Learning from the Stranger: Christian Faith and Cultural Diversity
David I. Smith
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2009, 184 pages, $20.00, Eerdmans.com
Intended to inspire further study on dealing with people outside our own cultural framework, Smith asserts that we are each strangers to someone else’s culture. Reminding readers that the usual mindset for missions is that learning about another culture is important to being understood, Smith’s argument is that the real importance of this learning is to understand others within their own cultural setting. He writes that every person assumes God speaks his or her language and shares his or her values; it is in recognizing and respecting the same God through multicultural lenses that we reach missional goals.
With fresh perspectives of biblical characters and practical suggestions for learning from those around us, Learning from the Stranger is an excellent resource for getting away from stale texts about church diversity. Smith’s viewpoint as a Brit settling in the American Midwest provides humorous but pointed examples about the need to rethink cultural diversity.
