Research Paper Finishing the Great Commission and Intercultural Communication Assignment
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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY ONLINE SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Research Paper: Finishing the Great Commission and Intercultural Communication Assignment
Submitted to Dr. Porfirio Rodriguez
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of GLST Intercultural Communication
By
James Boykin October 3, 2023
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. Ethnic identity
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
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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 cycles
7
.
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. Cultural Identity
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/.
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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