David I. Smith

An excellent and important book!

Smith spends a good amount of time examining biblical accounts of intercultural moments that tend to be glossed over in our modern understanding, and discusses why and how we should reconsider our approach to "intercultural" relationships.

There are tons of specific, real-life examples of misunderstandings that have occurred between people due to cultural differences. Just a few that I remember covered the Navajo tradition of not speaking one's own name and leaving a length of silence before responding to another's speech, British greetings (they don't ask everyone "How are you?"), and Germans not extending invitations to others to go out and do things (but it's perfectly acceptable to invite yourself along).

I have so many quotes that I wrote down from this book, but I'll try to narrow it down here:

"We easily rush to interpreting cultural differences in moral terms (a different relationship to time becomes laziness, more direct forms of speech become arrogance, protracted silences become sullenness, indirectness becomes avoiding the issue, and so on)." p 116

"It is entirely possible to keep intercultural learning within the bounds of the academic. It is equally possible to travel the world and sustain our prejudices throughout the experience." p 126

I recommend to all Christians, particularly Western Christians!… (altro)

As with most books of essays, the writing of the various essays is uneven. Some are written with data from research the professor conducted; others are very philosophical. Most of the writing is of the dry tone used by many in academia. I was quite disappointed that this book failed to deliver the type of material that it promised. Too many of the essays were written by professors associated with a single institution. There were a few token essays written by persons at a handful of other institutions, but 2/3 of the essays were written by professors affiliated with the college where the editors teach. Broader representation and at least a few chapters exhibiting a more practical approach rather than a philosophical or statistical approach are needed.… (altro)

NCLA Review - Is it always OK to make eye contact? Is it polite to allow a moment’s silence before answering a question? Even supposedly small things like these can cause problems due to cultural misunderstandings. Do we elevate our perceived competence over stranger’s perceived need? Check out the story of Abraham and Abimelek in Genesis. Peter and the Parable of the Good Samaritan are also used to illustrate biblical teachings about intercultural learning. Hospitality, humility and hearing help solve the problems, allowing us to approach another culture with considerate responsiveness, “walking in the way of Christ”. Rating: 3—MS… (altro)