Crossing Cultures in Scripture – Biblical Principles for Mission Practice

14th Annual Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year, Cross-Cultural Category From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is a crosscultural book. Scripture is full of narratives of God's people crossing cultures in pursuit of God's mission. Biblical texts shed light on mission dynamics: Sarah and Hagar functioning in an honor-shame culture, Moses as a multicultural leader, Ruth as a crosscultural conversion, David and Uriah illustrating power distance, the queen of Sheba as an international truth-seeker, Daniel as a transnational student, Paul in Athens as a model of contextualization, and much more.Missionary and missions professor Marvin Newell provides a biblical theology of culture and mission, mining the depths of Scripture to tease out missiological insights and crosscultural perspectives. Unlike other such books that are organized topically, this text is organized canonically, revealing how the whole of Scripture speaks to contemporary mission realities.Comprehensive in scope, filled with biblical insight and missional expertise, this book is an essential resource for students and practitioners of crosscultural ministry and mission.

Table of Contents:
Topical Guide Foreword by Patrick Fung Preface Part I: Foundational Cultural Considerations 1. Introduction to Culture 2. Eden: The Beginning of Human Culture 3. The Tower of Babel: Beginning of Cultural Diversity 4. Abraham: The Father of Blessing for All Cultures Part II: Crossing Cultures in the Old Testament 5. Sarah and Hagar: Honor and Shame 6. Abraham and The Hittites: Needing a Favor in a Foreign Land 7. The Marriage of Jacob: Consequence of Crosscultural Ignorance 8. Joseph: A Victim of Crosscultural Human Trafficking 9. Moses: A Multicultural leader 10. The Israelite Community: Tribes, Clans and Families 11. Rahab: The Informed Pagan Prostitute 12. Ruth: A Crosscultural Conversion 13. David and Uriah: The Interplay of Power-Distance 14. Solomon and Queen of Sheba: Crosscultural Truth Seeker 15. Naaman: Dilemma of Conflicting Religious Obligation 16. Jonah: Ethnocentrism to a Fault 17. Jeremiah: Instructions for Living in a Foreign Land 18. Daniel: Staying True to God As a Transnational Student 19. Esther: Saving Her People from Genocide 20. Nehemiah: Leading a "Despised" Cultural Minority Part III: Crossing Cultures in the New Testament 21. Jesus: His Crosscultural Encounters 22. Jesus and the Samaritan Woman: Contrasting Worldviews 23. The Lord's Prayer for Missionaries 24. Jesus' Seven Marks of Crosscultural Success 25. Pontius Pilate: The Clueless Crosscultural Interrogator 26. Acts 1:8: The Crosscultural Mission of the Church 27. The Jerusalem Church: Crosscultural Conflict Management 28. Philip: Reaching the "The Second-Class" 29. Peter's Encounter with Cornelius: Crossing the Great Divide 30. Paul in Athens: Contextualizing the Message 31. Crosscultural Advance: Luke's One Last Word 32. The Self-Contextualizing of the Messenger 33. 1 Corinthians 13: A Guide to Crosscultural Awareness 34. The Incarnational Missionary 35. Crosscultural Pilgrimage: Sojourning Like Abraham 36. Eternity: Doxological Diversity Appendix A: Sermon Series Guide Appendix B: Crosscultural Encounters in the Book of Judges Appendix C: Crosscultural Encounters in the Book of Acts Appendix D: Frequency of the Quadruplet Terms for Humankind in the Book of Revelation Bibliography List of Figures and Tables Name Index Scripture Index

About the Author :
Marvin J. Newell (DMiss, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is senior vice president of Missio Nexus, a network of evangelical mission agencies, churches and training centers in North America. He served as a missionary in East and Southeast Asia for two decades and was professor and chair of the intercultural studies program at Moody Theological Seminary. His books include Commissioned and A Martyr's Grace.

Review :
"In addition to showing that the Bible is a cross-cultural book from Genesis to Revelation, Newell shares scriptural and name indexes as well as a sermon series guide and a cross-cultural encounter guide. The extensive volume is summarized by the 'Crossing Takeaway' section at the end of most chapters. It is an essential guide for students and those who need to be aware of cross-cultural ministry in the mission fields." "This unique book engages us in a fertile dialogue between the double voices of Scripture and culture (worldviews and beliefs, values and behaviors) from Genesis to Revelation. The theoretical aspects are valuable, but Newell has done a singular job to craft a very practical resource for us all—whether we serve primarily within our culture or crossculturally. Pastors will gain new insights for their preaching, missionaries will be encouraged as they apply the book to their own situations, and all of us will be enriched as global citizens of Christ. I recommend this gift without reservation." "Finally we have a thorough collection of biblical insights into the varied dynamics of cultural realities. It is instructional, richly illustrative, and infused with practical applications. This book profoundly equips anyone sojourning in another country and culture as well as those who interact with diaspora peoples in their communities." "In Crossing Cultures in Scripture, Dr. Newell gives the church and its crosscultural workers a rich synthesis of biblical and crosscultural encounters and principles. These should guide both the crosscultural worker and churches in general as they engage other cultures with the gospel. While this book strongly instructs the Westerner in crosscultural work in non-Western cultures, it will serve non-Western crosscultural workers well. It will challenge them to better appreciate rich parallels between their own and other cultures in the light of biblical narratives. This book should be required reading for all crosscultural workers of all nationalities, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. It should also be required for pastoral students who, in the course of their work, will instruct such workers. I highly recommend it." "Lifting up Scripture as our ultimate authority and teacher on culture, Newell offers insightful principles on missions practice as well as a multitude of practical takeaways for anyone crossing cultures. A must-read for anyone hoping to serve in crosscultural contexts!" "Marv Newell has given the global mission community the much-needed gift of a one-stop reference book of key crosscultural principles drawn from Genesis to Revelation. Because opportunities abound for crossing cultures abroad and at home, it is imperative that we know what the Bible says on how to think, behave, and live among people who are different from us. Newell has masterfully gleaned insights and provided us with practical guidelines in navigating a different culture. His honesty is refreshing and will serve both the novice and the veteran well in crosscultural ministry. This book will definitely be in my top ten mission books!" "What I love about Crossing Cultures in Scripture is this: it magnifies the Word of God. Newell shows that the whole Bible is not just the foundation but also our most practical everyday guidebook for ministry in our multicultural world." "Another book on culture and mission? Yes, but not just another. From the late nineteenth century onward, more and more ethnologists and anthropologists have been focusing on the relationship between human culture and Christian mission. However, far and away the primary emphasis has been on the contribution that studies of culture make to effective missionizing. Now, out of his intensive study of the Bible and extensive crosscultural experience, missiologist Marvin Newell has provided another perspective: the place of culture in biblical history and theology. Christian missionaries of course, but also all globally minded Christians, should read this book. It's a breath of fresh air!" "I love Marv's purpose of bringing us back to the Bible to learn everything we can about crosscultural encounters. The Christian and mission world is in danger of minimizing Scripture in favor of trends, techniques, and strategies. The Bible is our greatest teacher, meant to inform and provide clarity and understanding in all spheres of life and ministry. Marv brings attention to the great extent (often overlooked) of crosscultural emphasis throughout the biblical narrative and how we apply this emphasis toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission. I highly encourage the careful reading of this book by all who sincerely love Jesus and want to see his kingdom come in all the world." "Rather than examining the Bible through missiological lenses, Marv Newell rightly reverses the binoculars. Viewing crosscultural ministry through the lens of Scripture, Newell carefully examines a full spectrum of biblical texts to glean key principles. More than simply illustrative, Crossing Cultures in Scripture is instructional, providing additional rich insights from anthropology, missiology, and experiences both historical and personal. Salted with practical helps for understanding and praxis as well as suggested topical resources and chapter takeaways, this volume is a valued resource for preaching and teaching as well as training for effective gospel communication across cultural divides."