Cultivating Cultural Competency for Global Engagement

1. The Most Desired Qualities for Short-Term Guests • Three Attitudes • Humility—Show up late to a meeting • Affirmation—Refuse to be a critic • Vulnerability—Not afraid of weakness • Three Roles • Student—Come as a learner • Servant—Do whatever needs to be done • Storyteller—Witness to the hope that we’ve received

2. 5 ways to prepare and enhance my life as a guest in another culture • Before I arrive: • Understand some of the history, geography, religious life, and view of America of where I’m going • Know some of the local customs, especially in regard to the behavior of—and towards—guests • Know a few key phrases in the local language • Know in advance some things I’d like to learn • Already know how to delight in cultural differences

3. The Power of Culture Learning to Delight in Differences

4. People are more alike than their cultures • Similar hopes • Similar fears • Similar basic needs Bearing the Image of God Family Resemblance Family Reunion

5. Learning our 1st culture • On our mother’s knee • Sayings, adages • Mother tongue

6. To be human is to be part of a culture • There is no such thing as a “simple” or “primitive” culture • All cultures are highly complex systems for ordering social life and clarifying what is • Right and wrong • True and false • Possible and impossible • Acceptable and unacceptable

7. Is there such a thing as the Biblical Culture (or worldview)—that is universally normative?

8. Lifestyle Standards Views Of Scripture Modes Of Baptism Worship Styles Eucharist Diversity Emphasis on Social Action Social Ethics Church Leadership Importance of Evangelism Role of Spiritual Gifts Relation of Conversion to Salvation Doctrinal (Cultural) Differences in God’s Christian Family

9. Universal or Contextual?

10. Most cultures reinforce their authority by asserting thatOur Values = God’s ValuesOur People = Real People

11. Enculturation

12. If I’m to delight in differences—there, It’s best to cultivate that capacity—here! Denomination Doctrine Devotion Social Status Social Skills Social Interests The In-Group “My kind of people” Race Class Ethnicity Language

13. We know what’s at stake 1. Conflict over race, ethnicity, culture and class fractures every society 2. The Church in America is as (if not more) fractured by racialism as our society YET The world will believe in Christ by our love for one anotherJohn 13.35

14. Cultural Differences Feed Our Deepest Conflicts

15. We know the Scriptures • “If anyone is in Christ there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” 2 Cor 5.17 • “He is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one”Eph 2.14 • “For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith…There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” Gal 3.28

16. We are ambassadors for Christ, entrusted with the Gospel of Reconciliation We’re impoverished and we’re impoverishing the world by our homogeneity Short-Term Mission can contribute to the development of long-term multi-cultural competencies

17. A biblical mandate! a strategic opportunity:our capacity to maintain unity and be enriched by diversity is one of the most compelling proofs of the Gospel an organizational necessity:any institution that doesn’t embrace ethnic and cultural diversity will increasingly be irrelevant in the world of the future

18. INDIA: One Nation, 700 nations

19. How Can We Co-Exist? Strategy 1: Tolerance Tolerance Tolerance

20. Strategies 2 & 3: Avoidance, War Ghettos, segregation--avoidance Culture Wars

21. Strategy 4: Eliminate Diversity through Oppression Totalitarian Oppression of Others

22. Strategy 5: Eliminate Diversity through Cleansing Internal WAR—Ethnic Cleansing

23. Strategy 6: Minimize Diversity through Assimilation Unity through Domination: Melting Pot, Cultural Hegemony

24. Strategy 7: Focus Diversity through War External WAR—Common Foe

25. Unity that includes and is enriched by Diversity

26. God’s Kingdom Call There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4

27. God’s Kingdom Life Life in the Unity of the Spirit Therefore, I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one anotherin love,making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4

28. KINGDOM CONNECTORS Authority of Scripture Christ’s uniqueness Jesus as Savior and Lord Life “in Christ” – Personal faith Love for neighbours – Social action Worship, Prayer & Sacraments Presence of God’s Spirit Power of good & evil Community & Belonging Witness & Mission Shared beliefs in God’s Christian family

29. Scripture Worship Baptism Lifestyle Salvation Eucharist Leadership Evangelism Faith - Action Social Ethics Charismatic KINGDOM DIVERSITY Kingdom connectors Appreciating the differences within God’s Christian family

30. Enriched by our DifferencesStrengthened by our DissimilarityUnited by Faith “So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows as a holy temple in the Lord” Eph. 2. 19-21

31. Biblical Mandate: Make Disciples of all nations “ta ethne” Matt 28.18-20 • All authority in heaven & earth: political authority • Make disciples of all nations: cultural authority • Teach to observe all I’ve commanded: social & economic authority

32. In theUnavoidable World • Jerusalem • Judea • In the AvoidableWorld • Samaria • The rest of the world

33. Biblical Mandate: “As the Father has sent me, so send I you”(Jn 20.21) • Incarnational ministry (Phil 2) kenosis—emptying ourselves • Christ-centered ministry (Eph 2.14-15) in his flesh made one, one new humanity, one new Body • Diversity-embracing ministry (Gal 3.28, Col. 3.11) clothed with a new self, in the image of God

34. “Let your attitude be that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing.”

35. “…taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death---

36. “even death on a cross.”

37. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,”

38. “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is God, to the glory of God the Father.”

39. “Therefore, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, making you willing and able to fulfill God’s good purpose.” Phil 2. 5-15

40. By the power of the Spirit we participate in Christ’s entrance into people’s lives rather than wait for them to enter into ours’ Humiliation only bears the fruit of humility through reliance on the Spirit of Christ How would you like others to pray for you?