YouthWorker Journal - March/April 2009 - (Page 26) FEATURE YWJ Improving Your Cultural Intelligence to Engage our Multicultural World by David Livermore What do you do when you encounter someone who isn’t like you? How do you feel? What goes on inside you? How do you relate to him or her? Few skills are more necessary than learning to express love and respect for people who look, think, believe, act and have a different worldview than we do. We should want to adapt to the barrage of cultures around us while remaining true to ourselves. We should want to grow so we can be part of changing the world. One of our deepest desires should be to love others in spite of cultural differences and express love for humanity. Relating lovingly to others is central to what it means to be human. When it comes down to it, the core of Christian ministry is interaction with all kinds of people in ways that allow them to see Jesus in us. The billions of people sharing planet Earth have so much in common. We’re all born. We all die. We’re all created in the image of God. We eat, sleep, persevere and care for our young. We long for meaning and purpose, and we develop societies with those around us. However, the way we go about the many things we have in common is deeply rooted in our unique personalities and cultures. So, although we have much in common, there is as much or more about us that’s different. Asian, European, tattooed, clean-cut, male, female, old, young, Pentecostal, emergent, Republican, Democrat, rural, urban—such differences are where we find our greatest challenges and our greatest discoveries. As the world becomes more connected and accessible, the number of encounters we have with those who are culturally different are growing daily. Most of us are more comfortable with people like ourselves, but seeking out and loving people of difference is challenging. Therefore, learning how to reach across the chasm of cultural difference with love and respect is becoming an essential competency for today’s ministry leader. Cross-Cultural Training Most resources addressing cross-cultural communication and behavior emphasize what we need to know (information) and how we need to act (behavior). Those are important priorities for cross-cultural interaction, but they aren’t enough. Often we learn about another culture we intend to visit, but when we arrive and encounter dissonance, we abort the knowledge we gained, regressing toward what’s comfortable. Also, two people can experience the same cultural training, yet perform differently when engaging in cross-cultural relationships. Ultimately, transformation from within is what’s needed most. 26 March/April 2009 | YouthWorkerJournal.com Illustrations by Martina Ahlbrandt FROM IQ TO CQ http://www.YouthWorkerJournal.com
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