Change across Cultures: A Narrative Approach to Social Transformation

C. S. Lewis compared the task of ethical inquiry to sailing a fleet of ships; the primary task is avoiding collisions. When introducing cultural change, such collisions are inevitable. Bruce Bradshaw provides expert instruction for navigating these cultural clashes. Bradshaw contends that lasting change comes only through altering the stories by which people live. The Bible is the metanarrative whose altering theme of redemption forms a transcultural ethical basis. Aspects of God's redemption story can change how local cultures think and behave toward the environment, religions, government, gender identities, economics, science, and technology. However, effective change takes place only in a context of reconciliation, Christian community, and mutual learning. A must read for anyone engaged in or preparing for crosscultural ministry, relief, or development work. The book is also relevant to students of ethics, philosophy, and theology. Numerous real life examples illustrate the inevitable tensions that occur when cultures and narratives collide.

Bruce Bradshaw is the Director of Transformational Development Research and Training for World Vision International. He is the author of Bridging the Gap: Evangelicalism, Development, and Shalom