What Does Contextualization Mean?

What does contextualization mean?

Contextualization can be a bit of a controversial term because people sometimes over contextualize. So what do we mean when we talk about contextualization? Well, we all contextualize. For example, my bible is in English. Now, because I've been trained to read in the original language I'm able to read it, but the average person in my church is going to read an English bible and I'm going to preach to them in the English language. So I've already contextualized in some sense. I've brought this gospel word from the language and culture in which it was originally passed down into my contemporary language and culture. So I've moved from the text of scripture and the truths that are taught there to the context of the people who are now receiving that message. I want to do that faithfully and well so that I'm both faithful to the scriptures and also so that I am bring it into a context where that hearers understand that message that was intended to be heard.

So that's really what contextualization is. Now that can be massively overplayed in the way that people will do it so that they begin to water down the truths of the scripture in order to reach a culture. And and that kind of contextualization is bad. It's compromised of sound doctrine and the truth of the scripture.