Beyond the Barriers of Discipline and Culture

Authors

Erich Baumgartner, Andrews UniversityFollow

First Page

4

Last Page

7

Abstract

"culture sometimes prevents us from appreciating the very gifts offered to us, at least at first. in one place i learned a dimension of friendship that my culture does not allow me to experience easily. it happened when i was teaching Leadership Development to teachers and administrators of religious organizations in India. the first thing i noticed was their eagerness to learn in the classroom and their desire to share the beauty of their city and cultural sites with me. i enjoyed both, the classroom and the time outside the classroom. But i was unprepared for a gesture of friendship which men do not commonly practice in my country: men holding hands with men. Every time i walked with my students on campus, one of them would reach for my hand. i had to learn that this was perfectly acceptable in their context, even though it wasn’t in mine."

Recommended Citation

Baumgartner, Erich (2017) "Beyond the Barriers of Discipline and Culture," Journal of Applied Christian Leadership: Vol. 11: No. 2, 4-7.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jacl/vol11/iss2/1