Grafting the gospel

One gets to hear and read of the phrase 'planting the Gospel' sometimes in Christian literature or discussions.  This phrase refers to the process of evangelisation/mission, especially among those who have not heard of Jesus or the Gospels before.  But according to me a better and more apt phrase would be 'grafting the Gospel'.  

Though the idea is the same, there are subtle differences in how one perceives the Gospel and how one sees it 'taking root'.  No culture ever absorbs the Gospel in its entirity at the first instance.  No matter how great an opportunity they get to witness the Christian example, a culture always absorbs a 'new' input only in layers and over a period of time.  Therefore to expect the first 'wave' of those who come in contact with the Gospel to become 'Christian' would be to see them as totally uprooting themselves from who and what they were before - culturally speaking.  It is only after a certain period of time - and ages - that we arrive at a balance of making the most of the Gospel and the culture we call our own.  Exactly as an agriculturalist would view a grafted plant as not a perfect product, but a merger of two different plants; however, the fruit of that grafted plant will eventually have a better inherent structure of both - no more as two different plants, but as one plant.  

To expect the Gospel to replace absolutely and permanently one's culture is unchristian.