him.” (Be sure to watch the video coverage of the story.)

Such a practice reflects the Apostle Paul’s teaching in I Cor. 9:19-24, where he said “I have become all things to all people...” It is what missiologists call contextualization or inculturation.

Beyond the profanity issue, there are more important questions: Can contextualization for the sake of the gospel ever go too far? Is there a line Christians can cross that compromises the transforming power of the gospel?

Two books came to mind as I read the article about Father Loos, and I pass them on for those seeking to delve deeper into this fascinating subject:

Vincent Donovan’s classic Christianity Rediscovered

Robert E. Hunt’s The Gospel Among the Nations.

To read a beautiful story about how one pastor reached the hearts of imprisoned gang members in Guatemala, read "Meeting God in the Margins" from the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of PRISM Magazine.

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