Intercultural Relations in Light of the Bible
“We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,” are the words of a worship song that is sung in many evangelical churches. We greet one another – especially if we have not yet learned someone’s name – as “brother” or “sister.” We want to emphasize the unity of the body of Christ even when, sometimes, we do not interact with one another until the next church service. In every way, we want to feel that we are all equal before Christ, that social or cultural differences do not exist or are not important. Of course, on one hand, we all have to interact with people who neither share our feelings nor treat us as equals. On the other hand, if we belong to another socio-cultural group, we often feel pressured by or, in the majority of cases, avoid those who treat us as “different.”
There are those who imagine that the existence of diversity among human beings is a result of the fall. That sin is the reason we speak different languages, that the rebellion of humanity is the reason we have different customs and ways of thinking. “If not for Adam and Eve,” we would all be equal. How boring, insipid, and monotonous the world would be if not for cultural diversity! We should never think such things of God, nor of God’s creation. The Bible reveals a God so marvelous and of such varied taste that He created a universe with all the colors, flavors, feelings, sounds, and the whole range of human possibilities. In our approach to the sacred text, we will discover that God, the Designer, takes pleasure in human cultural diversity.
Author Profile
John W. Hall, Jr., a Nazarene minister, is Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies and Intercultural Studies Program Chair in the School of Theology and Philosophy at Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio). He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Hispanic Master of Ministry program at Olivet Nazarene University. In addition, he has a long and fruitful record of missionary service (1973-2001) in Latin America with the Church of the Nazarene. He has especially influenced strategic areas such as the planting, development, and consolidation of churches, as well as undergraduate and graduate theological education in Latin America. His leadership and ministerial service has led to the formation of many of the current Nazarene ministerial leaders in Latin America.
Dr. Hall holds a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary; a Th.M. in Missiology, also from Fuller; an M.Div. from Nazarene Theological Seminary; and a B.A. from Trevecca Nazarene University. He has also completed graduate work in cultural anthropology at the University of Kansas.
He and his wife, Sheila, live in Mount Vernon, OH.