First Things First
Language Introduction
Homestay
Religious, Political, Social
Goals/Objectives
To gain an understanding of how your community views the religious, political and social aspects of their culture.
To gain an understanding of some of the challenges the community faces as a result of the religious, political and social environment in your area
To consider a Biblical response to the community’s perspective and the challenges they face.
You have likely begun to discover more about the local religious, political and social norms as you have engaged in the culture. It is good to find out how your community views these aspects of the culture both locally as well as the country as a whole, and what impact it has on them.
- One way you might choose to deepen your understanding about these things is to have a conversation with a national or a group of nationals.
- Share your findings with your facilitator or team members.
- After some consideration give a Biblical reflection on what you have learned and discussed, keeping in mind how you can live out your Christian values and encourage local believers to live out theirs in light of these things.
To Discuss
Listed below are some questions you might find useful in finding out more about those situations in the country in which you are serving, as well as the history behind them. Be prepared to share your findings with your facilitator.
Religious:
- What are the major religious groups? How do those groups interact with each other? How do the church or local believers interact with them?
Political:
- Under which political party is your host country currently governed? Explain how the political system works.
- Do political affiliations (parties) run along the same lines as certain religious denominations? If so, how did it evolve?
- What are the names of the important national leaders? How do those in the culture view those leaders?
Social:
- What are the leading topics in the national newspaper? What are the opinions of the local people about current topics?
- What are the names of the various tribes, clans or ethnic groups? What is the history of how they relate to each other?
