Cross%20Cultural%20Evangelism%20and%20Church%20Planting

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Cross Cultural Evangelism and Church Planting

• How do we adapt the presentation of the Gospel
  and the form of church ministry to assimilate
  people from a different culture

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Four Characteristics of Culture

• Beliefs
• Values
• Customs
• Institutions

Things learned such as speech, education,
tradition, myth, science, art, philosophy,
government, law, rites, beliefs, inventions,
technologiesIt includes manners, customs,
thought patterns, values, self-concepts, morals,
ideals and accepted ways of behaving.
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Introduction

• To an outsider, culture is a barrier
• To an insider, culture is a carrier of values or
  a test of acceptance
• Contextualization is the adjustment of a
  message, lifestyle or ministry style to a host
  cultural way of doing things.
• Lifestyle adaptation of new and different ways
  of doing things learn to hold lightly ones
  tastes and preferences, opinions and idea of the
  way things should be done.

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Vital Distinction

• Form the way things are done
• Function the things that are/must be done

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Essential Qualities of Cross-Cultural Person

• Sensitivity being people oriented instead of
  tradition or method oriented.
• Flexibility readiness to adapt to new ideas
  without emotional stress.
• Note the American way is not the right way
  its just our way!

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Essentials of Culture

• Epistemology
• Cognitive process
• Linguist form
• Style of behavior
• Media of communication
• Social structure
• Forms of motivation

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Universal thought sequence

1. Thoughts or statements repeated in conscious mind
2. Beliefs accepted as truth about reality and self
3. Values that confirm beliefs
4. Convictions or habits, emotionally held
5. Emotions that affirm or discourage behavior
6. Life-style that meets the needs of man

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Cultural Analysis

• Ethics, values, standards
• Drugs, feeling-driven selfishness, personal
  gratifications
• Materialism
• Relativism
• Entertainment
• Leadership style desired in culture

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How to respond to culture

• Ignore it
• Escape it
• Embrace it
• Resist it
• Be immune to its pitfalls, but Identified in it

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Concepts of communication

• Focus should not be on content, nor the
  transmission of truth, but the receptor
  orientationwhat is really understood
• Monolog is insufficient
• True communication is not informational but
  transformational
• Initiative for communication is always on the
  speakers side of the equation

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Keys to communication

• Listening rate is proportional to the amount of
  TV watched (3.2 hrs/day in the US)
• Each 2-3 minutes a release is necessary (joke,
  illustration, movement, etc)
• Jokes are very difficult to translate to another
  culture or language real mastery is evident when
  poetry makes sense

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The Message

• What do we mean by meaning?
• Is there a contractual agreement? in area of
  semantics and linguistic symbols and standards of
  right and wrong, good and bad, then we can make
  value statements (Hesselgrave, Communicating
  Christ, p. 40)

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Meaning development framework

• a lifetime of sensory input for present meaning
  of things
• Common human core discerned from biblical
  revelation made in image of God, sinfulness,
  conscience
• Cultural Specifics worldview, religion, values,
  social structures, roles, decision-making rules,
  etc
• Personal Specifics cognitive style,
  communication skills, knowledge, personality,
  history of relationships
• Encounter Specifics emotional/physical state,
  mood, empathy, trust, authenticity,
  defensiveness, current attitude toward the other,
  etc

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Predictability/Attention scale
Predictability scale
Attention level scale
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Myths Concerning Communication

• Hearing the gospel is being reached
• Bible is so powerful, all people need is to hear
  the Word to be converted
• Holy Spirit will make up for mistakes, if done
  sincerely
• Christians should restrict all contacts with
  non-Christians, refrain from going to evil
  places or we lose our testimony

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More Myths

• Preaching is the ordained way to communicate the
  Gospel
• The Sermon is main way to change lives
• There is one best way to communicate the Gospel
• Main key is the precisely formulate the message
• Words contain meanings
• What people need is more information

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Grid of Culture
World View Ways of perceiving world Cognitive
process Ways of thinking Linguistic Forms Ways
of expressing ideas Behavioral Patterns
Acceptable Ways of Acting Media Ways of
channeling the message Social Structure Ways of
Interacting Motivational Dimension Ways of
Deciding
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Statistics of Change Probability
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Five Steps Towards Change

• Relative Advantage
• Compatibility
• Complexity
• Trialability
• Re-invention

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More notes on Change Process

• Must have reason for change
• Must be prepared for change
• Must be involved in process of change
• Must be exposed to models that are better
• Must be treated with patience
• Must know that God is leading

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Universal Conscience implies some over lapping
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Discontinuity between consciences
Area where B has scruples of conscience and B
has none
Area where A has scruples of conscience and B has
none
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Mixed National Cultural Grid
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Areas of discontinuity
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Vain effort in strange culture
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Preaching morals from missionary conscience
The area which the missionary is likely to judge
the behavior of the nationals as immoral, since
behavior here is not governed by the moral
sentiments deemed important by the missionary.
It is with reference to life in this section of
our diagram that the missionary will tend to make
reference when speaking of sin
Missionary conscience
Indigenous conscience
Indigenous conscience is silent with respect to
this area
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Dissecting of a culture
Missionary reference to sin in personal
evangelism should focus on this area