Imagination is a key activity as missionaries work at a border in the face of cultural differences. The achievements of recent anthropologists can shed light on the effective use of imagination. Clifford Geertz examines the styles of four anthropologists as they reflect on their cultural engagements. Kenneth Burke provides a succinct analysis of the respective anthropological strategies. The four approaches together provide a self-corrective array of practices so that missionaries can reflect on their experience, train themselves in the activity of symbolic imagination, and as they announce the Word, develop patterns for joining with their addressees through community and collaboration.
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