“When in Rome…”

We just returned from a vacation in Rome, Italy. Since then we have often been asked, “What did you do in Rome?” I’ve been sarcastically responding, “We did as the Romans do.” Which begs other questions like: Where did this saying come from and what does it mean? Additionally, what is the spiritual application for us?

This saying is originally attributed to St. Ambrose in 387 A.D. Here’s the story behind it: When St. Augustine arrived in Milan, he observed that the Church did not fast on Saturday as did the Church at Rome. He consulted St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, who replied: “When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the Church where you are.” The use of the proverb in English isn’t recorded until much later – well into the Middle Ages.  The comment was changed then to “When they are at Rome, they do there as they see done.” Later Robert Burton used a variation of the phrase in his Anatomy of Melancholy. This work was first published in 1621. Burton makes oblique reference to the saying, without using it explicitly when he writes: “…like Mercury, the planet, are good with good, bad with bad. When they are at Rome, they do there as they see done, puritans with puritans, papists with papists.” Eventually it became, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

And its meaning? Essentially, it is polite, and possibly also advantageous, to abide by the customs of a society when one is a visitor. It does not suggest compromise of beliefs or values but implies being flexible to certain ways of doings things that are common or unique in a particular culture. Today missiologists are involved in a practice called ethnographic research which is defined, per Wikipedia, as: “a scientific research strategy often used in the field of social sciences, particularly in anthropology and in some branches of sociology, also known as part of historical science that studies people, ethnic groups and other ethnic formations, their ethnogenesis, composition, resettlement, social welfare characteristics, as well as their material and spiritual culture.” For the purposes of evangelism, it is the study of a culture, and its people, so that the presentation of the Gospel can be adapted (not compromised) based upon the societal nuances and customs of a certain people group.

So what is the application? Let’s look at Paul’s thoughts on this in his letter to the church at Corinth:

“For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.  For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings” (1
Corinthians 9:17-23).

Paul here is saying that he is willing to adapt to particular styles and customs, as long as they do not compromise the purity of the Gospel or his being “under the law of Christ,” in order to facilitate the proclamation of the Gospel. With this in mind, let’s take note of some key points that should impact the way we engage those of different backgrounds with the Good News of Jesus:

• We are stewards of the Gospel. This is of great significance and worthy of our full attention. What a great responsibility this is!
• Our Gospel commission demands that we have a servant posture towards all. Adapting to cultural differences in deference to our own style preferences amplifies our message.
• The goal of “doing as the Romans do” is that we might reach (win) some for the glory of the Gospel, not for the sake of adapting alone.
• Our efforts are for the sake (glory) of the Gospel, and the God of the Gospel, not personal acclaim or gain.
• The Gospel we proclaim is a message of unfathomable blessings – which gives us an even greater impetus to share and share in the context of our audience’s culture.

So what is your “Rome?” Is it your neighborhood or “the hood” in your city? Is it a foreign land or a co-worker that speaks in broken English? Wherever it is, may we put our prejudices and preferences aside as true servants of Christ. And go with the pure Good News, for the sake of the blessed Gospel, and for the glory of the God of the Gospel.