WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES - World Evangelical Alliance

LEARNING ABOUT CULTURE
each other), time (what is late or early or urgent), and property (who owns
what).
In cross-cultural communication, there are formal as well as informal
patterns of behaviour. Formal behaviour is more clearly defined. Families would
teach children these formal patterns - how to greet one another, what is proper
and improper behaviour. These patterns are usually strict and rigid.
Other patterns are communicated and learned more informally. For
example, standing too close to a person may not be acceptable in a Western
culture, but it is all right in some Asian cultures. Privacy may be highly valued
in one culture, but not so in another. When a behaviour pattern is broken, a
person would feel anxious within, unless of course he is not aware of it.
UNDERSTANDING WORLDVIEWS
Culture has to do with a society’s beliefs, values and behaviour patterns.
A particular culture will have a view of reality which its members live by. This is
called its “worldview” and it is the heart of a culture. From this “worldview”
come the beliefs and values of a culture, which in turn influence its behaviour.
If any change is to take place significantly, it has to take place at the heart of
the culture, rather than in behaviour.
BEHAVIOUR
VALUES
BELIEFS
WORLD
VIEW
To understand a worldview, David Burnett in his book, Clash of Worlds,
provides ten useful questions derived from Louis J Luzbetak’s excellent text,
The Church and Cultures. 3
A worldview may be “religious” (God or gods are part of reality) or
“secular” as in a secularised or Marxist society. From a person’s worldview will
flow his beliefs about God and reality. From these beliefs will flow his values of
what is good and desirable, and what is acceptable to the community, and
3 David Burnett (2002), Clash of Worlds, Revised Edition, London: Monarch Book, pages 26 -29.
5