| What about those of other
Cultures? Insights into "Cross-cultural Outreach" organized by Jim Found Materials about cross-cultural outreach are organized here under three headings:
_______________________|________________________ For each heading, the chart below gives you suggestions for understanding and for taking action.
The ideas on these links are useful both for relating to an entire group, and also for relating to the individual within that group. The scope of Cross-cultural outreach All People. Every encounter with another person is cross-cultural to some degree, so these insights are useful for all people that you meet. Bible. You already are accustomed to one kind of cross-cultural link: relating Bible culture to our culture. You can use the insights you already have as you extend to the next link: relating your understanding of the Bible to someone of yet another culture. Jesus. In a way, Jesus is a cross-cultural missionary: he had to link heavenly things to earthly things. As you think about how He did it, you get ideas for your own cross-cultural needs. Here are some examples: 1. Jesus actually became a member of the new culture. Since Jesus becoming human is called "incarnation," those who enter into the lives and problems of others are said to be in "incarnational" ministry. 2. Jesus used parables -- earthly examples to get across heavenly meanings. You can ponder what kind of earthly object would help you explain a heavenly meaning to today's cultures. Could you make parables about fishing, cars, cell-phones, the internet? The Degree of cross-cultural outreach. Location. When Jesus, in Acts 1:8, tells the apostles to witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth, each location is farther away. Reaching someone else may require learning a new language, or moving to a new location, or learning to live in a different culture -- or more than one of these at the same time. Stepping-stones. Another way to visualize cultural distance is to imagine two people separated by a river. However, there are stepping-stones. the more stepping stones you have to deal with, the greater the cultural distance. Identifying the stepping-stones helps you identify the tasks you need to complete in order to get to the other person. One stone might be language. If your language is already the same, then you have successfully crossed that stone. But if your languages are different, you have identified one of your first tasks. What might some of the other stones be? At least, things like socio-economic level, location, time available, age difference, gender difference -- cross cultural understanding means finding out what the stones are, and cross-cultural outreach requires dealing with each stone. The goal is to be able to explain the gospel clearly to a listener who will take heed to your words.
Additional links:
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