A woman handed me a folded black cloth then glanced at the sign that read, “All modest women cover their heads.” I proceeded into the unlit room where a group of shrouded women sat on the floor behind a lacy curtain. A group of shoeless men entered the brightly lit room on the other side of the sheer partition where they were instructed to greet one another with hugs and kisses on the cheek.

Thus began our Middle Eastern night at Worldwide Perspectives, a class designed to enlarge our worldview so that we could see the body of Christ in a global context. I spent the next hour watching and listening as the men participated in a Christian church service conducted Middle Eastern style, with various prayer positions and group statements.

At its conclusion, the coordinator asked, “Was anything wrong with the church service?” (He was not referring to the separation of men and women or the lack of participation by the women, but rather to the service’s Middle Eastern format.) What followed was a revealing silence. No, nothing was wrong — just different and strange. We struggled to relate to Christianity in such a different context, but did that make it any less Christian?

I left the class that night thinking about my definition of church. I had to admit that it was pretty middle-class-American, and the realization bothered me. It bothered me because I wondered how many other aspects of church I deemed “right,” simply because they were culturally normal.

Peter, a disciple of Jesus, faced cultural discomfort when God gave him the vision of the “unclean” animals in Acts 10. Rather than understanding God’s commands from the old covenant as a means of protection and blessing, the Jews had turned them into legalistic rituals. Emphasis on external actions stripped the focus from the condition of their hearts, a problem Jesus addressed repeatedly during His ministry. Peter initially failed to see that God’s vision is to redeem other cultures.

This idea of redemption becomes clearer in Acts 15 following a council of the apostles and elders. Uncircumcised Gentiles claimed to follow Christ, and some Jewish leaders felt the Gentiles “must be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses” (Acts 15:5). But the leaders relented after hearing Peter’s evidence of true Gentile conversions and stories from Paul and Barnabas about miracles performed among the Gentiles.

Due to globalization, our demographics are changing to include many ethnic groups, each with distinct cultural practices. If we plan to reach these groups of people, what will our churches look like? Do we expect people from other cultures to assimilate to our church “culture,” or will we allow them to develop their own way of doing church? And will we allow them to develop their own way of doing church within our church?

I was challenged when my husband and I took a trip to Peru. During a Quechua church service, I cringed at the dissonant music and vocals, imagining the angels in heaven busily plugging their ears with wads of cloud. And God? Was He enjoying this? The Quechuas around me clapped, nodded, sang along. Then I cringed at myself. These people were praising God with the music of their hearts. God rejoices in their noise, just as much as He does in mine. To believe anything to the contrary is arrogance.

Cultural arrogance can lead to miscommunication and misunderstanding. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit to bring about unity and love, especially among people from different cultures. For this reason, we must elevate God’s truth, rather than our cultural sense of “rightness.” When Peter finally understood God’s heart, he said, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34-35).

Peter’s admission reveals humility, brought about by God’s revelation. In the same manner, we must approach one another with an attitude of humility to avoid the danger of ethnocentric pride — the belief that our way of doing things is better. Pride is the price we pay for unity. We must be willing to let go of forms and traditions, externals that have little to do with the internal status of our hearts. We are reminded in 1 Peter 5:5b, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Humility allows us to recognize that accepted traditions in our churches do not come before God’s truth. Consider, for example: musical instruments, preaching styles, the format and length of service, attire, the presence of children, refreshments, etc. We can permit such nonessentials to take on greater importance than God intended by letting them create divisions among us. There are non-negotiables — such as the infallibility of Scripture and the divinity of Christ — but Scripture, and not personal comfort, should dictate those truths.

I used to think that true unity would have to wait for heaven, but I recognized my errant thinking. The revelation came when I revisited the Lord’s Prayer, particularly the words, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Did I believe that God’s kingdom has come, that His Spirit dwells within the hearts of His people, turning their desires into His? Or did I think the prayer was a mere exercise? Paul answers my questions in Philippians 2:1-2: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” Unity with Christ and fellowship with the Spirit result in a united spirit and purpose in the church.

God wants to redeem all cultures. He longs for them to know the joy of love, worship, forgiveness and grace. I can help by casting my comfort aside and praying for wisdom and humility. God’s Word and the Holy Spirit will guide me as I seek to learn from and include the diverse peoples whom God loves. Multicultural churches are possible, they are biblical, and they are the delight of God’s heart.