Makenzie Moyes

Hallie Wenhold

Intercultural Diversity

8 September, 2021

Journal 1

After learning about Christ-like intercultural communication and cultural reconciliation, I

have learned so many reasons on why the world communicates and responds the way we do.

Communication with diversity is something I never really would think about before, realize how

often we do it, and know how important it is. From what I have seen in the past year, I think

more of the United States as being a defense mechanism due to the way we have responded to

race and the pandemic. This is the way we have learned to grow up, as well as blend into

evolving social norms because they have significantly changed from 20 years ago to now.

Christ-like intercultural communication personally means people of different color and

ethnicities conversing in a Christ-like manner and God being the center of their actions and

words. Cultural reconciliation means acknowledging the past to better our future through

pursuing unity through Christ in diversity.

Having intercultural communication is so important, but in a Christ-like manner, it makes

it even more meaningful. To have Christ centered around the way we communicate with people

of different races and ethnicities makes absolute sense because God created all of these different

types of people in the first place. To be able to know and understand where all of these different

people come from and why they were created the way they were makes it more special. It can

allow us to not jump to assumptions and judgements so quickly, as well as become more
understanding of nonverbals and different ways people can show love and appreciation, but also

hate.

Cultural reconciliation can allow us to go back, look at what we did wrong or shouldn’t

have done, and fix it for future generations. This is important because norms for racial

interaction and intercultural communication are constantly changing. A good example would be

the way people SHOULD view color rather than tell others “we don’t see it.” This in the past

wasn’t necessarily thought of as wrong, but ever since the George Floyd incident took place in

2020, black people are now wanting others to really notice the difference they have in their skin,

and to realize how differently they are treated because of it. They want other races to stand by

them and be with them, but also really notice the difference between them and why the George

Floyd action was such a problem. So reconciliation helps to acknowledge what we have done in

the past, learn from it, and figure out ways we can change this area moving forward.

Communication is so important and it is essential to realize how we communicate to

different people in different ways. We will continue to communicate verbally or nonverbally for

the rest of our lives, it is just a matter of how we do it. Depending on the group we’re apart of,

our skin color, hair color, traditions and practices, we are all still brothers and sisters in Christ, so

it is crucial we understand each other.