Lesson 9: Cross-Cultural Communication

By the end of this lesson, the student should:

(1) Appreciate examples of cross-cultural communication in the Bible.

(2) Learn practical lessons for cross-cultural communication.

(3) Recognize the importance of love and respect in cross-cultural relationships.

(4) Know practical ways to be a better listener.

In your ministry, you will find that you need to communicate with people who do not share your cultural background. It may be someone from another country, or it may be someone from a nearby village, but there will be differences in understanding and communication.

The ability to bridge these differences will make you more effective as a servant of God’s kingdom. In this short lesson, we will study some basic principles of cross-cultural communication.

► Discuss a time when you communicated with someone from a different culture. What difficulties did you face? Were you successful in communicating across the differences?

Old Testament Examples of Cross-Cultural Communication

God’s covenant with Abraham showed that the gospel would spread throughout the world. All the families of the earth would be blessed through Abraham’s seed (Genesis 12:1-3). This presumed a future when cross-cultural communication would be important.

Some examples of God’s people communicating with other cultures include:

• Abraham and Joseph won the respect of the Egyptian Pharaoh.

• Solomon welcomed guests from around the ancient world. Many scholars have seen similarities between Proverbs 22:17–24:22 and an Egyptian collection of proverbs called The Instruction of Amenemope. This suggests that Solomon was familiar with Egyptian culture.

• Daniel became a respected adviser of Babylonian and Persian rulers. Daniel 1 shows that Daniel was a young man of strong conviction, but he was also respectful of the Babylonian officials (Daniel 1:8).

• A young Jewish girl, Esther, became the queen of Ahasuerus. Through her ability to combine boldness in approaching the king (“…if I perish, I perish,”) with respect for the Persian culture (inviting the king to dinner rather than presenting her request without preparation), she became God’s instrument to save her people (Esther 4:16, Esther 5:4, 8).

New Testament Examples of Cross-Cultural Communication

Jesus commanded his disciples to be cross-cultural communicators:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20).

Jesus said that the apostles would be his witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). Cross-cultural communication is essential for believers because without it we cannot fulfill the Great Commission.

Jesus provided a model of cross-cultural communication. He was willing and able to minister to Gentiles. While other Jewish rabbis avoided Gentile regions, Jesus willingly traveled in the Decapolis (Mark 7:31). While others avoided Samaria, Jesus willingly met the Samaritan woman (John 4).

The apostle Paul provides a great model of cross-cultural communication. When speaking to a Roman official, he claimed the rights of Roman citizenship (Acts 25:10-11). When preaching in Athens, he used the philosophical language for which these Greek thinkers were famous (Acts 17:16-34).

Paul worked hard to share the gospel with all people. Cross-cultural communication was important to Paul because the gospel was important to Paul.

I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:22-23).

Listen before Speaking

James wrote that we should be quick to hear, but slow to speak (James 1:19). The apostle was writing about anger and the tongue, but his advice is good for cross-cultural communication as well. The more we listen, the more we will learn.

This sounds simple, but since we must listen a long time, successful cross-cultural communication will take a long time. There is no substitute for time. The best cross-cultural communicators are those who spend a long time in another culture.

Many times, we are slow to listen and quick to speak. We talk too much and observe too little. If we want to understand others, we must listen. This is true whether we are traveling in another country, evangelizing in a neighboring village, teaching another age group, or even visiting within our own families. Too often, we fail to listen before we speak.

Duane Elmer, a missionary and professor of cross-cultural studies said, “You can’t serve someone you do not understand. If you try to serve people without understanding them, you are more likely to be perceived as a benevolent oppressor.”[1] In other words, even your efforts to serve will be hurtful and misunderstood. In trying to help, you will do harm. Why? Because you failed to take time to understand the person you are trying to help!

When John Seamands was a missionary-evangelist in India, he learned the importance of listening. If he visited a village and began to preach, people would listen half-heartedly and wonder, “Who is this stranger? Why is he speaking to us?”

However, if Reverend Seamands spent a day visiting the village leaders, visiting the local school, and asking questions, he received a much different reception. Now he was not a stranger; he was a guest. Now he knew their concerns and questions.[2]

Use Humor Cautiously

Even though humor is valuable to speakers, it must be used cautiously. Using humor in a cross-cultural context is difficult because humor is culture specific. What is funny in China is not funny in Florida. What is funny in Indiana is serious in India. When planning to use a humorous story, ask someone if the story translates to the new culture. Many politicians have offended an audience with humor that did not translate.

Tell Stories

Most stories transcend cultural barriers. Stories that describe the actions and emotions of people do well cross culturally. However, if the story contains too many cultural components, it will not translate well. Again, it is helpful to talk with someone from the target culture. Ask, “What does this story mean when you hear it?”

A professor teaches a college course on Music History. In that course, he often uses an example of Beethoven. Although Beethoven was a great composer, he did not relate well with people. He was an angry person who offended many people. His friends called him “the Dragon” because he was so difficult. To a westerner, a dragon is a “fire-breathing monster.”

Then one year he taught about Beethoven in China. When he called Beethoven “the Dragon,” his students were confused. In China, the dragon is a symbol of good fortune. They wondered, “Why was this angry person given such a good name?” The professor had to change the story, so Asian students could better understand his message.

Be Sensitive to the Culture

Good communicators use many illustrations and figures of speech in their communication. However, the illustrations must be culturally appropriate. It is useless attempting to use an illustration about computers with a group of people who have never seen a computer.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton was good at cross cultural communication. He once told the story of the Good Samaritan to a group of Christians and Muslims. He said, “A man fell among armed robbers. The priest came along. He was a religious leader. Next a man from a famous tribe came along. Finally a man from an enemy tribe saw the injured victim.” President Clinton was explaining the story in a culturally relevant way.

Body language is important. In America, you can wave with an open hand to show friendship; in Nigeria, that gesture is seen as a curse. In America, you may gesture with a finger to call a person closer; in China, that gesture is used only for a dog.

The distance between people varies from culture to culture. Some prefer to be close; others prefer to maintain a distance. Even volume is important. Americans tend to talk and laugh more loudly than the people of some cultures. In some cultures, people talk more quietly, especially in public.

It is easy to say, “Those things don’t matter; it is just cultural preference.” However, we should avoid anything that will make it harder to communicate the gospel. This is why it is important to learn the cultural habits of people to whom we want to minister.

A Lesson from the Monkey

A monkey saw a fish swimming in the river. The monkey thought, “That poor fish needs my help! I am comfortable and safe on dry land, but the fish is stuck in the water! I am a kind monkey; I will help the fish.”

The monkey climbed a tree that reached across the river. He went out onto a branch, even though it was dangerous to himself. He reached far down and snatched the fish from the water. The monkey climbed down the tree and carefully laid the fish on dry ground. For a few minutes, the fish flopped excitedly, but soon settled down quietly. The monkey went away happy; he thought that he had helped another creature.

The monkey wanted to help, but instead he killed the fish. Why? Because he did not understand the fish’s situation and needs. He did what he thought was good. Good intentions are not enough; we must listen to those we serve.[3]

Be Loving and Respectful of Others

Perhaps the most important advice that you can learn for cross-cultural communication was given 2,000 years ago: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). To apply that principle in a practical way, Jesus said, “…whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

Too often we make the mistake of assuming that our culture is better than the culture of other people. We should learn that our culture isn’t better; it is just different. Learning to respect others will greatly improve our ability to communicate.

At the age of 60, Jason was asked to pastor a church in Taiwan. He had never been outside the U.S. For 40 years, he had pastored small churches in rural American communities; Kaohsiung, Taiwan was a major city. Jason did not speak a second language; the church was a Mandarin-speaking church. It seemed likely that Jason would fail in cross-cultural communication.

Jason had only one positive as a cross-cultural communicator; he loved people! He spent two years in Kaohsiung. He did not learn Mandarin, but he spent hours with translators to make sure that his message communicated across the cultural divide. People came to this church not because he was a powerful speaker, but because he met them on the street, smiled, and listened while they talked.

Two years later, a Mandarin-speaking missionary visited Kaohsiung. As he walked through the community, a shopkeeper waved at him. In Chinese, he asked, “Do you know Pastor Jason?” “Yes. Why do you ask?” “I loved Pastor Jason.” “Are you a Christian?” “No, I am a Buddhist. But if I become a Christian, I will go to Pastor Jason’s church.” “Why?” “He loved me! Every day he came and visited my shop. We talked many hours about many things.” The missionary was amazed. It was not possible for Jason to talk many hours to a man who knew no English. But he showed love to a Buddhist shopkeeper.

This story does not mean that learning another language is unimportant, but it reminds us that love is the basis of all effective ministry. If we obey Jesus’ command to “Love your neighbor,” God can use even very limited abilities for his glory.

Duane Elmer wrote that service to others requires understanding, learning, trust, acceptance, and openness. Dr. Elmer used this model to teach about cross-cultural service. It is equally important for cross-cultural communication.[1]

Effective communication requires:

• Understanding. Understanding cannot happen without learning.

• Learning. You cannot learn from someone until there is trust.

• Trust. To build trust, others must know that you value them as people. There must be acceptance.

• Acceptance. In order to communicate acceptance, you must show openness.

• Openness. Openness is the willingness to welcome people into your presence and make them feel safe.

► Discuss a time when you communicated with a good listener. What qualities made it easy to talk with them? Discuss a time when you tried to communicate with someone who was not a good listener. What qualities made it difficult to talk with them? Are you a good listener?

Since listening is so important for effective communication, we should be as serious about improving our listening skills as we are about improving our speaking and writing. The wisest man who ever lived warned that it is folly and shame to answer before listening (Proverbs 18:13).

John Seamands told the story of a Christian missionary in Sri Lanka who was visited by a Buddhist priest. The Buddhist priest came to borrow books on Christianity. The Christian missionary said, “Are you interested in Christianity?” The Buddhist priest responded, “No, I am not, but I am training young monks who will go as Buddhist missionaries to the West. I think they should learn about the religion of the natives before they get there.”[1]

This Buddhist priest knew that he must help his students understand the religion of the people he was going to “evangelize.” How much more important it is for Christians to understand the teaching of those to whom we take the true gospel!

In this section, we will learn some tips for better listening. This applies to cross-cultural communication as well as to any other type of communication.

There is a difference between “hearing” and “listening.” For instance, you could hear someone speaking a different language without understanding any of the words. You would hear, but not understand. The Lausanne Willowbank report by Christian leaders from around the world called for evangelists, missionaries, pastors, and Christian leaders to “listen sensitively in order to understand.”[2]

(1) Remove distractions.

We live in a world filled with distractions. Television, radio, internet, cell phones, text messages, and other devices divide our attention. If we truly want to listen to someone, we must turn off other distractions and give them our attention.

There was a man who frequently interrupted his conversation with someone else to answer his cell phone. Each time, he told the person, “Talking with you is much more important to me than answering the phone but excuse me while I take one call.” In one hour, he answered seven phone calls. His voice said, “You are more important”; but his actions said, “My cell phone is more important!”

True listening requires that we focus our attention on the other person. Many things prevent us from truly listening:

• Thinking about other things (“What is next on my to-do list?”)

• Trying to impress the other person (“I hope I can convince them I am right.”)

• Planning what we will say when they quit talking

True listening means putting everything aside and focusing on the person who is talking.

There was a child who would try to talk to her father while he was reading. When she told a story, he would grunt at the appropriate times. He thought he was listening, but he was not. Once his daughter told him a wild story while he continued to read. He continued to grunt, “Yes, that’s nice,” and never realized that his daughter’s story was completely from her imagination.

(2) Show that you are listening.

An important aspect in communication is body language. It isn’t enough to listen; the other person should feel like you are listening.

Sit where they are comfortable and where you can look them in the eye. Often, it helps to leave your desk and sit in a more equal position when you are talking to a church member, a person under your authority, or a person you are counseling. People will often be hesitant about being honest with a person behind a desk. To be a better communicator, do what you can to encourage others to relax and communicate easily.

(3) Take notes.

Depending on the situation, taking notes may communicate that you are a good listener. In a formal setting, such as a classroom or board meeting, taking notes will give you a good record of what you heard. In private conversations or counseling sessions, you may need to ask permission from the other person. You might simply say, “I would like to take a few notes to help me concentrate better.”

If you were a salesman, you would want to understand your customers very well. You would want to make sure that you did not hinder your sales by failing to communicate clearly.

As a minister or Christian leader, you are not selling the gospel, but you are sharing the good news of salvation. Communication is even more important to a minister than it is to an ordinary businessman. Like Paul, you want to do everything you can do to win others to Christ. Taking the time to understand your audience will repay you with more effective ministry.

(1) At the beginning of the next lesson, you will take a test based on this lesson. Study the test questions carefully in preparation.

(2) Find a place where you can visit with someone from another culture. It may be a restaurant, a church, or some other community organization. On your first visit, do not try to evangelize. Instead, go to listen and learn. Ask questions, be friendly, and show love. After your visit, share your experience with your class. What did you learn from spending time with people of another culture?

(1) Why is cross-cultural communication essential for believers?

(2) List five practical considerations for cross-cultural communication learned in this lesson.

(3) Why is it difficult to use humor in cross-cultural communication?

(4) Which instructions of Jesus give us the most important advice for cross-cultural communication?

(5) What five things are required for effective cross-cultural service and communication?

(6) List three practical steps for becoming a better listener.