LEADERSHIP M I S S I O N A L
WO R S H I P
And the church of Christ was born The Spirit lit the flame
This Gospel Truth of old
It shall not kneel, it shall not faint FROM “KING OF KINGS,” HILLSONG MUSIC AUSTRALIA
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ranslation. Without it, there would be no Church. That might sound dramatic, but it’s quite true. The esteemed Yale scholar Dr Lamin Sanneh puts it this way, “The original language of Christianity is translation.” By this, he means that Christianity is faith in motion. The community centred on the Bible has expanded over the last two thousand years across various lands and cultures, incorporating these places into the story as it traveled. From the Christians gathered in the Judean Upper Room, this message spread to Europe and North Africa and on to every continent of the world. It’s an incredible miracle. In fact, the church has been so successful in globalizing that we Christians are a part of something utterly breath-taking. It is unlike any other organization across the world. Although there may be talented individuals and leaders, there’s no one human who can take the credit. Only God’s Spirit could have ignited the global Church, just as the song “King of Kings” sings.
UNCOMMON GROWTH In the beginning, Christian expansion was not linked to colonialism (where one nation or group seeks to expand their authority or power over another). In fact, it is best described as the resistance of those oppressed by the Roman Empire. But, amazingly, the faith embraced slave owners, and Roman leaders. Those of humble backgrounds served to witness to Christ’s great love. 28 W O R S H I P L E A D E R | W O R S H I P L E A D E R .C O M | VO L . 29, N O. 1
Similarly, today a fast growing movement is occurring— from the margins back into the centre. The demographic heartlands of the Christian faith are now Africa and South America. Nations with the highest percentage of Christianity are in Asia or Oceania. Today, the average missionary is a person of colour, often without the wealth of the West. But what they lack in resources, they make up for in sheer grit and anointing. Sanneh highlights Christian translation as particularly extraordinary, because of its capacity to move into the vernacular. In other words, it moves in the everyday language of the people. This message adapted into the folk languages of many diverse cultures.
THE FRAGRANCE OF COMMUNICATION But translation is a cross-cultural act. It requires both a communicator and a receiver. It’s more complicated than simple math, as the meaning of words changes across cultures. This isn’t only seen true for Christianity, of course. In the famous love story of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, the lovestruck Juliet learns Romeo’s full name. With it, she finds out that Romeo is the son of her father’s arch-enemy. She famously cries, What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet By this, she means, of course, that Romeo is, in essence, the same person, despite this new truth she has found out about him. In response, she decides to forgive a Capulet family rivalry because she loves him so much. For her, the Montague name is only a word. However, Christians declare the name of Jesus as more than it first appears. In Jesus is all provision, healing, safety, security, and eschatology. The orator S. M. Lockeridge says, “He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him.” As the global church tells of the power of Jesus Christ it includes many stories waiting to be told, and songs waiting to be written.
BARRIERS TO UNDERSTANDING All this points out a massive debate in the Christian world which spills over into worship music. Through the years, particular words have been stressed, and considered to be of utmost
