Editing Inculturation (section)

==Background ==
The coexistence of Christianity and other cultures dates back to the apostolic age.  Before his [[Ascension of Jesus|Ascension]], [[Jesus]] instructed his disciples to spread his teachings to the ends of the earth (Mt 28,18; Mk 16,15), Saint Paul's speech to the Greeks at the Areopagus of [[Athens]] (Acts 17:22-33) could be considered as the first inculturation attempt.  The speech was not well received by all, according to verse 32:  "Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked".<ref>(ESV)</ref>   Around the year 50, the apostles convened the first Church council, the [[Council of Jerusalem]], to decide whether to include Gentiles and inculturate Gentile culture.<ref name="McManners37">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (2002), p. 37, Chapter 1 The Early Christian Community subsection entitled "Rome", quote: "In Acts 15 scripture recorded the apostles meeting in synod to reach a common policy about the Gentile mission."</ref><ref name="McManners371">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (2002), pp. 37&ndash;8, Chapter 1 The Early Christian Community subsection entitled "Rome", quote: "The 'synod' or, in Latin, 'council' (the modern distinction making a synod something less than a council was unknown in antiquity) became an indispensable way of keeping a common mind, and helped to keep maverick individuals from centrifugal tendencies. During the third century synodal government became so developed that synods used to meet not merely at times of crisis but on a regular basis every year, normally between Easter and Pentecost."</ref> The Council confirmed that [[Gentiles]] could be accepted as Christians without first converting to Judaism.

Cultural conflicts continued until Christianity incorporated the [[Greco-Roman]] culture.<ref>Franzen,319</ref> Similar inculturation occurred when the [[Roman Empire]] ceased and the Germanic and Medieval cultures became dominant, a process taking centuries.<ref>Franzen 319</ref> Early practitioners of inculturation in the history of missions include [[St. Patrick]] in Ireland and [[Sts. Cyril and Methodius]] for the [[Slavic peoples]] of Eastern Europe. After the schism of 1054, the [[Catholic Church]] was largely restricted to the Western parts of Europe. Attempts failed to return the sphere of influence to the cultures of the [[Middle East]] with the [[crusades]] and the [[Latin Empire|Latin Empire in Constantinople]] (1204–1261). The [[Protestant Reformation]] generated a division in the Western Church.  However, at the same time, [[Spain|Spanish]] and [[Portugal|Portuguese]] discoveries of the Americas, Asia and Africa broadened contact with other cultures and civilizations.<ref>Franzen 321</ref>