A Beginner's Guide to Crossing Cultures: Making Friends in a Multicultural World (Paperback)

by Patty Lane (Author) "When I was in elementary school, I learned that the United States was a "melting pot" I pictured in my mind what happened when I..." (more)
Key Phrases: crosscultural relationships, sponsor church, contest cultures, African American, Beginner's Guide, Holy Spirit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The global village has arrived. Recent census figures show that our communities are more culturally and ethnically diverse than ever before. Many of us find it challenging to build relationships with people from backgrounds unlike our own. How do we befriend an international student or a new coworker from a different country? What do we do when we share our church building with a congregation from another cultural group? Why are our words and actions often misinterpreted?

Crosscultural specialist Patty Lane answers these questions. She shows us how to develop hands-on relational skills that help build crosscultural friendships, providing practical resources for navigating multicultural environments with sensitivity and savvy. Filled with vivid stories of real-life situations, this guide explains frequently misunderstood aspects of culture, debunks stereotypes and suggests ways to resolve crosscultural conflicts. Above all, Lane demonstrates God's heart for building bridges across cultures and shows how Christians can reach out to people of every nation, culture and ethnicity.

Whether you are actively ministering to people of different cultural backgrounds, traveling to other countries or just want to make friends across cultural lines, this engaging handbook is a perfect introduction to the journey.

About the Author
Patty Lane is the director of the Office of Intercultural Initiatives for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Experienced in working with more than twenty different languages and culture groups, she regularly conducts seminars and workshops to help churches minister in multicultural settings. She lives in Dallas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 206 pages
• Publisher: InterVarsity Press (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830823468
• ISBN-13: 978-0830823468
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #233,111 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Culture Navigator, August 13, 2002

By	Cathy Dundas (Beaumont, TX United States) - See all my reviews

I have been in a dozen intercultural classes in college and graduate level and I would recommend this book for anyone with cultural questions. There are practical questions at the end of each chapter that actually make the reader think and research in their own situation. There is a wide variety of examples used and the book serves as a helpful guide for intercultural interaction. It is easy to read and fun to see how I "should have" related and will in the future.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beginner's Guide to Crossing Cultures: Making Friends in a Multicultural World, December 6, 2007

By	Clarice E. Fitts - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An eye opener! I never understood other cultures until I read Ms. Lane's book. I highly recommend this book!

4.0 out of 5 stars I was pleasantly surprised..., April 27, 2009

By	Chad Oberholtzer (Boalsburg, PA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I did not plan to like this book. It was assigned reading for a seminary course. I live and minister in a relatively culturally homogeneous community and church, so multiculturalism is not on the top of my list of priorities. Given that background, I only hoped to endure this book, thinking that it would be largely irrelevant.

Despite my sour attitude, I genuinely appreciated Lane's "A Beginner's Guide to Crossing Cultures." It truly is a beginner's guide, so those with prior experience or training in multicultural ministry may not be challenged. But she does a good job of making a case for the value of multicultural thinking, provides some helpful lenses to sort out six basic cultural differences (context, activity, authority, identity, time, and worldview), and offers practical advice on how to develop cross-cultural relationships and serve in a multicultural ministry environment.

I appreciated the anecdotes that she shared, which were extremely appropriate to the topic and helped provide context to understand concepts that might otherwise remain strictly hypothetical. She shared a number of engaging personal experiences. And though she clearly has a heart for multicultural ministry, she never made the critical mistake of assuming that culture is the only factor that matters for Christians living in this complex world.

As I'm still trying to figure out my role in developing a greater appreciation and understanding of other cultures to more effectively minister in an increasingly multicultural world, I was impressed with Lane's book. She offers a helpful place for folks like me to start. Her book is both visionary and practical, challenging and accessible. For anyone who would like to better understand the possibilities of multicultural ministry, I am happy to recommend this book.