Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility Kindle Edition

Although the book is subdivided by several sections, there are really two concepts to this book: (1) See the image of God in others-- which encompasses the ideas of "welcoming others into our presence," "communicating respect for others, " "building confidence in relationships," and "seeking information that changes you;" and (2) Show Christ to others-- which involves "posture of the servant," "becoming like Christ to others," "biblical foundations for change" and "the servant and leadership/power."The section entitled, "Acceptance," basically suggests that Christians ought to see the image of God in others. Acceptance is "The ability to communicate value, worth and esteem to another person" (58). To illustrate the meaning of "acceptance," the author shares 1 Corinthians 8:13--"An accepting Christian values the other person so highly that he or she would rather sacrifice a personal preference, even a right, than risk losing the relationship or being a stumbling block to that person" (61). If a Christian believes that people are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), then there is "common grace" that is bestowed on all people.The author explains it in this way, "Acceptance of others is to proactively communicate respect and dignity to each human being based on the fact that each is an image-bearer of God" (75). In a similar way, acceptance of others as image bearers of God is found in Galatians 3:28--"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female" (NIV). One does not need to be a Christian in order to bear the image of God as illustrated in this passage: "Yes, you must execute anyone who murders another person, for to kill a person is to kill a living being made in God's image" (Genesis 9:6).The author reminds the reader, "By virtue of being made in the image of God and God's common grace, every person can contribute to our learning" (109). He then shares a story about his wife, Muriel, who used the villagers' story about killing lice to help lower infant mortality in Mozambique (110). This type of humility helps Christians to become better servants (115). Colossians 1:16 says, "For by him (Christ) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or power or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him" (NIV). If Christians truly believe this passage, then what the author says in page 119 makes sense: "For the priesthood of all believers to function properly, we must all nurture each other, listen to each other, see the beauty of Christ in each other and seek God's grace from each other."Elmer shares a story of missionary who set the example of true hospitality towards people in the area by inviting them through the front door to dine with him (183). This practice was unacceptable to the other missionaries so as a result he was ostracized by them. However, this act of showing Christ to others changed the way foreign mission was done in that country (184). The reaction that this particular missionary received from the other missionaries was very much like the reaction Jesus received from the Pharisees in Luke 15:2--"The Pharisees and the Scribes complained saying `This Man receives sinners and eats with them'." This is a good example to follow--invite the people in the area to eat with us. Extend the invitation for them to join us over a meal. The Book of Hebrews supports this idea, "Do not forget to do good and to share" (Heb. 13:16).The act of sharing a meal is what the author calls "openness," which is to "accept people as they are and build trust with them" (196). Elmer supports the idea of "openness" by stating, "This is the foundation for revealing Christ to others" (196). In fact showing Christ to others is a way of revealing the Gospel to unbelievers. It is having the light shine through us so that others are pointed to Christ (Matthew 5:14). In a way, it is doing what John the Baptist did--"God sent a man... to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony... he was simply a witness to tell about the light... the One who is the true light... to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:6-12).Christians are to be different--"If you love only those who love you, what good is that? If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?" (Matthew 5:46-47). The idea of being different is also expressed in Mark 10: "But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others" (Mark 10:33-35)."Cross-Cultural Servanthood" is not only for international missions; it is very useful for pastors of stateside churches in rural or ethnic regions of the country. It supports the biblical fact that we are to see all people as an image of God and to be different in our expression of being "salt" and "light" to the community. The book made me realize that despite the criticism that we may receive from other churches for doing unconventional things, we must continue in our efforts. We must follow the example of Jesus and "dine" with sinners.Review by: M. Teresa Trascritti

Duane Elmer’s book, “Cross-Cultural Servanthood,” is a must-read for anyone who is wanting to share the gospel interculturally within their own countries or around the globe. His use of learning how to integrate into other cultures respectively through six steps – openness, acceptance, trust, learning, understanding, and serving – is crucial to serving others well. His firsthand experiences are moving and helpful to the reader in connecting one of the steps to practice. Even though this book is written mostly in a context of missions or ministry, I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to bridge any racial/ethnic divides within their own communities. This is because the core of being able to serve others well is to live humbly, and Elmer’s book is a practical guide into how to actually live life humbly (and not the fake humility stuff, either).

The entire idea of this book is how to be a better servant like Jesus. Even though I’m not planning to go overseas in what is traditionally called “missions”, I found this book helpful. I live in North Texas, and I think the lessons and principles in this book can be applied to the many diverse cultures and subcultures here in North Texas. They can also be applied in any relationship and marriage. The main points of the book are to be sensitive and humble with our behaviors and mindsets. A summary quote of the book could be, “We are never more like Jesus than when we serve others.” According to Duane Elmer, to be like Christ is to choose the life of the towel of the servant, not the robe of the king. That is a major metaphor he refers to throughout the book. In the Kingdom of God, importance is judged by service to people against power over them.

In Cross-Cultural Servanthood, Duane Elmer tells the parable of a monkey who sees a fish swimming against the current of a stream (pp. 27-28). Assuming the fish is struggling to survive, the monkey plucks the fish out of the stream and places it on dry ground. At first, the fish flops around--excited to have been saved, the monkey thinks. When the fish stops moving, the monkey feels satisfied, believing the fish is resting contentedly. Of course, the fish is dead.In cross-cultural exchanges, we intend to serve others, but our efforts may be perceived as exercises of arrogant power. The remedy is Christlike humility. "Humility is mandated," Elmer writes, "but"--and this exception is crucial--"its expression is culturally defined" (p. 33). We must both intend to be humble, in other words, and act in ways that people from other cultures perceive as humble.How do we do this? Cross-Cultural Servanthood examines "the process of becoming a cross-cultural servant" (p. 19). Elmer outlines this process with six steps:1. Openness: "the ability to welcome people into your presence and make them feel safe" (p. 39, emphasis in original).2. Acceptance: "the ability to communicate value, worth and esteem to another person" (p. 58)3. Trust: "the ability to build confidence in a relationship so that both parties believe the other will not intentionally hurt them but will act in their best interest" (p. 77).4. Learning: "the ability to glean relevant information about, from and with other people" (p. 93).5. Understanding: "the ability to see patterns of behavior and values that reveal the integrity of a people" (p. 125).6. Serving: "the ability to relate to people in such a way that their dignity as human beings is affirmed and they are more empowered to live God-glorifying lives" (p. 146).Elmer is G. W. Aldeen Professor of International Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. His book is clear and simply written, mixing theological and sociological analysis in balanced measure, and using illustrations from his life and career, as well as from the lives and careers of others.I highly recommend this book to Christian missionaries, pastors, and laypeople who work in cross-cultural or multi-cultural settings. It will help them understand how to better communicate the gospel in word and deed. It will also help them examine their own motives to make sure they are serving rather than patronizing others.

They were really easy to work with and the book is in amazing condition :D

How much humility has been lacking in me - something that Duane Elmer has gently taught.A riveting, interesting book with lots of examples in many contexts. Encouraging.

This is written by an American who was an overseas missionary with his family. His has done a lot of research in terms of social science's findings on cross cultural communication and relationships as well as Biblical teaching on servanthood and relationships. He teaches Christians and non-faith groups on cross cultural communication. However this book is very specifically for Christians who want to be able communicate and develop relationships with people outside of your home culture. His writing style is very readable and Elmer comes over as humble in the sense that he is honest about his own mistakes and wrong attitudes.Whilst the main purpose of this book is to guide Christians in moving into relationships with people of other cultures where the new culture will be the majority culture and you will be the outsider, it also has much that is useful if you are seeking to form relationships with people of other cultures in our multi-cultural centres of our home countries and even in relationships with any others, since all of us think differently even within our own cultures.Elmer examines the various stages of developing healthy relationships using examples of each stage and looking at Biblical basis for those skills. He also offers suggestions of practial ways we can start to change our attitudes in our home culture. The six stages are openess, acceptance, trust, learning (about, from and with others), understanding and serving.Two points that stood out for me were how Elmer came to an understanding of God's general and specific grace and the way that we can learn of God even from those who do not share our faith or have no religious belief. Also towards the end of the book there is a short study on Joseph and his cross-cultural servanthood but also the mystery of God - not all that we experience is understandable now and some of it never in our lifetime - but God is part of the mystery.Given the way some Christians historically and today are seen as narrow minded and our tendancy to associate our culture with the "correct way" to do things, this is essential reading for any Christian wanting to relate to people of different backgrounds and see the amazing limitless of God in others.

The author is well-qualified for the subject, and shares excellent insights that will help any sincere Christian be more culturally sensitive. No matter how sensitive we *think* we are, we all have our blind spots, and this book helps us identify them and alter our behavior.

Like this book because it did a great job explaining cross-cultural servant hood. There are not a lot of books about this topic so I appreciated the read.