Intercultural Communication Class Discussion
3 Comments
Published by David Sills, D.Miss, Ph.D.
on Friday, February 10, 2006 at 4:27 PM. 
How Shall They Hear? In the Winter 2005 edition of the SBJT, I have attempted to address the foundational aspects of intercultural ministry as it relates to the effective communication of the Gospel. Since this is one of the key elements of our course together this semester, please respond to one or more of the following questions once you have read the article: (click here to download the article)
- On pages 64-65 I discuss Jesus’ teaching ministry in light of His audience. Do you see scriptural evidence of times in which Jesus used different methods depending on His audience, or was His method the same throughout His ministry? Do you see evidence that He used different methods, adapting to the various cultures He encountered? Please cite specific passages in your response.
- On pages 67-68 I discuss the work of missionaries from the past and raise the question as to whether a lack of intercultural awareness may have contributed to the lack of response they received. Yet, I also affirm the work of the Holy Spirit as the sole means of salvation. Are these thoughts in conflict? Explain your response.
- On page 68 I discuss the missionary martyrs of past and the possible effect that ineffective intercultural communication may have had on their persecution. In doing so I list a few different types of Christians who may be considered martyrs. Do you feel that each of these categories should carry the title of “martyr”? Explain your response.
- On page 70 I mention the difficulties of translating certain Scriptures into languages that do not have words for some of the concepts mentioned. What are some other Scriptures that would be difficult to translate into certain cultures?
On pages 67-68 I discuss the work of missionaries from the past and raise the question as to whether a lack of intercultural awareness may have contributed to the lack of response they received. Yet, I also affirm the work of the Holy Spirit as the sole means of salvation. Are these thoughts in conflict? Explain your response.
These thoughts are not in conflict. Certainly the Holy Spirit is the sole means of salvation. However God's word has revealed to us that it is the understood (Col 1:6) message of Christ (Rom 10:17) that the Holy Spirit uses to bear the fruit of faith. In other words the person communicating the gospel may indeed communicate the message of Christ clear to his own understanding, however, unless his hearers understand the message clearly it is wrong to expect the Holy Spirit to bring life. The Holy Spirit will always act in integrity. He will not bring about salvation through messages that cannot be understood. My wife and I grew up in the same town, in the same church, sitting on the same pew. However we often misunderstand each other. Sometimes it is not until days after I may say something to her, that it becomes clear what I mean. If this is true of us who grew up in the same everything - how much more might it be true that missionaries for years are not understood clearly because of intercultural barriers unknown to them. This task of intercultural studies is difficult work - but worth every drop of sweat, to get the gospel clear.
"On pages 64-65 I discuss Jesus’ teaching ministry in light of His audience. Do you see scriptural evidence of times in which Jesus used different methods depending on His audience, or was His method the same throughout His ministry? Do you see evidence that He used different methods, adapting to the various cultures He encountered? Please cite specific passages in your response."
I totally agree with the comments already posted for this question. In addition to the metaphors and scriptural background which he utilized, Jesus also presented an embodied translation of God's hope to different cultures.
The baby Jesus made a pretty good missionary I think. The incarnation begins with Jesus embodying the character of God in the flesh of a child, even before he begins his "ministry" at age 30. While his later recorded words are culturally sensitive and thoughtfully chosen, so also was his personhood, his being a child, his being a listener in the temple, etc.
When his public ministry begins, Jesus continues to embody the character of God, creating a translation beyond comparison. Just as important as his words were his actions and behaviors - his joining others in the waters of the Jordan, his dining with sinners, his authoritative posture in the synagogue, his acceptance of perfumed affection from a sinful woman, his touching of lepers, and gloriously, his torn body hanging next to two theives.
As the article noted, translating the propositional truths of the gospel is often not enough in some contexts. The gospel must be couched in a biblical worldview of creation, fall, and redemption. For missionaries to translate the whole gospel they must know more than John 3:16. In fact, they need to do even more than translate the stories of the biblical worldview into foreign words. They must do all of this as well as being an embodied translation of the biblical worldview. We must live out the golden rule, for instance, in a culturally relavant way. We must lay down our lives in a way that will be perceived as love.
There is a sad irony, however, concerning Christ's atoning death on the cross. There is no doubt that Christ was the Lamb of God and the fulfillment of Isa. 53. He displayed in his body the love of God, a love which should have been especially clear to the culture of the Jews. Sadly, the greatest act of love has been scorned by those who should see it most clearly. Therefore, despite our greatest attempt to incarnate the gospel to other cultures, there is no formula. God's grace come through our thoughtful means, but only through the work of the Holy Spirit.
1. On pages 64-65... Jesus' responses were different as he approached different contexts. For instance the woman at the well was living in sin- a Samaritan- a women yet Jesus approached gently, lovingly yet called sin to the table. Same thing with a different method when Jesus turned over tables and whipped thing in the temple. Sin was called out but the methods were diffrent.
2. On pages 67-68...One should not think that it is limiting the Holy Spirits work by study hard to know the other culture and using their culture to show them the message.
3. On page 68...I think I would post the same thing as Shannon on this one.