In a world(view) where string is not just string, the emerging
Ethnic Thai faith communities are answering the question
of what in their culture can they accept, modify or need to
reject in order to follow Jesus. Cross-cultural worker Luke
shows us the workings.
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Str in
String has a seemingly unlimited
amount of uses. You can tie things,
bind things, hang things. You can
even tie it to a lightweight frame with
fabric pulled over it and make a kite
that flies. However, despite the many
potential uses of string, for the average
Australian it doesn’t hold any special
meaning or value. String is just string.
This is very different in Thailand. For
most Thais, a short piece of white string
holds significant meaning. String tying
is one of the most common spiritual
practices amongst Thai Buddhists
even though the practice actually
predates Buddhism in Thailand. It is
used for weddings, travel, arrival, house
warmings, dedications and many more
occasions. The string is tied around a
person’s wrist and is accompanied by
prayers or chants for luck, protection or
blessing. Usually once tied the strings
remain on the wrist for up to three days
unless, in the case of a wedding, two
people have been tied together.
resonate
· issue 33 · page 5
For many Ethnic Thai followers of Jesus
string tying remains an important part
of their spirituality and to ask a Thai
to give this up would be akin to asking
Baptist baby boomers to give up post
service morning tea. String tying hardly
sounds biblical, I hear you say. Well
neither is tea and biscuits.
For the Ethnic Thai followers of
Jesus, remaining deeply connected
to their culture and community is
vitally important to the spreading
of the Gospel, as it is for all the
people groups Global Interaction
works among. This however poses a
problem. While there is much about
the Thai culture that is admirable and
even Godly there is also much that is
far from it.
For an Ethnic Thai person seeking to be
faithful to a new Lord but remain a part
of their local community there is a need
to accept, modify or reject aspects of
their own culture. Some aspects are
acceptable for a believer to retain just
as they are, some require modification
in their meaning or practice and other
aspects must be rejected as they are
simply not compatible with a life lived
for Jesus.
String tying is a great example of how
the Ethnic Thai believers have modified
a cultural practice to fit within their new
faith. Whenever they tie string together
they explain, for the benefit of anyone
present who may not know Jesus, that
the string has no power to protect or
bring luck, but is a representation of
God’s love and their prayers for one
another.
For them it is a significant and
meaningful spiritual practice that
cannot simply be done away with
but instead can be adapted to their
new faith. It is not up to the cross-
cultural worker to dictate what aspects
of culture are accepted, modified or
rejected but rather the Holy Spirit’s
work to lead people to the truth. The
cross-cultural worker's job is to point
them to Jesus.