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 contents that lasting change comes only through the transformation of the stories by which we live. 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 cross-cultural 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.

The author has given us another provocative and much-needed book. All who are involved in cross-cultural ministries, especially development professionals, will welcome Bruce Bradshaw’s Change across Cultures. Bradshaw, equipped with field experience and academic rigor, tackles some knotty issues facing those who desire to transform the cultural narratives–worldviews and moral assumptions–of the peoples of the world through the narrative of God’s redemptive relationship with creation. The book is comprehensive in the treatment of development sectors, biblically sound, diverse in the use of multidisciplinary sources, and masterfully written. It is definitely an addition to the current discussion on biblical holism crucial to the church’s worldwide mission.–Tetsunao Yamamori, president emeritus, Food for the Hungry International

By exploring many dimensions of cultures and drawing stories from around the world, this book makes fascinating reading. It also makes a valuable contribution to those seeking a better understanding of the relationship between gospel and culture. This requires that we understand other cultures and the values undergirding them, and storytelling plays a major role in bringing about cultural change.—Eric Ram, Director of International Health and International Relations, World Vision