On Adaptation (or, Should I Wear a Loin Cloth?)

On a recent post about praying for missionaries I urged people to pray for us to have wisdom in cultural adaptation, some missionaries going "too far in their adaptation, compromising their health or their faith."  ScottSB asked "Could you give an example of what you mean?"

So much has been written about cultural adaptation that anything I say will probably be redundant; but here are some simplistic examples to demonstrate where I was going with that ...

1. If western missionaries do not filter their drinking water in some locations, they could really suffer physically.  By drinking bottled water instead of the water the locals drink, have you failed in cultural adaptation?
2. My field is a cigarette culture.  I have developed mild asthma by breathing so much smog, dust, and second-hand smoke while evangelizing in coffee shops.  Have I gone too far in my adaptation?
3. I read on a blog called "American Missionary" that a guy started drinking, smoking, and watching R-rated movies in order to win folks "organically."  Has he gone too far in his adaptation?

There are no cut-and-dried answers for a million questions like these, but I would like to throw out some general thoughts on adaptation:

1. Some missionaries seem to think that the acid test of a "true" missionary is 100% cultural adaptation: "I'm gonna be a 'hard-core' missionary, incarnational just like Jesus, so I'm gonna drink the water that the locals do."  I say, "OK, whatever floats your boat"--but just remember that it's hard to have a Jesus-like ministry--being out meeting people in the harvest fields--if you have to stay continually within 10 yards of the toilet.  And I would add that faithfulness, fruitfulness, genuine humility and love are much higher on my list of "acid tests" for missionaries than a legalistic standard of cultural to-dos that you've brought in from your cultural anthropology class.
2. That said, I think most of us missionaries do too little, not too much, in learning our new cultures well enough to engage them effectively. 
3. Hudson Taylor wore Chinese garb, shaved most of his head, dyed the rest, and grew a braid to bridge a gap to a people that had an arguably deserved chip on their shoulder about westerners and their ways.  It was effective for Hudson, but most people think it was merely because it endeared him to the people--"Ooooooh," say missiologists, "let's all be like Hudson Taylor." But what was going on?  There were foreigners on both sides of a rebellion and his foreign clothing immediately cut off one audience or the other, or both, and immediately stigmatized him.  People still knew he was a foreigner by his accent and admission, but his Chinese attire helped him cut through the politics and get to his message. It wasn't his new look that made him effective, but his character, passion and God's power on his life.  So is Hudson's model for us?  Are you going to wear a loincloth into your new jungle neighborhood to be like Hudson?  Sorry, but in many cultures that's going to backfire and you're just going to look strange.  In America, we might notice that immigrants from India stand out a bit, sporting a heavy accent and a red dot on their foreheads, but it might be even weirder for them to attempt a southern drawl and wear cowboy boots and a baseball cap ... we'd be like, "this person is trying just a LIT-tle too hard."  They'll know you're a foreigner anyway, and unless you're younger than 10 years old, total adaptation will be nigh-impossible.  So don't force the adaptation thing from Day One.  Sure, when possible and appropriate, learn to blend in.  Study.  Learn. Ask questions.  And use common sense. As a very young missionary starting out in a culture which valued age, I tried to dress UP like the men here, both to blend in and to counter-balance for my young age, improving their perceptions of my credibility.  But clothes do not make the man, nor does adaptation make the missionary. 
4. Yes, I have damaged my health by frequenting the Balkan coffee shops which are essentially tobacco saunas. That's where the men are. Have I gone too far?  Well, I hope I am on the right side of the fine line between sacrifice and recklessness.  But now I am trying to find other solutions, like choosing coffee bars with chairs outdoors. All of life is about balance, and we should try both to reach people and preserve our health.  If I am invited to dinner and am served lettuce rinsed in questionable water, I'm going to eat it.  Nor will I squirt anti-bacterial gel on my palms every time I shake hands (I've seen this done, and it seems to send a pretty awful message).  But when I can, I want to make healthy choices.
5. Will I take up beer-drinking, cigarette smoking, and watching filth-saturated flicks to advance the cause and connect with more sinners?  I don't think that's exactly what Paul had in mind in the concept of "being all things to all men" or what the synoptics meant to teach when they describe Jesus as eating and drinking with sinners. 

In the end, I wonder if we overvalue cultural adaptation as a missionary virtue.  Any missionary who thinks he's hot stuff because of his acculturation, or who puts more emphasis on it than holiness, has adopted a skewed missiological philosophy.  Becoming Albanian is not my goal; rather, it is becoming like Christ.  It's not about the house I live in or the clothes I wear or the food I eat ... it's all about MINDSET--"Let this MIND be in you which was also in Christ Jesus ..."  It's about having the mind of our Servant-Lord.  Sure, adaptation includes learning the host language and culture and trying to avoid faux pas and blatant offenses. But if you are humble and respectful and love your God and your people; if you can resist becoming bitter and critical and sour; if you can learn (or if you are trying hard to learn) the people's words and ways, then they will probably not expect you to live just like them and wear a loin cloth; the love you will be demonstrating to them will "cover a multitude" of cultural differences, boo-boos and no-nos.