Malicious Glee:

Malicious Glee:

Do we Americans need to view our world through a different lens? In the attached article it reads, "The idea that Sochi is one giant embarrassing mess for Russia has spread like wildfire...". In response, a Russian reporter writes, Russians are "puzzled by why the Americans and the British are so very happy that the details are a little screwy, the way they generally are in Russia." In other words "screwy details" are normal everyday life for that great country called Russia (as is most countries of our world). If that is so, then why are we able to look down our noses at a country that has not been as financially fortunate as some countries in the west?

Are we really that arrogant?

If we are, that makes me ask, who is actually viewing life out of perfect lenses?

We Americans (as in those from the U.S.) believe that the rest of the world should measure up to our standards, as in our cleanliness, efficiency etc... and because of this, "cultural misunderstandings give birth out of sheltered ignorance".

Why is it that these "posts reflect actual issues that directly impact the quality of life of Russia’s 143 million people" and we don't see it that way?

Maybe it's because the lens many Americans see life through is a warped lens. It is a lens that is much like that coke bottle that you won at the fair as a kid. It has been changed. It has been distorted and reformed... but sadly, not for the better.

Honestly, I would rather see my world through a lens that has some dirt on it, than a lens that is so distorted that no matter how clean it is, a clear, actual picture is not able to be displayed nor understood. Malicious Glee:

Do we Americans need to view our world through a different lens?

In the attached article it reads, "The idea that Sochi is one giant embarrassing mess for Russia has spread like wildfire...". In response, a Russian reporter writes, Russians are "puzzled by why the Americans and the British are so very happy that the details are a little screwy, the way they generally are in Russia." In other words "screwy details" are normal everyday life for that great country called Russia (as is most countries of our world). If that is so, then why are we able to look down our noses at a country that has not been as financially fortunate as some countries in the west?

Are we really that arrogant?

If we are, that makes me ask, who is actually viewing life out of perfect lenses?

We Americans (as in those from the U.S.) believe that the rest of the world should measure up to our standards, as in our cleanliness, efficiency etc... and because of this, "cultural misunderstandings give birth out of sheltered ignorance".

Why is it that these "posts reflect actual issues that directly impact the quality of life of Russia’s 143 million people" and we don't see it that way?

Maybe it's because the lens many Americans see life through is a warped lens. It is a lens that is much like that coke bottle that you won at the fair as a kid. It has been changed. It has been distorted and reformed... but sadly, not for the better.

Honestly, I would rather see my world through a lens that has some dirt on it, than a lens that is so distorted that no matter how clean it is, a clear, actual picture is not able to be displayed nor understood.

Studying Culture

POSTED ON NOVEMBER 26, 2012 BY NATALIE IN IDEAS

Studying Culture

One of the first rules in communication involves knowing the audience. One can’t expect to effectively relay a message if he is speaking from a perspective foreign to the listener. The same concept applies to communicating the gospel to people of a different culture.

“You don’t know how to best live out the gospel among a people until you’ve done your research,” writes Caleb Crider inTradecraft for the Church on Mission.

Cultural exegesis: What is it?

It doesn’t take someone long to look at the world and see something has gone terribly wrong; sickness, wars, crime and hate are everywhere. Cultures around the globe offer different explanations for what exactly happened to bring these things about. Caleb indicates these versions of the Fall account are divine arrows to truth.

“This is no accident; it is God’s provision for re-introducing Himself to those who have turned away from Him,” Caleb writes. “Rather than having to introduce a foreign truth, missionaries take the opportunity to retell a people’s stories back to them from the Kingdom perspective.”

To do this well, the believer must first exegete the culture to whom he is sent. This is the process of studying a culture through observation and inquiry, identifying bridges and barriers to the gospel message in order to effectively communicate its truth to a people.

Cultural exegesis can be difficult and time-consuming. It requires intentional immersion, as Jesus demonstrated when he became human to proclaim salvation to all mankind through faith in Himself. He communicated to his audiences using their own stories with which they could identify, each time adding noticeable, eternal truth.

Cultural exegesis: How does it work?

Caleb suggests that exegeting or drawing out meaning from a culture should begin with four key facets: story, space, idols and conflict.

Donald Miller believes truth is best communicated through story. Learning about a culture’s stories can be as simple as listening and reading.

“Find out what people are talking about, and show them how it all relates back to the Most High God,” Caleb writes.

Then note how people use, organize and maintain space. This includes how people live–the observation of yard work, visible security and the distance between residences. It also involves observing art and architecture, and transportation through spaces. This research is best done when the believer shares space with the people to whom he is sent–moving into their space to occupy and use it with them.

Tim Keller writes, “It is impossible to understand a culture without discerning its idols.” The things with which people use to replace God in their lives take on various forms, and often can be disguised as a culture’s values. Bitterness, the recollection of a wrongdoing, materialism, sex, power, wealth, the shame of failure or pride in success can all be idols.

A missionary must observe how people invest their time, money and energy, and then expose idols for what they are to members of the culture, pointing to God as the only One worthy of worship.

Conflict occurs when someone challenges a culture’s values or threatens the concepts of family, freedom, religion and control. Believers are to observe tension in a culture and interject as proponents of peace, as they address the weak and discourage retribution.

Caleb encourages believers to be patient as they seek to exegete a culture through observation and asking many questions.

“Cultural exegesis is … learned only through practice, patience, and diligent study,” he writes, “(and) will provide opportunities to build relationships and share the gospel.”

Caleb writes more on cultural exegesis in Tradecraft for the Church on Mission. It is being published through Urban Loft Publishers and will be released in print and Kindle formats, available through Amazon. We recommend it for churches, small groups, mission teams and missions organizations everywhere.

4 Things You Should Know About Your Community

4 Things You Should Know About Your Community

By Rick Warren

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Often when I ask another pastor who his church is trying to reach, he gives me a very spiritual answer—lost people. It sounds good, but it usually means the pastor has a very fuzzy view of his own community.

When I was in seminary, I was taught I had to understand the culture of the New Testament before I could understand the message of the New Testament. If I understood the culture that the New Testament was set against, I could extract the timeless truth from the text. Every biblical preacher does that when he preaches a sermon.

But I was never taught to exegete the community where I serve. That’s what targeting is. I should know the geography, customs, culture and religious background of my community as much as I do about the biblical times.

You can’t faithfully communicate God’s Word until you exegete your text and your community.

So what about your community should you know? I’d start with these four areas.

• Its geography. Simply define where the people you want to reach live. Get a map of your city or area and mark where your church is located on that map. Estimate a 15 to 20 minute drive (reasonable driving distance may be a bit different in your community) in each direction from your church and mark those as borders of your primary ministry area. This is your “evangelistic fishing pond.” You may have people drive a couple of hours to get to your church. But most of the people who’ll attend your church will live nearby. By the way, your “fishing pond” will likely expand as your church grows.

• Its demography. You need to know who lives in the area you’re targeting. Not all demographics will be helpful. I’d focus on a breakdown of these stats: age, marital status, income and occupation. Other stats are interesting but won’t make a difference in what you do in your church. Don’t overdue demographic research.

• Its culture. No missionary in foreign lands would try to evangelize without understanding the culture. You shouldn’t either. You can’t learn it from studying census data either. Looking for the values, interests, hurts and fears of people means you have to talk to people in your community!

• Its spirituality. Try to determine what the people in your community understand about the Gospel. Other pastors are often the best source for this. When I started Saddleback, I wrote a letter to all of the evangelical pastors in the Saddleback Valley and asked them some basic information about the spiritual background of the community. I got some great insights from that!