How Culture Impacts Mission…
Understanding the importance of Connecting with people
After one of my recent flights to Mexico City had landed, people were standing waiting to deplane when the flight attendant made an announcement.
We were unable to open the doors of the plane, she told us, because the pilot had overshot his mark and the jetway would not line up. She told us to hold on to a seat while we moved back about 24 inches!
As we were all gripping the seats around us, she then repeated her announcement, this time in Spanish. Except now she was not telling everyone to hold on, but to get back in our seats.
Literally a completely different message.
There were about 3 of us in our section staring at each other wondering aloud which instructions we should follow. Should we just hang on, as we were instructed in English, or get back in our seats, as we were told in Spanish.
While this was happening, my thoughts wandered to the way I’ve described Adventures in Life for years. We literally stand on the border, with our feet in both the US and Mexico helping people from each country serve the Kingdom on mission. We stand in a space existing in both English and Spanish, forever between cultures.
But to do so and be successful, we’ve had to lean into and learn the culture of Mexico.
When it comes to culture and Kingdom work, perhaps no one in the Bible has more to say to us than the Apostle Paul. Born in Rome and schooled by the great Rabbi Gamaliel, Paul was fluent in Roman, Greek and Jewish cultures.
We see him allude to this off and on throughout his writings. But perhaps one often overlooked verse really explains to us just how deep his understanding and cultural fluency was.
As recounted in Acts 17 in what’s known as his Mars Hill sermon, Paul was “reasoning” with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks. It’s very likely he was speaking their language… the language of the synagogue, the language of God.
But then something amazing happened.
As he was speaking, a group of Greek philosophers who were also listening decided to engage him, asking to know more about what he was teaching. It’s at that moment when things started to get really interesting. Because Paul switched from the language of God and his Jewish culture and roots, into the language and culture of the Epicureans and Stoics who were questioning him.
In the language of today, Paul was code switching, adjusting his style of speech and communication to more effectively communicate with a different, or distinct audience. In this case, the philosophers who were questioning him.
As he nears the end of his message, in verse 28, we can see just how deeply Paul understood his audience. In one word, he brings it home… poets. As some of your own “poets” he says, and then he references something the Stoic philosopher Aratus had said.
Take a moment and let all this sink in.
Paul, switched effortlessly from the language of God, to the language of his skeptical audience, using an example from their culture, to gain the currency he needed to speak into their lives. He was able to this because he understood them and their culture. The Apostle Paul was a guy who stood between cultures, as Adventures in Life does, keeping his feet in both of them. Not just occasionally, but every day.
There’s more.
Because simply understanding another culture, as important as it is, is not the be all and end all. Paul understood that his bi-cultural ability made it possible for him to reach out to people from different groups with the message of Christ.
And then he did so. He didn’t just think about it, he did it!
So where does all of this leave us… where do we go from here?
When many of us hear the words “cross cultural”, we think of other races and people from other countries. But what if there was another way to think about those two words?
If what we read in the news and see across various data points today is correct, society is retreating, or siloing into groups of like minded people. In other words, we are choosing to organize our lives around people like us. It’s called the separation by demographers.
Conservative people hang with conservatives, liberals and progressives with their groups. And on and on it goes. Even church people mostly hang with other like minded church people.
Worse still, many people have decided against listening to, watching, or involving themselves in anything not from their primary interest or culture and with which they may disagree. And it’s true whether we are talking theology, politics, sports, parenting or almost anything else.
Literally we are choosing to not develop the cultural fluency Paul modeled. And this reality means we are frequently culturally isolated, unlikely to be in a position to talk to someone different from us. Someone who doesn’t know Jesus.
Sadly, it’s as if we’ve decided to build our lives where the only people with whom we will ever get close enough to share about Jesus, are people who already follow him.
Take a moment to let that sink in… and think about your own life.
Are you living a life like Paul, fluent and conversant in another culture, or are you a one culture kind of person? If you met someone who was different from you, either from another race, another point of view, another generation or maybe even another political party, could you have a friendly conversation with them? Would you understand the words they used, their point of view, or their culture?
Would you, in the words of author David Brooks in his book “How to Know a Person” see or hear them? Would you even want to?
Paul, is what we call a cultural chameleon. He shows us what it takes to be effective in reaching others for Christ when we are different. And make no mistake, as believers, we are different, or at least we should be.
So, again, are you like Paul? Or are you like most of the people on my plane that day in Mexico, standing together in the same place, hearing and living the same experience, but not really able to understand the language and culture of those around you?
Or as Paul might ask when we share about Jesus, are people hearing from the heart of someone who understands them, or are they hearing nothing but a clanging cymbal?
Think about it.
Dave Miller is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Adventures in Life Ministry. Since 1992 he has been leading and receiving short term ministry teams across Mexico. Having come to Adventures from the business world where he managed for Carl’s Jr, Miller’s Outpost and Mervyn’s Department Stores, Dave brings a unique real world take on faith, missions and the Christian life.