Help with Intercultural Communication, CQ, and the Great Commission

Discussion Thread Replies: Intercultural Communication, CQ, and the Great Commission

2 replies of at least 200 words each. Each reply must incorporate at least 1 biblical citation.

Reply 1 (CJ)

How can intercultural communication and cultural intelligence, built on a biblical worldview, help the church overcome the cultural barriers to complete the Great Commission both locally and globally?

This prompt represents the conclusion of all that we have discussed and studied over the course of this eight-week course. In order to create bridges in all intercultural contexts, we must first recognize that cultural intelligence is a crucial skill set that we must possess. This is a skill that is valuable for both personal and religious interactions, in addition to being appropriate for business. It equips you with the skills necessary to successfully navigate through cultures that are different from your own while upholding your own. Intercultural communication could be seen as the art of cross-cultural engagement while cultural intelligence may be considered the science of it. It examines verbal and nonverbal forms of communication between people from various cultural backgrounds. It deals not just with language but also with customs. A person's ability to view the world through a biblical lens depends on their set of beliefs and ideas, which together make up their biblical worldview. In order to carry out the Great Commission, it is essential that all of these elements be present. Churches must comprehend that applying a biblical perspective to the world encompasses both intercultural dialogue and cultural knowledge. The woman at the well in John 4:4–42 provides one biblical illustration of how these elements are at work. In actuality, She was a Samaritan and He was a Jew, which was an unusual cultural encounter at the time. However, his bridging of cultural barriers and the manner and content of his communication with her inspired her to start sharing the gospel. The church of today needs to recognize that in order to perceive the world biblically, they must first put the great commission at the forefront. Understanding culture and being aware of their CQ are the next steps. By doing so, they will be better able to understand and adapt to the cultures they will encounter while upholding their own values. Creating a CQ approach aids in establishing the crucial connections between each culture. Intercultural communication makes up the final element. Understanding both verbal and nonverbal cues as well as the language of the other culture allows you to enter a deeper world and successfully communicate the gospel. Thereby carrying out the Great Commission—to go and make disciples of all nations—that was given to all believers.

Livermore, David. Leading with Cultural Intelligence, 2nd ed. New York: American Management Association, 2015.

Reply 2 (EG)

The scope of the Great Commission is not restrictive to culture, ethnicity, or nationality. Jesus commands His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirt, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20, ESV).[1] The issue is not the message that believers preach, for we have God’s Word to study, learn, and share, and the Lord has made salvation available to all people. On the other hand, the issue for believers is finding effective ways to reach nonbelievers from all contexts and communicating the gospel in a manner that they will understand. Building one’s cultural intelligence and effectiveness at intercultural communication is beneficial for overcoming these considerations. Cultural intelligence benefits a believer’s ability to minster across cultures. Livermore writes that one benefit of high cultural intelligence “is improved ability to assess a situation in a culturally diverse situation and make an effective decision.”[2] For believers, having cultural intelligence can help with understanding when one needs to change his or her approach at intercultural communication, and it can help believers perceive and interact with cultural differences.

A person’s cultural intelligence also affects his or her efforts at intercultural communication. Ting-Toomey and Chung write, “Intercultural communication is often referred to a symbolic exchange process between persons of different cultures in their attempts to create shared meanings in a given context. In the symbolic exchange process, intentions are inferred and culture-based interpretations are formed.”[3] Although two people may experience the same conversation, both may interpret each other’s verbal and nonverbal communication differently and take away different impressions, or draw differing conclusions, from their interaction. On the other hand, successfully engaging with cultural differences and communicating in a respectful and comprehendible manner across cultures benefits the believer’s ability to build relationships, share the gospel, and minister to people from differing cultures. Growing one’s cultural intelligence and intercultural communication skills helps believers build relationships and speak with people from other cultures, and these efforts often proceed one’s attempts at sharing the gospel. In addition, both also help believers contextualize the gospel in order to communicate its contents with clarity, and the practice of contextualization helps believers minister to people from differing cultures globally and locally.

Contextualization not only presents the gospel in a comprehendible manner, but it also demonstrates to others that the gospel is for them as well. Chang and Chang note that contextualization “described a practice where missionaries became one with the local people by eating their food, wearing their clothes, and even identifying the Gospel with the local history and culture.”[4] This is significant since the goal is not to create replicas of ourselves by replacing another’s culture with our own; instead, it is to make disciples of Christ. In every context, communicating the gospel and all of Scripture in a comprehendible manner is crucial for making disciples and ministering to others. As Paul writes in Romans, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching” (Rom. 10:14). Growing in cultural intelligence and utilizing intercultural communication helps believers communicate the gospel across cultures in the audience’s terms. As believers work at understanding and overcoming cultural obstacles, these methods help believers communicate the gospel with clarity.

Bibliography

Chang, C. Tim, and Chang, Ashley E. Christian Intercultural Communication: Sharing God’s Love with People of Other Cultures. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2021.

Livermore, David. Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success, 2nd ed., New York: AMACOM, 2015.

Ting-Toomey, Stella, and Chung, Leeva C. Understanding Intercultural Communication, 2nd ed., New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

[1] Unless otherwise noted, all biblical references will come from the English Standard Version.

[2] David Livermore, Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success, 2nd ed. (New York: AMACOM, 2015), 194.

[3] Stella Ting-Toomey and Leeva C. Chung, Understanding Intercultural Communication, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), 24.

[4] C. Tim Chang and Ashley E. Chang, Christian Intercultural Communication: Sharing God’s Love with People of Other Cultures (Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2021), 110.