Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally: An Introduction to Missionary Communication

A comunicação transcultural do evangelho #1

by David J. Hesselgrave

This revised edition of Dr. David Hesselgrave's great work Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally updates the original edition and interacts with the most recent literature on this increasingly important topic. The original edition went through fifteen printings and, very deservedly, has come to be one of the most widely used textbooks on Christian cross-cultural communications. The revisions in this new edition are extensive and carry on the high level of discussion maintained throughout the original edition, taking into account, for example, the current discussion on the relationship between form and function and the enormous body of literature that has sprung up recently on contextualization. To enhance the volume's usefulness for students, Dr. Hesselgrave has added an extensive bibliography of twenty-five pages on various aspects of cross-cultural communications. This revision of Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally is superb. It raises a great book into a unique category, undoubtedly the finest book on this topic available today.

Genres: Christianity, Nonfiction, School, Theology, Faith, Communication, Evangelism

672 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1978

Reviews

[Brian Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a challenging read due to its depth of information. Yet, it is necessary to cover fully what it means to convey in helping the reader to understand what it means to communicate across cultures and how it can be done effectively.

Anyone desiring to delve into communicating across cultures will want to have this book to further become equipped to do just that. If we are meant to study to show ourselves approved, than studying this book will absolutely aid in equipping the reader for communicating well across the numerous cultures that exist.

[Joel Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is quite accessible. The less cross-cultural experience someone has, the more helpful this book will be. Regardless of a person's background or experience, this book will offer many helpful insights. Hesselgrave includes chapters for communicating Christianity to specific worldviews, such as materialism, Buddhism, animism, etc.

The excerpted (523-24) are a wonderful summary of part VII - social structures.

Hypothesis number one: the more closely communication follows the patterns of the prevailing social structure, the more effective it will be.
Hypothesis number two: people communicate more to others of their own class; i.e., Interpersonal communication is usually horizontal.
Hypothesis number three: interpersonal, horizontal communication lends itself best to effecting involuntary changes of attitude and behavior.
Hypothesis number four: Prestigious communication is from upper to lower classes.
Hypothesis number five: prestigious, vertical communication is best suited to affecting social control.
Hypothesis number six: the degree of difficulty in achieving effective communication is positively correlated with the degree of social distance on the socioeconomic scale.
Hypothesis number seven: the degree of difficulty in achieving effective communication is positively correlated with the degree of compatibility of social systems (e.g., those from modern urban societies will have more difficulty in communicating with those from tribal societies than with those from folk societies).
Hypothesis number eight: the more face–to–face the society, the more difficult it becomes for the outsider to establish effective communication (and, therefore, the more important it is that the communication be based on personal friendship).
Hypothesis number nine: in all societies, the initial communication of the Gospel should be to responsible, accepted members of the community who are, therefore, good potential channels of communication.
Hypothesis number 10: the more heterogenous the society, the more flexible and variegated the communicative approach to its included groups must be.
Hypothesis number 11: in face-to-face societies, consideration should be given to communicating the Gospel first to someone at the top (or someone near the top) who is more capable of making decisions and presenting the Gospel to the larger group.
Hypothesis number 12: the more cohesive, homogenous and face-to-face the society, the more likely it is the communication will be along established group (probably familial) lines and the decisions will be collected.
Hypothesis number 13: the more cohesive, homogenous and face-to-face the society, the more time-conscious the communicator must be if he is to effect lasting change.

600 - a native in another culture may not have the issue of guilt as a felt need. Therefore it might be better to begin with other aspects of Christology such as the person and example of Christ.

601 - The best and only ultimate common point of contact is the missionary himself and his genuine love for the people. When they see that you care for them in a truly personal way it provides a genuine foundation for further effort.

603 - A helpful chart contrasting different types of societies.

605 - self supporting, self governing and self propagating are worthy goals but might actually reflect the individualism of the West. It might be better to speak of Christocentric in all of these respects.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic primer on the challenges of communicating the Gospel in cultures which find it foreign.

The author systematically explores communication in all its forms: what it is, rhetoric and communication, the science of communication, meaning, the role of culture in communication, Christ vs. culture, contextualization in culture, paradigms of cross-cultural communication, respondents, worldviews and exploration of different types of worldviews, cognitive processes and differences among cognitive processes in different cultures, language, its forms, and how languages communicate, behaviors and how they communicate, social structures and how they influence communication, the use of media, and how to persuade and encourage.

The author does a fantastic job at conveying the challenges of communication, and even though he often has "foreign" evangelism in mind, as American cultural perspectives and worldviews continue to diverge from a Biblical basis, the same principles need to now be used when communicating the Gospel in America as well. The second edition is from 1991, which means the original was somewhat earlier, and it shows; the way the author speaks of various groups would be jarring to culturally sensitive persons today and the rampant spread of globalization over the past 25 years might reduce the force of some of his examples or illustrations, but nevertheless there remains so much in this book to consider, reflect upon, and apply in practice.

An immensely useful resource for those who wish to communicate the Gospel message.

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I went out as a cross-cultural worker over 35 years ago, this was the foundational text for cross-cultural communication. It still remains so for me.

Hesselgrave distilled anthropological and missiological principles in an accessible way that rendered critical aspects of effective communication more comprehensible. The book is voluminous, at times clinical in its tonality. It is full of technical terms that are illustrated by hundreds of global examples. Yet, the focus consistently returns to the issue of how to best communicate the good news with power in the cultures of our world.

Except for the historically dated section on media that I would recommend skim reading, the essentials of this work remain powerfully salient. Its 638 pages cannot be read quickly, but the rewards for the willing is a deeper insight into one of modern man's greatest needs - the ability to communicate to diverse worldviews. Whether in sections or cover to cover, those desiring to strengthen their cultural engagement capacities would benefit greatly from walking through the pages of this classic.

[Angela]

we do ourselves a disservice when we fail to understand the culture to which we minister. Might I also suggest Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands? and Culturegrams, an overview of 200 countries and their holidays, habits, social interactions, food preferences, other. Learn as much about the culture where you intend to go, regardless of the message you wish to bring. Otherwise I fear we are all "those stupid Americans."

[Peter Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful yet difficult to keep reading because of content, structure, and length.

[Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated, but beneficial.