How to understand people from different world views

“Never try to figure out an Arab mind”, someone had said to Roland, but slowly figure it out he did, and astutely enough, to be able to teach it to a room full of eager listeners. His first proposition to us as messengers of the good news is how we have misunderstood the disease of sin. When we look at Genesis 3 where it talks about the consequence of sin, we often focus on the discipline that God meted out because of their disobedience. ”the snake was cursed to crawl in the dust on its belly, Adam will work by the sweat of his brow, Eve will experience sharpened pain in childbirth and they were banished from the Garden. But what we sometimes miss is the effect sin had on Adam and Eve.


Genesis 3:10, “I heard you in the garden and was afraid” (fear), Genesis 3:7 “At that moment their eyes were opened (guilt), and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness.” (shame). (New Living Translation)

Muller asserts that these three effects of sin form the basis of the three primary worldviews present in cultures today. What was interesting is that although all of us have a mixture of all three, generally one of the world views is predominant in any given culture.

“There is no such thing as a Biblical worldview, but the Bible does speak into my worldview”, Roland clarified, “because the Bible speaks to all worldviews.”

North American culture is obsessed with defining what is right/wrong And so their world view can be defined as guilt-based. Cultures with this world view have this paradigm expressed in different ways:

- Guilty vs innocence

- Right vs wrong

- Good guy vs bad guy

People in this culture are looking to avoid being wrong, or guilty. They desire someone to relieve them of their guilt, to pay their penalty, to justify them and bring them into right relationship with the authority. The book of Romans, which was written by Paul, a teacher of the law, proclaims the truth of justification by faith, which is a great message to anyone with a guilt-based world view.

Other cultures have a wold view that is more Fear-based. In this paradigm, the key issue is:

- Fear vs Power

People are looking for power over the things which make them afraid. Often these are things over which they feel they have little control: diseases, demons, curses. Many times they will turn to witch doctors, and seek supernatural forces for the power to overcome what they fear. Buddhism, Animism, Ancestral worship and Hinduism are some examples of fear-based religions. When speaking with people with a fear-based world view, they will be drawn to Jesus who performed many miraculous demonstrations of his power, culminating in his resurrection from the dead.



The third primary world view can be described as Shame-based. Cultures with this worldview likewise have a strong paradigm:

- Shame vs Honour

- Unapproved vs Approved

- Disrespect vs Respect

What is most important to people with this worldview is to keep their honor intact. Shame and honour can be attached to an individual, families, a nation, race or even religion. When dealing with a circumstance that brings shame, they may start by covering it up, then denying it and if it cannot be ignored or hidden, they might go so far as to take revenge on the person who has shamed them. Some might commit suicide, leave the family or country in order to regain honour or to find release from their shame. Islam is a religion that relates well to a shame-based world view. The portrayal of God as one who removes shame and restores honor, as in the story of the prodigal son, can give great hope to those with a shame-based world view.

Muller observed that world views within cultures are subject to change. He feels the North-American worldview is presently changing from guilt-based to shame-based. Take for example the typical school-aged child who desires to be “cool more than to do right. What they seek is approval, honour, and respect from others. Most North-American churches are still thinking and dealing exclusively from the perspective of a guilt-based world view which may be one reason why many Christians don’t quite know how to share the Gospel with people from shame and fear-based cultures, which dominate the 10-40 window.

Questionnaire to your pastors

1. How is your church reaching out to new immigrants?
2. What are you using as a means of communicating the Gospel to new immigrants? (Alpha program/ hospitality/ investigative Bible Study/ other tool?)
3. What has been successful?
4. Can you describe any other approach that you've found effective?
5. In your opinion, what are the difficulties in reaching out to new immigrants?
6. What do you think would be helpful to your new immigrants ministry if it were available? [eg. a resource, tool, training material, etc.]

Questionnaire closes Nov 12

Tell it Often, Tell it Well Workshop 26 April 2008

Karl's 5 minute testimony

I was brought up in a half believing home; my mom was a believer and my dad was not. One night around the age of 7, before I fell asleep I asked Jesus into my life. I grew up getting to know the Lord for myself and he turned me into a cheerful and joyfully happy person. When I reached the end of middle school, I started to drift away from the Christian life. In my senior year of high school, I started experimenting with drugs and soon found one called crystal meth. It felt great being high but the good times were deceiving as it swiftly turned my life into misery. It got to the point that meth was no longer something to do just for fun; I needed it to survive. I realised my addiction was too big of a problem for me to deal with and that I needed help.

Remembering from what I had learned back in sunday school, I knew that I could turn to Jesus for help. He loved me even if I didn't love myself. I reasoned that if I belonged to Jesus, anything I had also belonged to him, including my drug addiction. I also thought that if it was true that Jesus could die on a cross and be raised back to life, then he could defeat this addiction that was killing me.

I asked Jesus to take it from me and deal with it for me, and gave him the two reasons why I thought he was able to help me. Suddenly I realized I was wrapped in chains and then I felt a great power come over me. The chains around me shattered like glass. Even though I felt free from the addiction to meth, the habit of doing it was still there. That night I still went out with my
friends and got high. Jesus, being the loving and powerful God that he is, worked in my life and in my heart, despite my own efforts against him. From that point on, getting high was no longer fun, and I slowly started hating meth. It took another 2 years before I had had enough and stopped getting high altogether. During that time, the Lord also brought back the joy of life and the cheerful, happy person I used to be. He reinstated me as a functional member of society and even sent me
back to school for horticulture (and i graduated at the top of my program last april). I now look forward to where this relationship with Jesus will take me.

Post Creative Forum Summary

Post-Creative Forum Summary
Prepared by Shirley Eu

Creative Forum
When: 21 March 2008 (Friday)
Where: Shirley’s home
Attended by: Bob & Leri Canlas (Filipinos), Sim Lumongsud (Filipino), Winnie Lui (Hong Kong), Bill Vaxevanis (Ethnic bkgd: Greek), Shar Dubas (Canadian) and Shirley Eu (Singaporean)

Key points we talked about:

1. What are some things we, as immigrants to Canada would like to know?
- Where to live, map of the area, public transportation, medical services, leisure, language courses, free stuff, $ saving tips, church, finding a bank, job search,
where to purchase groceries, where the library is, immigrant services, cultural
directory, associations/clubs, websites that are immigrant-helpful.

2. What can we do differently to “adopt” and help immigrants that isn’t done today?
- Be a coach. Help practically.

3. Some problems we face:
- Too many immigrants are coming, too few of us, need partnering with govt
before we have credibility, difficult to define criteria for how to help, how long
we would avail ourselves to help, unsure how to surface immigrants to help immigrants.

4. Working title: Immigrants helping immigrants
• We would be better off once more working with churches who have immigrants willing to help others from their own culture settle in rather than create a new non-profit/ non-religious organization looking to find government grant.
• Name card idea/ short leaflet with immigrant services to hand out to immigrants at the airport or to churches who can help put in the hands of the right people.
• Help connect immigrants by advertising for the World Café meeting once a month.

5. Interesting points we discussed:
- How can we reach the immigrant before they even leave their country?
- Could we put a kiosk at the airport to meet the immigrants?
- Create a website specific to connect immigrants to the help they need. Blogsite?
- How do we finance this without a government grant?
- Can we do this with a government grant?
- Our primary motivation is to help immigrants settle, help them belong and in the course of our friendship introduce them to Jesus Christ.

Action points:

1. We would like to investigate how immigrants are settling into Canada (those who have arrived the last 12 months).
2. We would like to assess how they’ve been helped/ how they haven’t been helped.
3. We would like to enquire how many immigrants in our churches would be keen to be immigrants-helping-immigrants?

Shirley will look into possibilities of obtaining a government grant.
Bob and Leri are considering designing an immigrant newsletter.
Sim is interviewing immigrants.

Humble Apologetics

How many of us are afraid of offending other cultures or other faiths with the Good News of the Gospel? John G Stackhouse has written a book called Humble Apologetics that talk more about assisting one's neighbour to an encounter with Jesus rather than winning a religious argument. We've always had a defence for the Gospel but not always the spirit of loving the person one step closer to Jesus. Have you ever asked your non-Christian friends what they think of Christians?

Open Homes Open Hearts this Christmas!

Would you like to throw a party to introduce your intercultural friends to Jesus Christ?

Would you trust God to use your party to give them something more than just a meal?

For this Christmas, you can tell the Christmas story retelling the first Christmas in our Christmas drama play written by Nikki White. Or consider simply bringing them into your home and sharing a meal with them and telling them the story of the Christmas tree. How about sharing what the Visa to Heaven looks like? There are many resources on this blog that will give you new ideas. Or maybe you might have an idea you would like to share? Put your comments on the blog and get your friends on your team to share the true meaning of Jesus' birth.

If you wish to purchase a Party Hints packet, where everything you need for a successful intercultural party is all inside, do drop us a comment or call Intercultural Network Canada at 604-514-2015.

Letter from God

Dear Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you ~ Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up ~ Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways ~ Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered ~ Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image ~ Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being ~ Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring ~ Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived ~ Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation ~ Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book ~ Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live ~ Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made ~ Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb ~ Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born ~ Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me ~ John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love ~ 1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you ~ 1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your father ~ 1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could ~ Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father ~ Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand ~ James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs ~ Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love ~ Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore ~ Psalm 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing ~ Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you ~ Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession ~ Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul ~ Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things ~ Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me ~ Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart ~ Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires ~ Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine ~ Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you ~ Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart ~ Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes ~ Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth ~ Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus ~ John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed ~ John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being ~ Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you ~ Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you ~ 1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love ~ Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me ~ 1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again ~ Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen ~ Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father ~ Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is ~ Will you be my child? ~ John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you ~ Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad, Almighty God