Retro Review: The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb: Spirituality for Leadership in a Multicultural Community

by Eric H.F. Law

Review by Rev Dr Darren Cronshaw

Have you ever been in a meeting with people of different cultures and noticed who does most of the talking? Do you have friends who use silence not because they agree but because they disagree? Have cross-cultural differences derailed projects you have been pursuing? Are you interested in how different cultures discuss issues and make decisions and how this affects church life?

Eric Law, an Asian with extensive ministry experience in North America, explores why Westerners tend to perceive themselves as powerful and equal to others, yet people of some other cultures view themselves as powerless and accept inequality. Thus, in-group discussions Westerners tend to dominate, while others are hesitant to contribute their expertise.

Basic attempts to get a non-Westerner onto a church leadership team and then if they are quiet asking their opinion is not enough and can even be patronising according to Law. He offers practical steps for helping Westerners be quiet long enough to listen and people of other relatively ‘quieter’ cultures to contribute their wisdom. For example, a novel approach to conversational turn-taking is ‘mutual invitation’. One person speaks and then has the right to name and invite the next contributor, who in turn can speak (or pass) and then invite the next voice. There are other helpful group processes for multicultural group communication including ‘photolanguage’ cards and approaches to group brainstorming that get everyone’s thoughts onto the agenda paper. Part of this is moving beyond merely verbal communication (which favors those with power and verbal ability), and using visual media and even ‘group media’ that distributes power beyond those who talk first and best.

Law draws on anthropological insights about different cultures’ views of power and digs into some significant Bible passages. For example, he argues the biggest miracle of Pentecost was not the miracle of tongues but the miracle of the ear – people could hear and understand people of different cultures! This was a challenging book that opened my eyes to multicultural power dynamics I have been oblivious to. It is also a valuable resource book that goes beyond telling me what not to do, to show me practical steps for collaborative leadership in a multicultural community.

Rev Dr Darren Cronshaw is the BUV’s Coordinator of Leadership Training and the Pastor at Auburn Baptist Church.