Contents
Introduction……………………………………................................................................1
Ethnic identity………………………………………..........................................................1
Cultural Identity……………………………….……………………........................................3
Conclusion.........................................................................................................4
Bibliography.......................................................................................................5
Introduction
Matthew 28:17-20 states, Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”1 Often called the Great
Commission, this command given by Jesus provides perspective to the believers, in the purpose of
sharing the gospel. The call of the commission is for our local churches and the community of believers
to bring the gospel to our Intercultural Communities, sharing the free gift of God with those from various
communities.
As a church, it is vital that we share the gospel regardless of cultural differences. No longer can
we look “To remain unaware of how culture shapes the way people think and behave is not only foolish,
it’s expensive.”2 Unfortunately one can argue that the church in America has paid a hefty price for its
slothfulness in its embracement of people of various cultures. In an attempt to counter this, intelligence
in the areas of ethnicity and Culture is increasingly becoming relevant and is a continuous point of
review and improvement for many churches and missionaries.
Ethnicidentity
The Idea of who we are has been a topic since biblical times. The notion of who we are is often
viewed within the lenses of our ethnic identity. Ethnic identity is “inherently a matter of ancestry, of
beliefs about the origins of one’s forebears.”3 Our ethnicity is the differences, that should join us. When
1 Matt 28:17-20
2 David Livermore, Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success, Second Edition. (American
Management Association, 2015),
3 Ting-Toomey, Stella and Chung, Leeva. Understanding Intercultural Communication. New York, NY: Oxford
University Press, Inc., 2012
we look at Ethnicity “it can either be based on national origin, race, religion, or language.”4 These are
both objective and subjective markers. In America we, have a particular dynamic, considering the
country is a melting pot, David Livermoore stated “For many people in the United States, ethnicity is
based on the countries from which their ancestors came (e.g., those who can trace their ethnic heritage
to an Asian or a Latin American country).”5 While these should be things that join us, unfortunately, they
have become dividing points. Within the last decade largely in part due to the proliferation of social
media, we have seen a rise in Tribalism, and nowhere has this been felt more than in the church. This has
led to subconscious and in some cases conscious stereotypes. Stereotype according to Understanding
Cultural Intelligence is an “overgeneralization toward a group of people without any attempt to perceive
individual variations. Stereotypes contain the content of our social categories.”6 Stereotypes in the minds
of believers can create a false narrative that prevents the Church and its missionaries from effectively
presenting the Gospel, where it along with an ethnocentric attitude and a prejudiced mindset, can often
bolster misinterpretation spirals and intergroup conflict cycles7.
According to Eric D. Barreto Negotiating Difference: theology and Ethnicity in the Acts of the
Apostles “Ethnic and racial differences are not the problem. Prejudice and racism inject our differences
with the sinful notion that our difference leads to superiority and inferiority or the distorted belief that
our differences are merely cultural cues for determining who is in and who is out, rather than emblems
of God’s gift of diversity.”8 We can’t let our ethnic differences get in the way of the mission God has
called all of us to. Living out the great commission involves the crossing of cultural boundaries and ethnic
4 Ting-Toomey, Stella and Chung, Leeva. Understanding Intercultural Communication. New York, NY: Oxford
University Press, Inc., 2012
5 David Livermore, Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success, Second Edition. (American
Management Association, 2015),
6 Ting-Toomey, Stella and Chung, Leeva. Understanding Intercultural Communication. New York, NY: Oxford
University Press, Inc., 2012
7 Ting-Toomey, Stella and Chung, Leeva. Understanding Intercultural Communication. New York, NY: Oxford
University Press, Inc., 2012
8 Barreto, E. D. (2011). Negotiating difference: theology and ethnicity in the acts of the apostles. Word
& World, 31(2), 129-137
lines, as this is an absolute requirement not only on the mission field overseas but also on the
intercultural mission field we encounter on a daily basis.
CulturalIdentity
Our cultural identity is often something that can lead the church way from its called mission. We
look at culture as who we identify with. Cultural identity salience refers to “the strength of affiliation we
have with our larger culture. Strong associations of membership affiliation reflect high cultural identity
salience. Weak associations of membership affiliation reflect low cultural identity salience.”9 Our cultural
frame of reference governs the way we interact with each other, whether we shake hands, bow or even
kiss when first meeting someone. As a Church, specifically, the American church we often tend to view
others through the American lens which can also vary depending on geographical location for example:
the cultural lenses of the northeast segment of the country is extremely different than the culture of the
southeast segment of the country. Christian missionaries must be cautious that when interacting with
people from various cultures they do not view them through their own cultural lenses, this can produce
are exaggerated picture of the people the people we are called to serve based on our cultural beliefs and
expectations about the characteristics or behaviors of those we are presenting the Gospel to. To prevent
this from happening, we must increase our Cultural intelligence by “discerning what’s universal to all
humans, what’s attributable to specific cultures, and what’s idiosyncratic to individuals”10
Conclusion
9 Ting-Toomey, Stella and Chung, Leeva. Understanding Intercultural Communication. New York, NY: Oxford
University Press, Inc., 2012
10 David Livermore, Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success, Second Edition. (American
Management Association, 2015),
In The Great Commission, Jesus commands all of his disciples to go preach the Gospel to all
nations, not just to those they ethnically or culturally align with. As disciples of Jesus Christ this call is a
responsibility, we all share, to be not only ambassadors to church but also be the salt and light to this
world, the late great Billy Graham said “Tragically, too often in the past, evangelical Christians have
turned a blind eye to racism or have been willing to stand aside while others take the lead in racial
reconciliation, saying it was not our responsibility.”11 We spread the gospel, not only out of obedience
but from love for people of various cultures ethnicities, and races.
11 Library, Billy Graham. “Billy Graham on Racism.” The Billy Graham Library. Last modified January 9, 2018.
Accessed October 7, 2023. https://billygrahamlibrary.org/billy-graham-racism/.
Biography
Barreto, E. D. (2011). Negotiating difference: theology and ethnicity in the acts of the apostles. Word &
World, 31(2), 129-137
David Livermore, Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success, Second Edition.
(American Management Association, 2015)
Library, Billy Graham. “Billy Graham on Racism.” The Billy Graham Library. Last modified January 9, 2018.
Accessed October 7, 2023. https://billygrahamlibrary.org/billy-graham-racism/.
Ting-Toomey, Stella and Chung, Leeva. Understanding Intercultural Communication. New York, NY:
Oxford University Press, Inc., 2012
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