{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.03023983315954119, 'fraction_numerical': 0.004171011470281543, 'mean_word_length': 5.315789473684211, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
The Promise of Intercultural Mission

‘Intercultural Theology’ began in the 1970’s as a way of expressing theological mutuality and equality between cultures. Since then, the word ‘intercultural’ has gained currency in a number of fields, secular and religious. This article explores the possibilities of speaking of mission as ‘intercultural’ rather than ‘cross-cultural’ as a way of expressing the cultural engagement that is more appropriate to a postmodern world. The inadequacies of the cross-cultural approach, with its roots in modernity, are examined in the light of the complexity and diversity of cultural identities today. Intercultural mission in contrast is relational, mutual, dialogical, open-ended, and creates space within which God’s missio dei can be experienced. Two examples are offered of intercultural mission in practice. It is suggested that this resonates with Bosch’s proposal for a new paradigm for mission in a postmodern context.