1.
Introduction
For the effective presentation of
gospel it is imperative for a gospel messenger to have communication skills and
skills of adaptability since the major task of the Christian mission is
communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ to the unreached. Communication as we
know is ‘not only verbal, but holistic, that is, by life, words and deed’.[1] or
which we need to learn the cultural context by understanding their social life,
economic stability, religion or beliefs. It is in this learning that we come to
identify with the people and their ways and gradually built trust. Lacking of
proper communication may hamper to penetrate the gospel to a certain areas if
the gospel is not well fitted within the context of that culture. Therefore we
must understand what culture is all about and see how the gospel can be
meaningfully interpreted and communicated within that cultural frame.
2.
What
is Communication?
The word communication derived from the
Latin word ‘communis’ and it includes
the concept of relationships.[2]Communication
is a process by which information is exchanged between
individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or exchange of
information. Communication is not something accidental and supplementary for
human beings but it exists along with the creation as we see from the creation
account in the Bible where everything has been formed through the word of God.
Communication is a complex subject where definition is difficult. This is
further complicated by the different backgrounds and persuasions evident among
writers on the subject. So, in spite of the fact that the communication process
is utterly fundamental to all our psychological and social processes, our
understanding of the communication process is limited.[3]However we can assume that communication is a process from the
perspective of the communicator and receptor that moves through a life process.
Paul G. Hiebert points out that “Two-way communication is particularly
important in missions”.[4] Communication is fundamental to man because human being is the
only creature on earth who can put communication in the form of symbols which
have no relationship to their referents aside from that which he assigns to
them. Moreover, transcending time and space, he can transfer information to
others in remote places or to those who will yet be born.[5]
3.
Tools
of Communication
Missionary
evangelist may import new media and introduce innovations in media use, but it
will be wise to give attention to indigenous media first. These may range from
simple chalkboards to television sets. Local availability and usage should be
carefully studied. Then the process of media selection can begin.[6]
Different kinds of tools can be used in
communicating the gospel, however the potential media for gospel communication
can be classified into three main divisions:
a.
Printed
media such as News papers, Magazines, Journals, Books,
Pamphlets and tracts, Mailing, Billboards etc.
b.
Electronic
media such as Radio, Television, Movies, Slides, Records,
Cassette tape
etc.
c.
Other media includes Drama, puppets,
street plays, theatre show, concerts etc.
Once we have identified and characterized our
target audience, it is natural to ask how we will communicate the message to
them contextually. The key to successful gospel communication is to utilize as
much varieties possible, with special attention to biblical principles, the
gift of the missionary-evangelist, and the preferences of the audience. Much
Christian communication is, and should be, spontaneous. But there is much
communication that should be carefully planned.[7]
4.
Different
types of Communication
a.
Intrapersonal
Communication
Intrapersonal is a
reflection of inner augmentation and other intellectual exercises of a person
that send and receives any messages that do not get outside of our bodies.
Intrapersonal communication is of course, the primary and foundation step
towards subsequent interpersonal and group communication. Intrapersonal
communication has three basic functions – evaluation, resolution, and adjustment.
b.
Interpersonal
Communication
Communication
between two people is called interpersonal communication. It is difficult to
understand each other however through interpersonal communication adequate
understanding is possible and communication can be satisfactory as long as both
persons recognize that a margin of misunderstanding may exist. For the
effective communication it is suggest to listen more, rather than speak more.
c.
Group
Communication
Human
relationship does not develop as we simply assume, but we should realize how
much human relation does associate with problems when it moves from
intrapersonal and interpersonal to group communication. The multitude of
problems accompanying increase in group should be consider seriously by local
churches that are intent upon building huge and unwieldy memberships.[8]
5.
Levels
of Communication
a.
Verbal
communication
Verbal
communication skills may be developed in many directions, and in this the
communicator can develop the art of delivery such as spoken language. Although
language may not be the most prominent characteristic of a person, it is one of
the most revealing. Until verbal communication is established - knowledge of
other people is limited and one sided. Language open up their other side, their
thoughts, their interests, their views of life is effect themselves. Speaking
language consists of audible symbols expressed by the speaker and these symbols
vary according to our understanding and familiarity with the specific language.[9]
b.
Nonverbal
Communication
We assume that communication as being
only verbal, whether in written or spoken symbols however communication also
occurs in nonverbal, inaudible context which is also called silent language.
Certain body movements correspond with audible speech messages. In some cases,
the associated body movement may replace speech altogether.[10]
Nonverbal communications also includes distributions of pamphlets and tracks,
audio visual aids, our way of living, body movement etc. which has lot of
impact. Non-Christians usually respond more readily to Christian action than to
Christian verbalism. Nonverbal extends beyond a man’s character to include his
attitude and even his appearance. Therefore Christian ought to be aware of the
nature and function of metacommunication.[11]
6.
Aspects of Cross-Culture Communication
Context is the most
important cultural dimension and also immensely difficult to define. The idea
of context in culture was an idea put forth by an anthropologist by the name of
Edward T Hall. Hall breaks up culture into two main groups: High and Low context cultures. He refers
to context as the stimuli, environment or ambiance surrounding the environment.
Depending on how a culture relies on the points to communicate their meaning,
will place them in either High or Low context cultures. For example, Hall goes
on to explain that low-context cultures assume that the individuals know very
little about what they are being told, and therefore must be given a lot of
background information. High-Context cultures assume the individual is
knowledgeable about the subject and has to be given very little background
information.[12]
7.
Barriers
in communicating the gospel
a. Christian
Mission refers to propagation of the gospel, expansion of the reign of God,
conversion of the non Christians and founding of new church. Many of the
missionary organizations and churches are involved in carrying out the mission
of the church rather than gospel,[13]
thereby the gospel cannot be fitted properly within the cultural context.
b. We
are convinced that the gospel of Jesus Christ saves, liberates, and in the life
to come, but the major problem faced by the missionaries is that the hearers
are not always convinced. To communicate the people of different culture is
fraught with difficulties.[14]
c. The
failure to differentiate between the gospel and human cultures has been one of
the greatest weaknesses of modern Christian missions. Missionaries too often
have equated the Good News with their own cultural background. This has led
them to condemn most native customs and impose their own converts. Consequently
the gospel has been seen as foreign in general and western in particular.
d. Superior
complexity, dim view of the pagan religions, exporting denominationalism along
with the Gospel etc., create the barriers in communicating the gospels. People
reject gospel not because they reject the Lordship of Christ but because
conversion often has meant a denial of their cultural heritage and social ties.[15]
e. The
barriers in communicating the Gospel includes Religious barrier, Ethnic
Barrier, Linguistic barrier, Regional barrier, Economic Barrier, etc.
8.
Communicating
gospel with effective method
God
achieved his communication goals through love. He is true lover and he
demonstrated that to be true lover is to have as our primary concern for the
receptors without considering the cost to ourselves since God’s love itself is
receptor-oriented communication. Such an approach demands a high respect for
the receptors, a trust in them as persons created in the image of God, and even
making ourselves vulnerable in communication. It also means entering totally
into the context of the audience, using their language and frame of reference.
Many Christians believe that preaching is God’s ordained means of communicating
the gospel to others. Furthermore, we often believe that the sermon is an
effective method of bringing about change in the people’s lives, but sadly it
was not so. This does not meant to undermined the importance of preaching
sermon because preaching also useful for a certain purposes however so long as communication
is concern we need to consider question such as: Have we devoted enough time to
reflection on what the gospel is for the context we are communicating to? Have
we devoted all our efforts on refining the packaging without examining the
products? Should Christian programs and literature not concentrate more on
sharing what Christians do in the local contexts in obedience to Christ rather
than producing abstract universal message about what we believe? Should
communication ministries be more integrally related with the witness of the
church in a given context?[16]
9.
Paul
method of communicating the gospel
The
entire second half of the book of Acts is dedicated to Paul’s catalytic role in
the advance of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Luke portrays Paul of
Tarsus as a missionary of extra ordinary flexibility and cultural sensitivity.
On the one hand he regularly associates with gentiles, shares meal with them,
even stays in Gentiles homes, all without difference to boundary-making Jewish
food laws, (Acts 11:26;16:15,34,40;17:4-7) on the other hand, for the sake of
his missionary work among Jews, Paul has his coworker Timothy circumcised (Acts
16:3) and later he consents to undergo the Jewish rite of purification in the
temple at Jerusalem (Acts 21:23-24,26) for our immediate purpose, however it is
Paul’s missionary preaching that is most significant.[17]
Paul’s evangelistic encounter at
Pisdian Antioach shows about the process of contextualizing the gospel in Acts
through apostolic gospel, the word of salvation (Acts 13:26) which centers on
the death and resurrection of Christ as the fulfillment of God’s redemptive
plan for humanity. Paul’s missionary sermon in Acts 13 is a masterpiece of
contextualization for a synagogue gathering. When preaching to Jews, Paul
incorporates his audiences’ history, its expectations, its scriptures and its
culturally accepted methods of interpretation in order to persuasively proclaim
the good news. Even the climatic announcement of Jesus’ resurrection is put
forward as the realization of the Davidic promise to Israel. There is
continuity in the narrative thread that moves from God’s saving activity in the
story of John and Jesus and Gentiles all of which are related to scripture and
to God’s promise.
Paul’s gospel message is not simply
contextually appropriate, it also challenges its Jewish hearers’ entire way of
seeing the world. It seeks to reshape their understanding of their national
history and their scriptures in light of the new story of the resurrected Jesus
of Nazareth. The gospel confronts its Jewish audience with a new Christian
vision and the need for profound change.[18]
10. Culture response to Gospel
The
question of the relationship of the gospel to culture is cultural to evangelism
and missions. The Gospel is the message of God to be communicated to human
beings in human language. Evangelism is basically God’s work, yet it is man’s
response to God’s saving grace. The gospel is communicated to people and
through people. Therefore people are important and cultural factors have to be
taken seriously because they cannot be separated from their culture.[19]
Every
human being is to a large extent a product of cultural values. God created
human being as learning being and let live within the culture of its own set
up. No one can deny the fact that he/she is attached to the culture and as such
none can escape the way culture impacts communication. Culture keep changing
according to the time and places, it is dynamic and not static. Human beings
are part of the cultural fabric that affects every person. For which the gospel
is needed to interpret culturally appropriate so that people response to it.
11. Outcome of communication of the gospel
The strong recommended work for
communicating gospel cross-culturally is to set up indigenous principles and
encouraging local believers to be able to form and manage self-propagation,
self-supporting, self governing and self theologizing.[20]
When William Carey came to India his goal is to set up an indigenous church by
means of native preacher and by providing the scripture in the native tongue.[21] Three questions are paramount in evaluating
how well the gospel is being communicated: (1) Is the message actually getting
through to the intended audience? (2) Is the message we intend the message that
is actually being received? (3) Are the methods and media serving their
intended ends, and not becoming ends in themselves? The means of answering these
questions range from personal conversation and observation to thorough
community surveys employing advanced statistical methods. The means should fit
the size and nature of the recipients. Increasingly, the messengers of Christ
are becoming concerned with the quality of Christian communication. But quality
means far more than employing the best talent and the most up-to-date
technology. It also has reference to the content of the message, the method of
its presentation, and the kind of media chosen to convey it.[22]
12. Conclusion
As a member of the body of Christ,
God has given us specific task to spread His word to every nation and save His
every creation, however the question is how are we going to deal? Every society
has its culture and is unique in its form and different from one another.
We
really need to understand the cultural context, it is essential so that society
can be transformed. If the cross cultural missionary fails to respect the other
culture where is the place for the Gospel? Interpretation of the Bible within
the context will have a great impact in communicating the Gospel. Culture
itself is Divine design. Cultural
awareness expands our narrow perspective and makes us capable of
effectively communicating the Gospel. Much have been discussed above, for which
I would like to summarize that, as cross-cultural missionary we should be
sensitive enough to different cultures and in order to penetrate the gospel to
the new cultural context we need to well equipped with skills of communication.
Communication as we know is the only way to understand others. Using of same
mode of communication does not fit to all the culture equally. Therefore one
should know how to use the different tools, ways and means of communication
according to the mindset of the people and their world view. Ways of expressing
ideas, ways of acting, ways of interacting, ways if channeling the message,
ways of deciding will have a great positive impact in communicating the gospel
effectively.
[1] F. Hrangkhuma, Tribes in Transition: Indian Christians Reflect on the Original Inhabitants of the Land (Bangalore: SAIACS,
2004), 11.
[2]
Viggo Sogaard, Media in Church and
Mission (Bangalore: Theological Book Trust, 1998), 51.
[3]
Ibid, 29.
[4]
Paul G. Hiebert, Anthropological Insights
for Missionaries (Grand Rapid: Bakers Book House Company, 1985), 165.
[5]
David J. Hesselgrave, Communicating
Christ Cross-Culturally, 2nd ed. ( Michigan: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1978 ), 22.
[6]
David J. Hesselgrave, Planting Churches
Cross-culturally, (Michigan: Bakers Books, 2000), 166.
[7]
Ibid,. 165.
[8]
Raynold W. McLaughlin, Communication for
the Church, (Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1968 ), 62-67.
[9]
Sherwood G. Lingenfelter and Marvin K. Mayers, Ministering Cross-Culturally (Michigan:
Bakers Book House, 1986), 27.
[10]
A.
Scott Morew, Gary R. Corwin et.al, Introducing
World Mission, A Biblical, Historical and Practical Survey (Grand Rapid: Bakers Academy, 2004),
88.
[11]
Raynold W. McLaughlin, Communication for
the Church, (Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1968 ), 68.
[13] John Joshua
Raja and Samson Prabhakar, Introduction
to Communication and Media Studies (BTESSC/SATHRI,
2006), 191.
[14] Hrangkhuma, Tribes in Transition, 11.
[15] Hiebert, Anthropological Insights for Missionaries,
54.
[16]
Viggo Sogaard, Media in Church and
Mission, 16-17.
[17]
Dean Flamming, Contextualization in the
New Testament, pattern for Theology
and Mission (Intervarsity Press, 2005), 56.
[18]
Flamming, Contextualization in the New
Testament, pattern for Theology and
Mission, 65-66.
[19]
S.D Ponraj, An Introduction to Missionary
Anthropology, (Mission Educational book series No.5, 1993), 59.
[20]
Dennis Teague, Culture: The Missing Link in Mission (Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.,1996), 482.
[21]
Ibid., 491.
[22]
David J. Hesselgrave, Planting Churches Cross-culturally, 166.
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