Listening Cross-Culturally

How do we overcome the noise of ethnic and cultural differences which distort the gospel of Christ for all nations? We overcome the noise when we view multiethnicity as an intentional part of God’s story. The genealogy of Jesus (see Ruth 4: 18-22 & Matthew 1:1-17) invites us not to deny our cultural and ethnic differences, but to bear witness to God’s grace through His faithfulness to reconcile all nations to Himself as the multiethnic family of God (see Matthew 12:48-50; Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:8-9; Psalm 22:27-28; Daniel 7:14; Revelation 7:9). When we learn to listen cross-culturally we learn to value and embrace one another despite the history of “racial scars and division” (Shin, p. 137). It is in our ability to listen faithfully through the pain that we are able to hear God breaking through our barriers as His grace silences the noise that keeps us not only from seeing Him but from hearing each other.