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The denial of absolute truth is one of the most outstanding and pervasive characteristics of 20 century thinking (Cottrell, 2002). Nurses and other healthcare professionals are encouraged to tolerate all worldviews of their clients and not to assume that there is only one right worldview when treating a client. This predicament of cultural relativism means that we cannot be 100% certain of truth. However, 100% certainty is not necessary in order for one to have strong conviction or to have moral certainty as to the meaning of truth with a position. It is the position of this paper that there is a biblical understanding of truth that can help to guide nurses in effectively caring for culturally and ethnically diverse clients. The intent of this article is to provide the discipline and practice of nursing with transcultural truth that is biblically based. It is my hope that stimulation and a greater awareness of the attention and the need to incorporate biblical beliefs will help one to become more culturally competent.
KEY WORDS: Cultural Care; Cultural Competence; Healthcare Delivery Models; Cultural Diversity; Nursing Models; Theology Models.
In responding to the call for papers for this Special Edition of the Journal of Multicultural Nursing and Health focusing on "Raising Awareness," I was posed with a dilemma. Do I submit an unobjectionable manuscript with a focus on spirituality and cultural competence; or as a Christian, do I submit a paper on the Bible and how its relevance can help one to become more culturally competent? In contemplating this decision, I conducted a review of the literature, which revealed that a biblical understanding of cultural competence was an under-represented topic. Given that the purpose of this special edition is "to feature topics under-represented in the literature that demand greater attention and awareness," I chose the potentially controversial path of presenting a model of cultural competence that has its foundation in the Bible. I realize that this topic may be foreign to some readers. I ask only that you read this article with an open mind, taking what you can use from it to your personal journey towards becoming more culturally competent.
Cultural Relativism and the Egocentric Predicament
The denial of absolute truth is one of the most outstanding...