Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 178:710 (Apr 2021)
Article: The Table Briefing: Engaging With Cultural Intelligence
Author: Darrell L. Bock

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The Table Briefing: Engaging With Cultural Intelligence

Darrell L. Bock

and

Mikel Del Rosario

Darrell L. Bock is senior research professor in New Testament studies and executive director for cultural engagement at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. Mikel Del Rosario is project manager for cultural engagement and adjunct professor of media arts and worship at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also an adjunct professor of Christian apologetics and world religion at William Jessup University, Rocklin, California.

While most Christians do not consider themselves to be engaged in cross-cultural ministry, virtually every one of our interactions includes cultural dimensions and sensitivities that are often overlooked. On a Table podcast episode called “Intelligent Cultural Engagement,” we joined the dean of DTS-Washington, DC, and professor of missiology and intercultural ministries, Rodney Orr, to discuss the concept of cultural intelligence, focusing on how we can better engage with people from a variety of cultures. We share key ideas from our discussion with Orr, focusing on a biblical approach informed by key lessons from the Apostles Peter and Paul.

Considerations For Intelligent Cultural Engagement

How should we begin to approach engagement in a pluralistic society? Orr notes God’s desire for believers to operate with cultural sensitivity and suggests a careful approach to reduce mistakes and cultural missteps. Bock explains the first two steps in approaching a conversation with cultural intelligence1 as we discuss the pluralistic nature of the contexts in which we find ourselves.

Orr: God wants us to become multicultural people. . . . When [Paul and Barnabas] went to Laodicea in Acts 14, they didn’t

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understand the Laodicean language. [That] made a huge difference in the speed with which they could communicate. When you’re in a cross-cultural setting, you learn to slow down, listen, [and] kind of feel the situation and sense what’s going on before you jump in. . . . You learn to assess situations and look for an insider who can help you to determine, “Okay, what’s really going on here?”

Bock: Two points I make in cross-cultural conversations: The first thing you want to do is ask a lot of questions. You want to get a reading on where a person is coming from, what’s driving them, et cetera. The second thing is you want to put your doctrinal meter on mute.

You don’t want to just respond with the first ...