Difference Between Asian and Western Christians
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Culturally?
Asia is a huge place. I've lived in Asia, but countries differ by culture. And then different denominations have their own culture. I could tell you a little about Indonesian Christians.
It seems like Indonesian Christians, and Indonesians in general, are more likely to remain virgins until marriage than their American counterparts. I can't tell you about all 'westerners.' I've known some Canadian, British, Aussie, and various types of European and Latino expats, but I have not lived in other western countries. I would say Indonesian Charismatics seem to be more into group fasting and prayer than their American counterparts, in general, maybe.
Reformed Christians seem to be pretty conservative in Indonesia, but may also be very much dedicated to their own cultural 'adat'-- their cultural system of rules and laws. Americans have cultural practices, but they tend not to be as formalized. I would imagine Reformed Christians would be more tempted to go to witchdoctors and practice ancestor worship (in some regions) than American Christians. That is probably true of Charismatics, too, I would guess to a lesser degree since they tend to take more of a stand against these things and are likely to be opposed to certain adat practices.
I don't know that much about the Adventists and Roman Catholics in how they are different from American counterparts. In general, they tend to be more socially conservative. I imagine just about all Indonesian Christians think 'gay marriage' is crazy. Divorce seems to be much less common among Christians there than in the US, but sadly seems to be getting more common.
Korean Protestants, even the Presbyterian, seem to think it is a sin to drink any alcohol. But it is considered incredibly impolite not to drink when older people or people in authority or drinking or offering. That might be the case even when lower status people are offering a drink. I went out with a few Koreans and turned down alcohol. I don't really theoretically have a problem with it in moderation though I was raised as a teetotaler. (I probably did not know the word at the time.) I could just feel the wave of peer pressure to join in. It messes with the social harmony they feel when one does not join in. One or two of the small group I was with were Presbyterians, who did not believe in drinking.
I would walk home Wednesday night and there would be drunk people on the back alleys of the city, notice men were leaning against walls like they were drunk and urinating, stuff like that. One dude in Seoul was in the middle of the road once staggering and relieving himself. They didn't even wait until Friday or Saturday. There was this huge problem with drinking, social customs that required if one drink a lot, they all do, and a church culture where even the churches here that teach moderation on alcohol teach total abstinence and church people feel it is a sin to drink at all.
But yet at the 'world's largest church', there seemed to be just a bit of 'real wine' in the communion. I was surprised. The equivalent type of Pentecostal church in the US did not have it. That church seemed like a Presbyterian church to me, but they all spoke in tongues at a certain part of the service--en masse-- which seemed more Charismatic to me than Pentecostal.
A lot of American evangelicals also hold to certain 'conservative' political opinions. I didn't find the same political spectrum in Indonesia, and I don't think it was the same in Korea, either. In the US, you find some Christians who think that a small government, hands off approach to government with small social programs is more 'Christian' than larger government. I didn't notice Christians aligning with these types of economic approaches in Indonesian. I didn't even hear of political parties aligning along such topics. There it is nationalist parties and Islamic parties. The Christian party did not fair well. I didn't find that thing where conservative evangelicals aligned with 'conservative' economics and anti-immigration stances (a recent thing). I don't think Koreans align that way, either. And it seemed like most Christians had a conservative view of the Bible.
Asia is a huge place. I've lived in Asia, but countries differ by culture. And then different denominations have their own culture. I could tell you a little about Indonesian Christians.
It seems like Indonesian Christians, and Indonesians in general, are more likely to remain virgins until marriage than their American counterparts. I can't tell you about all 'westerners.' I've known some Canadian, British, Aussie, and various types of European and Latino expats, but I have not lived in other western countries. I would say Indonesian Charismatics seem to be more into group fasting and prayer than their American counterparts, in general, maybe.
Reformed Christians seem to be pretty conservative in Indonesia, but may also be very much dedicated to their own cultural 'adat'-- their cultural system of rules and laws. Americans have cultural practices, but they tend not to be as formalized. I would imagine Reformed Christians would be more tempted to go to witchdoctors and practice ancestor worship (in some regions) than American Christians. That is probably true of Charismatics, too, I would guess to a lesser degree since they tend to take more of a stand against these things and are likely to be opposed to certain adat practices.
I don't know that much about the Adventists and Roman Catholics in how they are different from American counterparts. In general, they tend to be more socially conservative. I imagine just about all Indonesian Christians think 'gay marriage' is crazy. Divorce seems to be much less common among Christians there than in the US, but sadly seems to be getting more common.
Korean Protestants, even the Presbyterian, seem to think it is a sin to drink any alcohol. But it is considered incredibly impolite not to drink when older people or people in authority or drinking or offering. That might be the case even when lower status people are offering a drink. I went out with a few Koreans and turned down alcohol. I don't really theoretically have a problem with it in moderation though I was raised as a teetotaler. (I probably did not know the word at the time.) I could just feel the wave of peer pressure to join in. It messes with the social harmony they feel when one does not join in. One or two of the small group I was with were Presbyterians, who did not believe in drinking.
I would walk home Wednesday night and there would be drunk people on the back alleys of the city, notice men were leaning against walls like they were drunk and urinating, stuff like that. One dude in Seoul was in the middle of the road once staggering and relieving himself. They didn't even wait until Friday or Saturday. There was this huge problem with drinking, social customs that required if one drink a lot, they all do, and a church culture where even the churches here that teach moderation on alcohol teach total abstinence and church people feel it is a sin to drink at all.
But yet at the 'world's largest church', there seemed to be just a bit of 'real wine' in the communion. I was surprised. The equivalent type of Pentecostal church in the US did not have it. That church seemed like a Presbyterian church to me, but they all spoke in tongues at a certain part of the service--en masse-- which seemed more Charismatic to me than Pentecostal.
A lot of American evangelicals also hold to certain 'conservative' political opinions. I didn't find the same political spectrum in Indonesia, and I don't think it was the same in Korea, either. In the US, you find some Christians who think that a small government, hands off approach to government with small social programs is more 'Christian' than larger government. I didn't notice Christians aligning with these types of economic approaches in Indonesian. I didn't even hear of political parties aligning along such topics. There it is nationalist parties and Islamic parties. The Christian party did not fair well. I didn't find that thing where conservative evangelicals aligned with 'conservative' economics and anti-immigration stances (a recent thing). I don't think Koreans align that way, either. And it seemed like most Christians had a conservative view of the Bible.
