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Overview

Some of us understand things a lot better when we can see them. If concepts can be turned into diagrams and graphics then they come to life. More than that - meaning comes to life.

Essentially the Matrix is a tool to assist us in understanding the total communication of the Gospel and especially in the cross-cultural environment. It recognises that there are basically three elements at work: cognitive (what we know), affective (what we feel) and spiritual. All three are intertwined as they together work in a person's life as part of his spiritual pilgrimage.

The essential thing

The Matrix shows us that in our Christian witness we need to pay as much attention to the listener - his context, understanding, background, hurts, barriers to belief, etc. - as we do to the basics of the verbal message itself and Christian doctrine in particular

Our communication - through relationships - is effective if it breaks down barriers of resistance to the Gospel and moves the listener to new levels of openness. Here he will be open to learning more, drawn by the compelling love of Jesus as demonstrated through his people as they live out the fruits of the Holy Spirit in their lives and actions. It is a process of pulling - rather than pushing...

Seen in this light our attempts to impart knowledge and understanding alone fall woefully short of the mark. Moreover, an examination of the Gospel account suggests that a knowledge-based approach is poles apart from the sensitive interaction that Jesus practised as he engaged individuals in the course of his ministry.

Personal testimony

(Frank Gray writes: )When I first came across the Engel Scale in 1974 I was working in the Far East in a cross-cultural media environment. The religious background of the local people seemed to provide few connections with the Gospel... What we as missionaries were saying - though well-intentioned - was not being well understood. With the Engel Scale I began immediately to understand why... Lights began to come on. It gave some powerful insights and confirmed a lot of my gut feelings and instincts.

But as I began to apply the Scale in my own work context I began to see that the single (cognitive) dimension - although extremely helpful - was incomplete. There was much more to effective communication than simply imparting knowledge...

This Web site

Our purpose here is to enable Christian workers to come to a better understanding regarding the effective communication of the Good News about Jesus. It attempts to do this by a variety of means: