In the early 2000’s, Thailand was ruled by a populist party led by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called Thai Rak Thai (which means, in English, Thais Love Thais), showing the party to have certain nationalistic cultural aims. Today’s blog is therefore an examination of at least some of the ways in which nationalism of some sort effects the behavior and attitudes of the students and teachers here at Legacy. After all, there are no new problems, only different manifestations of the same problems in more or less complicated and intractable forms. The title of this entry says it all: “Lahus love Lahus, Karen love Karen, Westerners love Westerners.”

In many ways, it is not wrong at all to love what is familiar. The Thai, Burmese speakers, and teachers are all divided by different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. There is some agreement on the part of the students (not generally shared by the teachers) in a love for the same sort of K-pop music, and some similarities in terms of our mutual love of Western popular culture, but there are severe cultural gaps between the Thai, the mostly Karen (and a few Kachin) students from Burma, and the Americans who teach them. There are different social norms, as the majority of the Burmese-speaking students have a pretty ferocious hostility toward the Burmese government (which is understandable), while the Thai happen, by and large, to be extremely patriotic to Thailand (and most of the Americans seem to be very patriotic Americans as well).

The fact that we come from very different backgrounds means that cultural understandings are sometimes hard to find. It is not so much the material culture that is alien to me as much as the political and intellectual and religious culture. Religion in most parts of Southeast Asia is on a rather superficial level, regardless of whether one is Buddhist or Christian or Muslim. Nominally Christian tribes sing sappy songs about Jesus, know a few proof texts about Jesus Christ, and can occasionally give a prayer. Otherwise, their ability to interpret and grapple with the scriptures is limited. Conceptual knowledge is generally lacking, as the educational system here is based on rote memorization.

We all tend to love what we know best. In the presence of alien cultures, whether it is the very alien ways of Westerners to the people here (superficially attractive on a material level, but largely unknown and mysterious on a deeper level of worldview and philosophy), or the ways of the students, most people seek to both learn and understand the cultures around them as well as maintain their own close ties with others with whom they share greater similarity. There is nothing offensive about that in the least, but it can at times present difficulties, and it requires delicate handling in order to avoid perpetuating divisions and rifts between people.

One of the issues is that institutions like Legacy Institute or the Church of God are designed to teach and model and reflect a godly and biblical culture. This culture is not identical with any national culture (not even that of the United States), though it is lamentably common for people to conflate the cultural traditions and norms that we are accustomed to with the godly standards of behavior that all are to model themselves after. We have to fight against those aspects of our own culture that contradict God’s ways, and not fall into a mindset that assumes that God is on our side, when we need to ask ourselves (really searchingly) whether we are on God’s side. We need to work to undo the barriers between cultures not through a superficial adoption of the same interests in K-pop bands or Hollywood stars, but rather in the development of a deep and common biblical culture of love and obedience.

And we ought not to think that these are problems only in Southeast Asia. Not too many decades ago organizations calling themselves the Church of God practiced racial segregation, a practice that is completely unacceptable under biblical law, and the same perversion of the spirit of brotherly (to say nothing of agape) love that is to be seen throughout our love for our brethren. Even in present days, I have seen myself informal segregation based upon racial and ethnic grounds, and it is something that deeply bothers me. I have a difficult time crossing linguistic barriers, being a person whose communication depends heavily on intellectual conversation, but at the same time a smile and a few words of friendliness an at least demonstrate a lack of hostility or dislike on my part toward brethren from any background where common beliefs are shared. After all, all who accept God are considered by Him to be a part of the Israel of God, His chosen people, a sign that salvation has always been (Psalm 87, 117, Isaiah 56:6-8), and will always be (Galatians 3:26-29) about grace rather than race. And if we know that, we have to practice it.