CLA Methodology. Does that mean anything to you? I didn't know what to expect. That is the name of the class we started last week. CLA stands for "culture and language acquisition", which is a fancy way of describing the process of learning a society's language and culture. It soon became apparent that, besides the boring name, it will speak to some of the core issues I will face as a missionary. No matter what group I work with, it will be necessary to learn their language and also the way they think. I'm told that language and culture are pretty much inseparable, but I find a tendency to focus more on language. It is quite striking how vast the differences can be between our culture and another societies'. For instance, one tribe in Indonesia considered it adultery for a woman to be on a motorcycle with a man who wasn't her husband. It would be incredibly easy to commit a cultural blunder that would offend someone or make you the laughingstock of the village. Many cultures operate on the basis of shame, so there are certain things you would want to refrain from doing, even though they seem perfectly normal in America. I'm reminded of a story I read about an American man who was working overseas. He employed some of the locals to take surveys, but noticed that one man was making up answers. He ended up firing the guy. It didn't go over well and the man shunned him from then on. When a similar problem came up again, he asked a local pastor for advice. The pastor instructed him to send someone else to talk to the problematic employee and warn him of the imminent consequences of his ways. This way the employee was not shamed by the confrontation, and thereafter acted as if he and his boss were friends. This seems backward to us as Americans, but such things must be taken into account when working in a cross-cultural setting. These kinds of issues are probably included under the umbrella of "becoming all things to all men", which is necessary in order to introduce them to the God of the universe.
1 Comment
Auntie Gail
4/11/2011 02:29:29 pm
I love reading your blogs! you have good insight.
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AuthorWe are normal people who believe that God would have us serve Him in Brazil. We are saddened by the existence of people who do not have access to the gospel due to their location and language. We want to live among such a people group and plant a church among them, shepherding the believers as they grow to maturity. Archives
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