Q’s from the Pews: How does inculturation spread the Gospel? March 8, 2026

When Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), He sent His followers into cultures very different from their own. These nations spoke new languages, practiced unfamiliar customs, and lived within worldviews far from the experience of Israel. Yet the Gospel spread rapidly in the early centuries. One important reason was the process we now call inculturation. Inculturation means learning the symbols, values, and practices of a culture, and then illuminating them with the Gospel. Paul offers a classic example in Acts 17. Walking through Athens, he notices an altar “to an unknown god” and uses it as a bridge to proclaim the one true God revealed in Christ. Rather than dismiss Greek culture, he begins with their deeply religious culture.

The Church recognizes that God is at work in every human heart, such that truth, goodness, and beauty can be found in all cultures. Paul did not reshape Christianity to fit Greek culture; instead, he showed how the deepest longings of that culture find their fulfillment in Christ.

Inculturation preserves what is good in a culture while revealing its fullest meaning in the light of the Gospel. Over time, this gentle transformation allows a culture to become authentically Christian. Contact Jim Gregory with guestions.