As I have mentioned in some earlier posts I have been reading a bunch lately. A guy that I have really been enjoying is Ravi Zacharias. It has been very helpful for me to see the difference between Eastern and Western thinking.
There is nothing wrong with thinking Eastern or Western but it is just different. In our endeavor to reach Greece we have to learn to think Eastern to reach this culture. To often in missions organizations we have gone into a culture with Western process and have failed to connect to the Eastern mind. The Apostle Paul said I have become all things to all men to reach as many as possible. Ravi in his book enlightens a little of this thought process.
Easterners value family more than Westerners. I live next to two elderly gentlemen that are widowers. Neither have family that visit. If fact we are probably the most active relationship that they have around holiday times. In a Western world we can get too busy for our family. However, in a Eastern culture family heritage is everything. Ravi told of a story about a time when he was introduced to speak in India. The intro was all about his father and his accomplishments. After about ten minutes of sharing about his father they simply said, "now here is his son". He was honored by his father being honored. Eastern cultures struggle to leave all and follow Christ because they want to keep their family ties strong.
The worst thing you can do in an Eastern culture is to bring dishonor to someone. In a Western world we often don't think that is the worst thing we can do. Just take a look at all the dirty laundry being hung out on national tv on daytime shows in America. Ravi tells of a time when his father kicked his family out of the house on a cold night. As the family sat under a stairwell he longed to go and sleep at a friends house. His mother refused and said it would be better for them to be outside than to bring dishonor to their father. Ravi cried all night in the cold as a young child to save his fathers honor. In a Western scenario we would never sacrifice our children's feelings for a parental mistake.
We as Westerners think like entrepreneurs in business. Just look how successful ebay business world has become. This visionary plays a part in the connection to religion. We as Westerners think about what we can do best for ourselves in all walks of life. A Western person presented with the gospel often accepts this because it is best for them in that situation. A Eastern individual has to think about family and honor. A Eastern person would rather brave the fires of Hell than bring dishonor to their family, and a Westerner would make a decision to avoid the fires of Hell to do what is best for themselves.
Time is another difference from Easterners and Westerners. We in a Western world look at time as linear or a line. When we miss a moment we can never go back. A Easterner thinks of time as circular. If you miss a appointment it will be there again later. It is why we are so fast paced in Western cultures. If we miss a moment we can never have it back. A Eastern culture is a lot less "productive" in our eyes because their will always be another opportunity. It is this mentality that can bring urgency to a Westerner with salvation. And this same thought shows why it is hard for a Easterner to have this urgency.
To reach the Eastern thinker we have to think like them. Neither is better than the other, they are just different. We have to find a way to connect to the Eastern thinking mind.
I wanted to come up with a creative story that would rival something Ryan Gerber would come up with..... Something like..... We were in our backyard taking out the trash. All of a sudden a bear jumped from behind a fence. Tim grabbed Mac out of the bears clutches, and punched the bear in the face. Or we were in the mall and thought it was just a fathead poster.... When all of a sudden the poster was a ragging bear. David and Tim had just read "in a pitt with a lion on a snowy day"... They grabbed some plastic hangers and tore the bear apart. I jumped in and pulled Mac from the bears clutches... Well, we were going to the movie theater. The parking lot looked barren. We stepped out when all of a sudden.... This bear came out of nowhere. But better yet, so did Chuck Norris. Needless to say, Chuck round-housed kicked the bear to death. He reminded me to look both ways before we ever cross a street.
