"I have become all things to all men so
that by all possible means I might save some.
I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that
I may share in its blessings." I Corinthians
9:22-23
I (Norm) recently returned from two countries
that are among the most spiritually needy in the
world. While I was there, all of the workers,
except one, had come from Latin American or southern
European countries. I was the minority, a North
American. I thank the Lord for this experience,
as it was very rewarding and fruitful. As we plan
to go to the nations and learn to adapt cross-culturally,
there is an important question we need to ask
ourselves. That question is, "How should I respond
to living with people from a different culture?"
Is it going to be easy? We are going to have to
work at adapting in a cross-cultural situation.
The following are some things that will help
in learning to adapt cross-culturally.
How
to Adapt and Work Cross-Culturally
"Culture
is the way we do things because of what we value."
- Realize
that culture is good and is from God
- Simple reasoning suggests that diversity is
an expression of creativity. Creation is full
of diversity. Humanity is diverse. As the book
of Revelation portrays, there will be people
from every diverse language and tribe around
the throne of the Lamb. It seems that each piece
maintains its distinctiveness yet fits into
the whole of God's Kingdom. So as you go, you
must see different cultures as good and learn
how to encourage the development of your ability
to relate in such a way that the Christ you
present is seen as relevant, and necessary,
to the person from another culture.
-
See each culture from God's viewpoint
- In traveling to over seventy nations in the
last 25 years, we have witnessed very diverse
cultures. Many times people will ask which one
we liked the best. That is a hard question to
answer because every culture has beauty as well
as evil. All cultures have been affected by
sin. The message of the Gospel, when properly
applied, will enhance the original beauty of
the culture while cleansing it from evil. A
good cross-cultural communicator will see the
culture from God's viewpoint, appreciating the
qualities it has while not being oblivious to
the evil that has invaded it. God's wisdom is
available for the worker's task.
-
Be aware of ethnocentricity - A Christian
response to culture should be based on scriptures
like those found in Philippians 2:3, "Consider
others better than yourselves." Because
of sinful tendencies, we are more prone to think
of ourselves as best. The anthropological term
for this is "ethnocentricity." Ethnocentricity
is a compound word. Ethno is the Greek
word for ethnos or nation or people group; and
centrality, meaning in the center. This portrays
the idea of "our way of life is the center
of the universe." No culture is better,
only different. Each culture has a worldview
that is only partial at best. Life the way God
created it to be is too complex to be explained
by individual cultures. This is a real motivating
factor for missions. Only when all the nations
or cultures come into a mature standing in the
Kingdom will we also be complete!
- Realize
that enculturation is beneficial
- Most people do not know they have a culture
until they are taken out of it. We live in fish
bowls. In these bowls we have certain comforts.
We know how to get around. We feel secure. But
there are limitations that we do not even know
about because we haven't seen anything different.
When we enter another culture, we are entering
another fish bowl. Suddenly things appear strange,
our systems are upset, and we feel dizzied by
the stress. Even our familiar relationship with
God and family can become unfamiliar. After
a period of enculturation, the stress subsides
and we learn to get along. We may even adapt
to the point of liking our new culture more
than the old. The blessing for cross-cultural
workers is this enrichment and expansion of
life appreciation by forsaking the limitations
of the old and incorporating the new.
-
Learn cultural manners - A key to adapting
smoothly to a new culture is to learn new manners.
Most of what we do with inter-personal relationships
revolve around meeting the needs of another.
Manners are crucial because they communicate
the importance of another individual. Problems
arise when we think that our manners will be
interpreted the same way as those of another
culture. They often are not. A Christian woman
in the West, for example, may express kindness
with a smile and glance of the eye. In many
countries this would be interpreted as flirtatious.
We need to study the manners of the people we
live among, and remember that theirs may have
different meanings. They seldom have an interest
in learning our ways, so we must learn theirs.
- Realize
that body language speaks louder than words
- Our hand motions, placement of feet, eye contact,
facial expressions, clothing and jewelry (or
lack of it) all send signals that will be interpreted
differently. I was in India where it is a common
expression of friendship for men to walk together
hand in hand. They relate differently. In India
it is not customary for people to hug each other.
Body language speaks loudly. We must adapt to
the cultural ways of expression.
-
Cultural adjustment takes time and effort
- The supreme example is Jesus. He made
a cultural leap from heaven to earth. He became
a servant, giving Himself for the people with
whom He wanted to communicate. The messenger
lives his message. What we are speaks more than
what we say. In the above example of walking
hand in hand with men, it took time and effort
to adjust. But it was just another way of showing
friendship different from my own.
Biblical
Examples
"There
is much in missions that calls for acceptance
of the other… Unless we enter into our relationship
with another with an accepting attitude, we
will not be able to discover all that can be
known about that person and minister to his
total life." Marvin Mayers
When teams go to new countries, there is the need
to relate, respect and appreciate other cultures,
and realize that the medium for communication
(the team members) will be the message. We must
learn to accept one another in order to minister
the life of Jesus. The biblical examples of
Jesus and Paul will help you to be a cross-cultural
communicator.
- Sit
and learn - The Identification Principle
Jesus
related to His audience. "He had to be
made like His brothers in every way, in order
that He might become a merciful and faithful
high priest" (Hebrews 2:1). We humans
have a bad tendency to talk too much rather
than listen. Look for the good things in the
culture that can be used to build bridges.
Be aware of clothing, eye contact, body posture,
age, laughter, hand gestures, volume, authority
structures, taboos and gender relationships.
A good example is the Apostle Paul in Athens.
He was observant and learned from the culture.
Therefore, he was able to identify. We also
must go with a humble attitude to learn and
to be a student of the culture. We need to
investigate and listen. People like talking
about their culture.
"I
see that in every way you are very religious,
for as I walked around I observed your objects
of worship… I even found an altar with this
inscription: To an unknown God. Now what you
worship as something unknown, I am going to
proclaim to you." (Acts 17:22-23)
- Stand
and serve - The Incarnation Principle
Jesus
Christ was the world's greatest cross-cultural
communicator. He knew how to love people.
He walked in humility and lived among people
on earth in a way that was attractive to others.
We must seek to be like Jesus. We need to
have a positive attitude about the culture,
appreciating and accepting their differences
as we live among them.
"In
the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was with God in the beginning. The Word became
flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have
seen His glory, the glory of the One and only,
who came from the Father, full of grace and
truth." (John 1:1, 14)
As
you go forth to the nations, realize that God
will help you to be a good cross-cultural worker.
He is living in you, and He can help you to relate
correctly. If your relationship with Him is secure,
you can weather the stormy seas of possible changes,
feelings of rejection, uncertainty or loneliness.
Yes, times of frustration and confusion will come,
but we can choose to lean upon Jesus who never
changes. He will help us excel if we choose to
take the time to learn. He will help us to react
as He would in cross-cultural settings.
"And
they sang a new song: 'You are worthy to take
the scroll and to open its seals, because you
were slain, and with your blood you purchased
men for God from every tribe and language and
people and nation.'" Revelation 5:9
For
additional training on mentoring in culture; characteristics
of a cross-cultural worker and coping with culture
shock, read the book called Go Forth in Power
by Norman and Debbie Przybylski.
Training
in World Missions
To
learn more about the Elijah Company please read:
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