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Discussion Thread: Communicating an Unchanging Gospel Message
GLST 650: Intercultural Communication
The Gospel is unchanging. The audience is where the diversity lies. Paul experienced it as he spread the
good news to the Gentiles. Jesus experienced it as he traveled about during His time of ministry. They
both understood the differences amongst their audiences. Paul, as a member of the tribe of Benjamin,
was a Pharisee sharing the Gospel with the Gentiles. Jesus met people where they were and
communicated differently based on the audience. He did not talk to Nicodemus in the same manner that
he approached the Samaritan woman.
As Christians, whether in formal ministry or not, our mission is clear. The Great Commission is clear that
we are to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19, NASB). This does not indicate we are to share
with those people most like us only. Sharing the good news with all the nations would encompass all
people, regardless of cultural, economic, or religious backgrounds. As Paul noted in his letter to the
Romans, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to the
uncultured, both to the wise and to the
foolish” (Rom. 1:14). If everyone stayed within their cultural comfort zone, the disciples would have
never gotten the Gospel out of their own backyard.
As Ting-Toomey and Chung point out, “With immigrants and minority group members representing
nearly 30 percent of the present workforce in the United States, practicing intercultural communication
flexibility is especially critical in today’s global world.”
1
In many urban areas and for those who travel
abroad, the number of intercultural interactions increases exponentially. It seems overwhelming to try to
communicate with our diverse neighbors, whether next door or globally. This is especially true when
communicating the life-changing message of the Gospel. To some degree, we all grow up with some
biases against those who are different, just as they have biases of their own. Chang asserts, “Like Peter,
who grew up, learned, and dreamed to reject those on the other side as unclean, we too often put faith
in the things that divide us rather than unite us under one God and one Maker.”
2
The goal is to share the Gospel with as few barriers as possible. Understanding intercultural
communication and cultural intelligence work together to help remove barriers. Studying intercultural
communication makes us aware of the norms, traditions, values, and experiences of a group of people.
We must also understand our own biases, stereotypes, and experiences.
This is where cultural
intelligence (CQ) is important. “Cultural intelligence is the capability to function effectively across
national, ethnic, and organizational cultures.”
3
This is expressed in terms of drive, knowledge, strategy,
and action. Cultural intelligence is not a static measurement of our ability. It is a learnable set of
capabilities involving our motivation, cultural knowledge, culture-based plans, and our actions or
behaviors. Any of these can be improved to make us more effective when communicating across cultural
lines. This is key to the success of any communication. The better we combine our understanding of
cultural communication with a growing cultural intelligence, the better we will communicate the Gospel
without barriers.
1 Stella Ting-Toomey and Leeva C. Chung,
Understanding Intercultural Communication
(New York, NY:
Oxford University Press, 2012), 5.
2 C. Tim Chang and Ashley E. Chang,
Christian Intercultural Communication: Sharing God’s Love with
People of Other Cultures
(Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2021), 14-15.
3 David Livermore,
Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success
(New York, NY: AMACOM,
2015), 4.
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