The team here in Natitingou is working on cultural studies. After all our years of working here, why do we still need to study the culture and worldview of the Ottammari people? What is a worldview and why is it important to understand it?

Worldview is exactly what it sounds like—the way people view the world. Every culture views the world through a unique filter, sort of like a pair of tinted glasses. Some glasses are tinted with Christianity. Others are tinted with Islam, animism, polytheism or Buddhism. People’s worldview strongly influences how they view life and react to it.

Acts 14 contains an example of clashing worldviews. When Paul and Barnabas were in Lystra, Paul healed a crippled man who had faith. The people who witnessed the miracle of God saw it through their polytheistic lenses and decided Paul and Barnabas were gods in human form.
The Ottammari people’s worldview glasses are heavily tinted by animism. Since we missionaries view the world through Western Christian lenses, we often have difficulty understanding how people here think. Yet, it is important for us to understand the Ottammari worldview so we can introduce God to them in ways that makes sense to them.

In Ottammari culture, when people want something, they go to the spirits. They tell the people what they need to do, and the people follow their instructions exactly. By surrendering to Satan, people come under his ownership. Finally, he takes their lives.

People recognize that the spirits do not hold their interests at heart, so they go to them only when they need things. Perhaps they want to put a curse on an enemy to make him drink his money away or become sick or even die. Or maybe they want a love potion to slip to that special someone. Through charms and rituals, people think they can manipulate spirits to do their bidding. At all other times, however, they try to protect themselves from spiritual powers, appeasing and avoiding them. They might wear charms like feathers or shells or bark—something they think repels spirits. Nobody wants personal relationships with spirits.

Now, what if I came along and told people that God is the most powerful spirit of all? Coming from my Christian worldview that assumes a relationship with God is a positive thing, I might urge them to obey God and keep His commandments.

How would the animistic worldview filter my message? The people would probably just add God to the top of their spirit hierarchy. They might call on Him when they need something, but otherwise they would try to distance themselves from Him as much as possible—especially considering His greatness, which they would equate with power to do them harm. By attending church, keeping His commandments, praying and paying tithe, they would seek to maintain control over Him—appeasing Him and manipulating Him into doing their bidding. They would be careful not to make this new God unhappy with them so He wouldn’t lash out against them. They would view God like a mighty cow to be kept content and peaceful and milked as needed. If God didn’t provide what they ask, they would either look into how better to appease Him—more prayer or fasting or offerings, perhaps—or decide He wasn’t strong enough to help them.

This way of thinking probably seems strange to you, but I assure you that people here react to God like this all the time. Because of this, we need to make every effort to anticipate their reactions to the gospel message so we can put it into words that will guide them toward right thinking about God. If they adopt syncretism—fitting new ideas of God into their old animistic worldview, we will have failed as missionaries. Though they might put on a beautiful Christian front of works and worship, their hearts will remain unconverted and unsurrendered to God.

Please lift us up in prayer as we look for ways to give the Ottammari people new worldview glasses so they can see God for who He is.

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