MANY COLORS

Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church

Soong-Chan Rah

Moody Publishers

chicago

© 2010 by

Soong-Chan Rah

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked tniv are taken from the Holy Bible, Today’s New International Version®. TNIV®. Copyright© 2001, 2005 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Edited by Pam Pugh

Interior design: Smartt Guys design

Cover design: LeVan Fisher Design

Cover art: © Rowan Moore/Getty Images.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rah, Soong-Chan.

Many colors: cultural intelligence for a changing church / Soong-Chan Rah.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ).

ISBN 978-0-8024-5048-7

1. Church work with minorities—United States. 2. Multiculturalism—Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title.

BV4468.R35 2010

259.089’00973—dc22

2010012834

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To my wife, Sue,

for her patience and support.

To those who journeyed with us

at Cambridge Community Fellowship Church.

Contents

Introduction

Part I: Understanding Culture

Chapter 1: What Is Culture?

Chapter 2: Understanding Our History

Chapter 3: Church and Culture

Part II: A Constructive Cultural Paradigm

Chapter 4: A Multicultural Worldview

Chapter 5: Enhanced Connections

Chapter 6: Power Dynamics

Part III: Cultural Intelligence in Action

Chapter 7: Tell Me a Story

Chapter 8: Journeying Together: You’ve Got to Be There

Chapter 9: Embracing the Other: Facets of True Hospitality

Chapter 10: The Challenge of Systems Thinking and Organizational Change

A Final Word of Encouragement

Acknowledgments

Introduction

• A Young White Man in his twenties stands awkwardly off to the side during the fellowship hour. He knows he should make the effort to talk to his fellow church members but he is intimidated by the clusters of parishioners that have already formed. Most of the groups are divided along national and ethnic lines. Each group seems to be already deeply engaged in conversation among themselves, sometimes in their own native language. He would like to join in, but he feels like he would be intruding, and anyway, he doesn’t know if he could relate to them. He makes eye contact and exchanges polite nods with a number of different church members, ...