A guide to Culture

For Cross cultural workers

1 Corinthians 13, paraphrased

If I speak in the language of the nationals, but have no love for them, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbal.

If I wear the national dress and understand the culture and all forms of etiquette, and if I copy all mannerisms so that I could pass for a national but have no love for them, I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor beggars, and if I spend my energy without reserve, but have no love for the people, I gain nothing.

Love endures long hours of language study, and is kind to those who mockj my accent; love does not envy those who stayed home; love does not exalt my home culture, is not proud of my national superiority.

Love does not keep on boasting about the way we do it back home, does not seek opportunities to display ethnocentrism; is not easyly provoked into telling stories about how nice it is back home; does not think evil about this culture.

Love bears all criticism about my home country; believes all good reports about this new culture; confidently anticipates feeling at home in this place; endures all inconvienience.

Love never fails me, but what I know of cultural anthropology will fail me; my understanding of working towards contextualization will lead to syncretism; the language is sure to change.

For we know only part of the culture, and we can minister only to a part.

But when Christ is reproduced in this culture, then our inadequacies will be insignificant to us.

When I was at home, I spoke like they all do, I understood the culture, I thought like them; but when I left home for the field I put away 'home' things.

Not do we adapt to this culture awkwardly; but He will live in it intimately. Now I speak with a strange accent, but He will speak to their hearts in their heart language.

And now these three remain: cultural adaption, language acquisition and love. But the greates of these is LOVE.


(From the Ukraine, edited for ICC a huide to culture for cross cultural workers)