The World is a Beautiful Symphony
My first cultural experience was when I was five years old. My aunt was at a hospital in Tijuana and we went to visit her. What I remember from this trip was that my parents took a wrong turn, and we ended up driving through a bad part of town. This experience, coupled with racist parents, led me to have a negative view of Mexico and the Latino population in California growing up. I did not want to take Spanish in high school because I mimicked the thoughts of my parents, “This is America. Why should I learn Spanish? They need to speak English.”
As I grew older, I began to realize that this view of the world is contrary to Scripture. One of my favorite analogies of the Body of Christ is that of a symphony. In the book, Learning to Know God, Neva Coyle writes about this image, saying that the Body of Christ is a “unity in diversity.”[1] No one wants to go see a symphony of a hundred musicians playing the same instrument and the same notes. It is the harmony and blend of the different instruments that creates something beautiful. This is what heaven will be like.
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” (Rev. 7:9)
Erin Meyer describes the impact of cultural differences in her book, The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business. She describes an eight-scale model that represents areas of interest for leaders. These eight scales are: communicating, evaluating, persuading, leading, deciding, trusting, disagreeing, and scheduling. These scales show, ““how cultures vary along a spectrum from one extreme to its opposite.”[2]
We live in an increasingly global society. To be an effective leader, we must learn not only how our own culture impacts our perceptions, but how other cultures impact their perceptions, or cultural relativity. Meyer suggests, “when examining how people from different cultures relate to one another, what matters is not the absolute position of either culture on the scale but rather the relative position of the two cultures.”[3] The leader who learns to harness this information will be able to navigate barriers to harmony more effectively.
Understanding the cultural map requires a willingness to learn. Dr. Karen Ann Tremper said in her presentation that we need to have a Growth Mindset.[4] It took me a long time to recognize my own racism. Moving out of my parents’ house in college was the start. I began to experience a world beyond white suburbia. I remember someone in college calling me out for using the term oriental to refer to a person. I learned that oriental refers to objects and it was a derogatory word to use for a person. In small ways at first, but with growing intention, I began to make choices to confront my racism and cultural bias.
A willingness to learn and grow enables us to gain understanding and to move toward harmony. Meyer states:
“The way we are conditioned to see the world in our own culture seems so completely obvious and commonplace that it is difficult to image that another culture might do things differently. It is only when you start to identify what is typical in your culture, but different from others, that you can begin to open a dialogue of sharing, learning, and ultimately understanding.”[5]
To this, I would add that we need to not only see the differences but be willing to understand and acknowledge that different is not bad. We need to understand the concept of being a “unity in diversity.” I strive to embrace the different, to learn and grow by encountering new ways of viewing the world.
One way I have experienced growth is through language. I love languages and the nuances they represent. I love learning words in other languages that have no translation in English. You can learn so much about a culture from their language, from how they speak to one another, and from the words they use. One example is Japanese the word Wa. A Japanese colleague of my husband explained it to me as the concept of harmony within the community. It made me think of Spok in Star Trek saying, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”[6]
God has placed me in yet another situation where I must push against my own prejudice and bias. I now live in a place known for its LBGTQ community. A year ago, I volunteered at a community event. I went to a fundraiser at the local gay bar. I had not met the organizer prior to that night, and she told me she was unsure about me. She had looked at my Facebook page and knew I am a pastor. She expected me to come with condemnation and judgement. I told her I was there to love and serve my community. I remember thinking that this is exactly where Jesus would be.
The Church is far greater and more diverse than my white, suburbia upbringing. It is a beautiful, colorful melody of different people and different cultures. We are called to be salt and light to the world. We are called to make disciples of all nations. We cannot do that if we remain stagnant in a culturally bias perspective.
[1] Neva Coyle, Learning to Know God. (Bloomington, MN, Bethany House Publisher, 1993). Uncertain of the page number as this book is currently in a box in my garage.
[2] Erin Meyer, The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business. (New York, Public Affairs, 2014), pg. 15
[3] Ibid. pg. 22
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mZkK02xvL8
[5] Meyers, pg. 244
[6] Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, directed by Nicholas Meyer (1982, Paramount Pictures).
About the Author
Becca Hald
Becca is an ordained Foursquare minister, serving as the Online Community Pastor at Shepherd's House Church. She has over twenty-five years of leadership experience both inside and outside the church. Becca has served her community in many capacities ranging from Administrative Assistant and Children’s Ministry Director to Secretary and President of multiple school organizations. She and her husband, Andrew have been married for over 25 years. They have two adult children, Drew and Evelyn. Her great passion is to equip others, to raise awareness about mental health, and to help reduce the negative stigma surrounding mental health issues. In her free time, she loves going to Disneyland, reading, sewing, and making cards.5 responses to “The World is a Beautiful Symphony”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Becca, Thank you for this thoughtful and personal blog post. I am curious what language you chose to learn in high school?
I am eager to learn more from you, specifically what words you have learned in other languages and what you have learned serving in your community.
Kristy Newport
Hi Kristy,
I have often joked that I am a “collector of languages.” I took French in high school, Japanese and Spanish in college, and Greek and Hebrew in grad school. I am not by any means fluent in any of these languages, but I enjoy learning them.
Some of my favorite words from other languages include:
wa – as I already mentioned
agape – Greek meaning unconditional love
hygge – Danish, it is a word that can best be described as the feeling at Christmas time, home, comfort, warmth
I am greatly looking forward to Cape Town as well!
Hi Becca,
The quote you shared is profound. The body of Chris is a “unity in diversity.” I am thrilled you are heeding Dr. Tremper’s invitation into a growth-mindset. Without it, I imagine you would not be too dissimilar to your parents and the cultural milieu you were surrounded in. Keep up the good work that comes with that growth-mindset! Keep learning, stretching yourself, and placing yourself in out of your comfort zone situations.
I’ll see you in Cape Town!
Becca, I so enjoyed reading your blog! I am drawn to the concept of “unity and diversity” within the context of the symphony. What an amazing picture of the way in which God has designed humans, as well as all of creation.
I admire how you courageously step into areas of the world that ask you to examine and push through your prejudice and bias. I would love to talk with you more about this in Cape Town. Thanks for your honest words that invite us freely into conversation with each other. Looking forward to all we will learn.
Becca,
It’s interesting the prejudice that we have as Christians against anyone that “thinks” they know how I will act and react to their beliefs.
It makes me sad. I am here to love on people. Whatever that looks like. I am not here to judge. Only the creator can do that on judgement day.
What have you found to help with this?