Globalization in the twenty first century
guarantees that neighborhoods Christians seek to communicate the gospel will be
a blend of cultures. If the message of the gospel is to be effectively
presented, fulfilling Christ’s mandate to go to the nations (Mat.24:14, 28:19;
Lk. 24:47), then leadership must seek to have “some insight into how culture
shapes the thoughts and behaviors of the people” within those communities.[1]
The call to witness is not just for some far away country; globalization has
brought the world next door. It will require greater effort; Livermore calls it
“a disciplined effort to better understand cultural differences.”[2]
What is valued in the American culture may be of a lesser value or even
offensive to another culture. It would be wise to have at least a beginning understanding
of the worldview of the target audience as “worldviews provide a system of beliefs
reflected in values and behavior.”[3]
While the Christian believes without a shadow of a doubt that there is only one
God (Deut. 4:35,39; 6:4) and all else is false (and worthy of condemnation), there
is a benefit to understanding the religion of those hearing the gospel. A good
step in small-talk is finding common ground that leads to a more receptive
audience.
It would not be uncommon for proclaimers
of the gospel to have a cocooning mentality, yet this may very well be one of
the core impediments of reaching outside the four walls of the church. Because the
church is in the people business, “leaders must be both global and local in
understanding and serving customers” (in this case, those to whom the gospel is
proclaimed).[4] What
works at home may not work in India or Africa. Although the gospel is a
universal message, others may already have presuppositions about this gospel.
For example, it may be seen as a “western religion” or “the white man’s religion.”
History has shown that on numerous occasions, the western world has indeed
imported its Christian worldview without consideration for indigenous peoples.
That said, if the gospel is to be effectively proclaimed to the nations, the
church ‘should be acutely aware that people have tastes, behaviors and
assumptions that are not only different, but in conflict with one another.”[5]
It is not enough to hit folks in the head with the Bible; the proclaimer of God’s
word may wish to meet the listener at their point of need with an eye towards Christ’s
kingdom (Mat. 6:33).
The gospel is in no way esoteric.
It is universal in appeal, content and power to save. What makes the difference
is the employment of fully functioning gifts of the Spirit under the
empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The Father already promised empowerment
(Mat.28:18,20), but he also expects the church to be organized for
effectiveness (Acts 6:2-7). There will be challenges working with individuals
and teams of people, especially culturally diverse teams. Without compromising
orthodoxy, Livermore suggests making an effort to (1) understanding how a
family system works, (2) understanding culture, language patterns and
non-verbal behaviors, (3) “slowing down long enough to observe the hearer”
while drawing on cultural intelligence to resolve issues, and (4) “looking
internally at biases and assumptions and then making conscious decisions to
address them.”[6]
This is where intercultural communication truly becomes effective. Proclaimers
of the gospel who work regularly with culturally diverse ministry partners will
“reap rewards from acquiring the awareness, knowledge and skills of flexible
intercultural communication. This will be needed to solve problems, manage
conflicts and forge new visions at home and abroad.”[7]
Bottom line is that the effective spread of the unchanging gospel to the
nations (“diverse contexts and cultures”) will require both a learning/developing
to function across diverse cultures (CQ) and “developing a creative mindset to
see things from different angles without rigid pre-judgment.” [8]
[1] David
Livermore, Leading With Cultural
Intelligence: The Real Secret To Success, (United States: AMACOM, 2015),
67.
[3] Lloyd
E. Kwast, Understanding Culture, 399,
accessed September 6, 2018, https://learn.liberty.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-24419510-dt-content-rid-297477156_1/courses/GLST650_B02_201840/GLST650_LUO_8WK_DEV_ImportedContent_20180129105511/GLST650_M2_Understanding_Culture_by_Lloyd_E._Kwast.pdf
[5] Ibid., 14.
[7] Stella Ting-Toomey and Leeva C. Chung,
Understanding Intercultural Communication, (New York: Oxford Press, 2012), 6-7.
Written by Kevin A. Hall.
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