What follows is something I have been chewing on for a while. It’s my processing of some of the things we have been through since we left on this journey. To understand where I am coming from though, I will write a brief preface of some of the things taught in pre-missionary training.
Here is a brief snapshot of what we have studied in preparation for cross-cultural living –
The purpose of cultural acclimation: Communication. (Which is essential to the work and life of a missionary)
Culture is the word that describes the set of unwritten rules in which by them our lives make sense. Culture is the environment in which we learn how to think, interact, and decide. Therefore, when communicating with people cross-culturally, it is important to understand the way and context in which thoughts are processed, social interactions happen, etc… When God sent his Son into the world, Jesus took on the culture of 1st century Israel. And he took on the culture of being human. Before that, God empowered humans (ie, the prophets) to communicate with his creation. “Long ago… God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” (Hebrews 1) See how God culturally acclimated for the sake of communication?
For example, Jesus used stories of everyday situations of the people he was around (Parable of the wheat and the tares, when he talked about weddings, he spoke to the Pharisees in the Jewish context and customs, etc…). He spoke out of embodying the poor, and immersing himself among the Jewish teachers of the day. The people listened partly because Jesus was, in many ways, one of them.
This is why cultural acclimation for missionaries is important. If you want to communicate well, you have to embody the people well, to therefore, communicate accurately and in a way in which the people understand.
A lot of Sarah and I’s training has been gaining an understanding of how to acclimate well into a new culture. We are so thankful for those with years of experience who have passed on their insights of living cross-culturally.
… And here’s the point…
There is one aspect that cultural anthropologists miss, and it’s because there is an assumption that when living in a culture different from home culture, there are only two cultures involved. For us, that would be our American culture, and Cambodian culture. There is another culture, and it’s the culture of the kingdom of God.
The culture of the kingdom of God is less quantifiable to us compared to the cultures of this world.
“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again… The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3)
Even though the culture of the kingdom is less quantifiable, it is the culture all people identify most with. This is because this culture is the one everyone has been designed for. Even though our whole lives we are learning and making ourselves comfortable in the culture that surrounds us, it does not mean said culture is what we identify most with.
I will give an example that communicates this truth well. I heard this story from a podcast by Jonathan David Helser:
A man was visiting a nature conservation. While visiting there was a black eagle who was delivered to the conservation from a zoo. For ten years the eagle was locked up in this wooden cage. For ten years the eagle did not fly. The workers at the conservation were excited for the eagle to finally be released from the cage and into the wild. Upon opening the cage, they became frustrated and confused. Even with hours of much prodding and luring, the bird refused to fly. For so long it had been accustomed to the cage being its home. After hours of being prodded and lured, the eagle looked up. There was another eagle flying through the air sounding its eagle call. Immediately the bird flu out of the cage into freedom.
While Jesus embodied the people he came to earth for, he often lived and taught in the culture of the kingdom. When he preached, “the kingdom of God is near,” when he healed the sick, when he prophesied life into people, he was walking in a whole different world. While he embodied the 1st century Israeli culture, it was the culture of the kingdom that caused people to begin to actually live. Like the eagle, Jesus lived in a way in which he was designed for. He lived in the culture of the kingdom. When people saw that, something clicked, and they too began to walk in the culture of the kingdom.
Stay tuned for the next post. I will flesh out what that could look like from some examples we have experienced here.
