Interpreting Cultural Differences Through Gospel Research Paper

Introduction

The book called Christian Intercultural Communication, written by Tim and Ashley Chang, is devoted to analyzing the role of God’s love in building cross-cultural communication. The authors provide the extensive and detailed experience of being integrated into other cultures.¹ The book is significant by offering many examples of God’s values’ importance in understanding people from different cultures. From the author’s perspective, the only possible variant of how people can overcome cultural differences and related communicational difficulties is to follow Christ’s will in serving Him.

Article Analysis

Cultural Shock and Gospel

Five chapters from the mentioned book were chosen for the current reflection. The first and second chapters are devoted to discussing the destructive nature of cultural shock in serving God. The authors implement the Cross-Cultural Servanthood term to express the idea of the cultural unity of people following Jesus.² One of the major advantages of the chapters is that it provides many in-real-life examples of how people should deal with cultural shock problems. Another positive side is the comparison of Korean, Chinese, and American cultures in terms of Christianity. Such information can be helpful for people struggling with cultural shock in these countries. Considering the disadvantages of the chapters, the unclear structure should be mentioned. As far as the authors share their personal experiences, the narration seems too emotional. As a result, it is hard to comprehend the main ideas rationally.

Chapter 3 focuses on analyzing the cultural shock devoted to difficulties in missions. Different perceptions of God’s world and other religions may disrupt the people’s faith in Christ.³ That is why it is vital for people to identify themselves as vessels serving God. The implementation of academic resources is simultaneously a positive and negative aspect of the chapter. On the one hand, the connection between scientific theories and authors’ thoughts is vague. On the other hand, the authors profoundly use academic resources to support their practical experience. In discussing different researchers’ perspectives, the author states that people should “merit within each culture, and understand that certain values are relative”.⁴ Thus, even being affected by other cultures, people should reflect the ultimate love to others that Jesus has shown. Focusing on faith and total acceptance of differences are the keys to overcoming cultural shock.

Cross-Cultural Communication and Gospel

Chapter 4 focuses on analyzing the psychological aspects of cross-cultural communication. The authors examine two types of communication: verbal and nonverbal, which apply to Christianity. In other words, the emphasis is put on explicit and implicit means of language, which can help to convey God’s word. The negative aspect of this chapter is that some linguistic theories seem to be applied in the wrong context.

However, the authors masterfully address the question of the acceptance of cultural differences through the Bible. They analyze the psychology of people in relation to the Gospel. The authors emphasize: “It’s so easy to want to believe that our own home culture is better because then that makes us better than the people around us”.⁵ The destructive psychology of friend and foe damages the perception and transition of God’s word. The authors also state that based on Bible, “people should abstain from being condescending and judging others from our perspective”.⁶ Such an approach is rational from the perspective of argumentation. The author combines extracts from the Bible and sociological resources, which helps the reader to comprehend the ideas more clearly.

God’s Values in Communication

The final chapter of the current analysis discusses the direct connection of the Gospel’s values and cross-cultural communication. The authors state that “in putting God and His values first, we should look at everything around us as vessels for His word and His will”.⁷ This chapter contains an in-depth analysis of Cristian’s mission among different cultures. The supporting material is well-connected with the main ideas of tolerance to differences.

Conclusion

The reflection on the chapters shows that the authors conducted outstanding research on the topic of the connection between cultural differences and Christ’s values. The work profoundly states the central culture-related values and encourages the Gospels’ tolerance and acceptance. Moreover, the profound illustrative material and personal experience allow the reader to understand the main ideas and emotions of the authors. The integration of the academic investigation in this sphere is also a positive aspect of the chapters. By doing so, the authors add the reliability of their research. However, some of the examples are irrelevant in particular contexts. Another disadvantage is the lack of logical structuring of narration. The main recommendation for improving the work is to make it more academically focused and implement the structuring model. Such an approach will make the chapters easier to read and analyze.

Bibliography

Chang, Ashley and Chang, Tim. Christian Intercultural Communication: Sharing God’s Love with People of Other Cultures. London: Waterstones, 2020.

Footnotes

1. Ashley, Chang and Tim, Chang. Christian Intercultural Communication: Sharing God’s Love with People of Other Cultures (London: Waterstones, 2020), 8.
2. Chang, A. and Chang, T., Christian Intercultural Communication, 11.
3. Chang, A. and Chang, T., 24.
4. Chang, A. and Chang, T., 27.
5. Chang, A. and Chang, T., 28.
6. Chang, A. and Chang, T., 30.
7. Chang, A. and Chang, T., 32.