1. Introduction to world missions
Cross-cultural Communication

2. Cross-cultural Communication
Hindrances to Cross-cultural Communication
Monoculturalism – is the assumption that all people are the same as in our culture giving rise to judging other people’s behaviors and attitudes according to one’s own cultural norms.
Monocultural – one’s experience is limited to one’s own culture
Spiting in Meru
Holding hands

3. Cross-cultural Communication
Examples of Monoculturalism from U.S. Perspective:
Life style in better
Naturalism
Individualism
Economics
Education
Biblical Examples:
Egyptian and Israelites (Gen. 43:32)
Jews and Samaritans (Jn. 4:9)
Jews and Gentiles (Acts 10:28; 11:3)

4. Cross-cultural Communication
Hindrances to Cross-cultural Communication
Elements of Monoculturalism
Equates one’s own perception of reality with reality itself
Assumes one’s own beliefs are accepted because they are superior
Does not respect other cultures or subcultures
Heathen vs. Christian
Primitive vs. Advanced
Superstitious vs. Religious
Civilized vs. Uncivilized or Savage
Developed vs. Underdeveloped

5. Cross-cultural Communication
Hindrances to Cross-cultural Communication
Kraft’s Three Types of Monoculturalism
Eclectic – selected best customs throughout the world to make a superior culture
Reactionary – ridicule one’s own culture and adores another
One World – feeling that all the world is headed toward a single culture with accommodation to Western thoughts and ideas
Fourth Type of Monoculturalism
Protective – feeling if one does not uncritically uphold one’s culture in it will be undermined by another

6. Cross-cultural Communication
Hindrances to Cross-cultural Communication
Ethnocentric – a person believes his/her own culture is superior to another
Justification of ethnocentrism
Technological – more advance in products
Cultural – most civilized and advanced (Gen. 43:32)
Economics – we are wealthier
Educational – we are more educated
Theological – Christian heritage
Racial (Jn. 4:9, Acts 10:28; 11:3)

7. Cross-cultural Communication
Cross-culturalism – is the learned skill of relating to people of other cultures in appropriate ways within their cultural context.
Characteristics of Cross-culturalism
Learning the language and culture
Understand peoples worldview
Function effectively within culture
Contextualize the Christian message and life
Respect for culture and people, as own
Eph. 2:14, 19
Rom. 12:10

8. Cross-cultural Communication
Biblical examples of cross-cultural barrier breaking.
John 4
Acts 10-11
Cultural differences
Meat offered to idols
Jew and festivals and sacrifice (Acts 21:23-26)
Circumcision

9. Cross-cultural Communication
State of communication in modern world
Faster travel
Quicker communication
Phone
Internet
Globalization
Worldwide shared images
Greater knowledge of other peoples and places

10. Cross-cultural Communication
TIME
CULTURE M S R M R
TIME S
CULTURE R
CULTURE S R M
Noise
Noise
Third
Culture
Biblical Culture M
Encodes
Decodes R S R S
S = Source
M = Message
R = Receptor
Feedback M
American Culture

11. Cross-cultural Communication
Elements of Effective Cross-cultural Communication
Missionary is adapting to culture
Missionary recognizes the impact of his own culture
Missionary is familiar with the biblical culture
Goals of Effective Cross-cultural Communication
People must learn to interpret scripture in their context
Scripture not communicators tradition to be the base for the knowledge of God and His will
People develop their own rites
Host people and missionaries share same biblical reality

12. Cross-cultural Communication
Cultural Perspective with + 3 Worldview Distance (U.S. vs. Africa)
God
Distant
God
Material World
Ancestral Spirits
Spiritual Realm
Spiritual/Physical
Diviner
Sorcerer
World/Nature
Deism
African Traditional Religion

13. Cultural Perspective American culture
Naturalistic – makes a distinction between natural and spiritual
Two realms:
Spiritual/Supernatural
Natural
Examples:
Disease: germs
Individualistic
Optimistic: thin we are in control
Present-oriented

14. Cultural Perspective African culture
Spiritualistic – Spiritual powers effecting daily life
Group-oriented
Family, age mates, clan, tribe
Problem solved as a group
Fatalistic – not in control because dependent on rains and spiritual world
Past-oriented (traditional)
Linear in that past generation live on as spiritual beings
Meru juju
Cyclical in that ins some cases the spirit of ancestor comes back and lives in them
Kisigis Kurnet rite

15. Cultural Perspective New Testament culture
Spiritualistic – Spiritual powers under the sovereignty of God
Group/individual-oriented
Philippian Jailer and his household, Cornilius- his household
Paul, Ethiopian eunuch
Optimistic
Freedom from sin
Release from demons or spirits
God in control and involve in His creation
Past, Present, and Future oriented
Saving event in past
Present relationship with Christ
Future home with God

16. Eternal Message Changing Culture
Process for communicating the Gospel effectively
Understand the cultural context
Discern the host’s culture’s worldview
Be culturally perceptive
Re-evaluate one’s own worldview and culture in light of scripture
Understand spiritual powers (Eph. 6:12)
Realize God continues to work in the world (Jn. 5:17)
Be more God-reliant than self-reliant
Seek God’s timeless message for all humanity

17. Eternal Message Changing Culture
Seek God’s timeless message for all humanity
God’s message guides our understanding of reality, worldview
God’s eternal message does not change with culture
Teach the essentials
Incidentals left to the church in their own culture
Singing
Prayer
Services
Holy kiss
Head coverings