Saving Us from Me: Cultivating Honor and Shame in a Collectivistic Church (original) (raw)
Related papers
Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures: Biblical Foundations and Practical Essentials
2020
Jayson Georges and Mark Baker have undertaken a very ambitious goal that extends well beyond trying to help Western Christians understand differences between their cultures with those of other cultures . They clearly state that their “aim is to lead you [the Western Christian reader] in a paradigm shift — to see God ’s world and God ’s Word through a new lens” (30) in order to “encourage and foster . . .self-theologizing” among “honorshame natives” (21). It is this reviewer ’s conviction that the unfortunate and devastating result is that Georges and Baker present us with a different theology , a different gospel , and a different way to proselytize and disciple those who accept their “honor-shame” ideology .
Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies and APTS Press, 2021
In Honor, Shame and the Gospel editors Christopher Flanders and Werner Mischke have assembled fifteen essays that grew out of a 2017 conference of the same title. Because this is an edited book with essays from a wide range of authors, Flanders and Mischke’s introductory chapter serves the critical function of explaining the purpose of the book and provides some foundational background for thinking about honor and shame. We learn there that the 2017 conference had its roots in a 2014 conference on orality and that it was the orality movement that saw how the biblical worldview filled with honor and shame serves as a linking point from the first century to the current century (xix). The subtitle to the conference and the book, Reframing Our Message and Ministry, reveals the underlying premise that global mission from cultural settings that are less focused on issues of honor and shame will benefit from the recovery of this aspect of biblical worldview and that such a renewed understanding will impact both theology and practice (xix-xx). The stated goal of the book is the hope that gaining insight into the dynamics of honor and shame will help cross-cultural workers to reframe the way they do ministry and communicate the Gospel as well as stimulate the ongoing honor-shame conversation (xxvii).
Sacra Testamentum, 2019
In recent studies, honor and shame has gained quite amount of attention from scholars: anthropologists and psychologists. However, theologians have on the other hand overlooked this pervasive yet critical human phenomenon. There seems to be a paucity of theological resources whereby to engage honor and shame related issues in community and collective based societies. While this is a trendy subject in other disciplines, it deserves a great deal of attention in black reflections on Christian studies. Moreover, it is critical that whenever Biblical studies are in engagement with social-political that honor and shame is surfaced. This is because, honor and shame, being pivotal cultural values of the Ancient Mediterranean world where the Bible was written are also present in most African societies today. Unfortunately, current theological discourse doesn't engage honor-shame as a cultural and theological component to Biblical studies. Therefore, this paper will firstly demonstrate how the theme of honor and shame is pervasive throughout the Bible. Secondly, the paper will argue that while honor and shame are replete in the Scripture, seem to be missing in Biblical studies as well as in African Christianity. Thirdly, the paper will argue how cultural values of honor and shame have played a significant role in shaping morality and behavior in collective and shame-based societies. Lastly, while different shades of honor/shame can be negative, the paper will suggest ways in which a biblical
Rewriting the Gospel for Oral Cultures: Why Honor and Shame are Essential to the Gospel Story
Beyond Literate Western Cultures, 2015
In this chapter, I demonstrate the intrinsic relationship between the gospel and an honor-shame worldview. In short, the gospel is framed by honor and shame. This point is important not only for theology, but also for missions, particularly in oral cultures. In the first section, I will show how biblical authors explain the gospel in ways that make sense to oral learners who are often characterized by an honor-shame worldview. Drawing from this thesis, I will then highlight a few implications for both theological education and contextualization.
How Christ saves God's face . . . and ours: A soteriology of honor and shame
Missiology, 2016
Honor and shame are critical aspects of a biblical soteriology. In order to demonstrate the point, this article surveys three key doctrines-sin, atonement, and justification by faith. Shame is a subjective and objective reality. It is both the consequence and defining feature of sin. Within the context of a collectivistic covenant relationship, Christ pays the honor-debt owed by those who give their loyalty to him. In so doing, Christ not only glorifies his people; more importantly, he saves God's face.
Landscapes of shame in the church : a typology to inform ministerial praxis
2016
This thesis answers the question How might an understanding of shame in the church inform approaches to ministerial praxis? It is methodologically a creative piece of practical theology which begins and ends with an autoethnographic reflection, drawing on the metaphor of landscape. The practical theology methodology involved the following stages: noticing; reflexivity; describing, naming; focusing; investigating; analysing; evaluating; theorizing, synthesizing; and responding, while drawing on insights from a mixed methods approach to qualitative research. The empirical research involved an anonymous online survey (261 respondents) to church leaders, church members and theological educators and two representative focus groups. Shame is defined phenomenologically using a range of disciplines; a review of literature relevant to shame and ministerial praxis is included. The unique contribution this thesis makes is twofold. Firstly, the development of an empirically underpinned typology...
Theological Education in Honor-Shame Cultures: Why Worldview Matters for Oral Learners
Orality Journal, 2014
In recent years, evangelicals have gained greater appreciation for the needs of oral learners. In particular, people increasingly realize the importance storying in theological instruction. This contrasts traditional, reading intensive methods. In effect, evangelical ministries, such as the International Orality Network (ION), shift our focus from the “what” question to the “how” question. Rather than debating the content of our message (“what”), we now consider the way (“how”) we convey the truth. Although communication and application are critical, they are not most fundamental to contextualization. As I have argued elsewhere, contextualization begins at the level of interpretation, which is dependent on worldview. How often do we overlook the cultural lens through which we reach our theological conclusions? We desperately need humility to acknowledge how denominational and organizational subcultures can mislead us into “theological syncretism,” whereby we confuse the gospel with our theological tradition. We address worldviews by asking “why” questions. Worldview questions involve our rationale (Why do we believe this?) and heart (Why is this important?). We need to consider a number of more basic issues before asking, “What stories should we tell?” (information) or “How do we tell them?” (technique). “Why” concerns understanding; thus, it determines and shapes application (i.e. what? how?). Oral cultures tend to share certain characteristics. For instance, many oral learners have an “honor-shame” worldview. By contrast, western missionaries are likely to emphasize themes like law and guilt. Even if the latter have good doctrine (“what” should we believe?) and strong communication skills (“how” to tell a story), a more basic problem remains. They do not speak the same “worldview language.” Therefore, missionaries may not answer the key “why” questions that matter most to oral learners. Worse still is that the missionaries potentially convey the notion that the Bible mainly speaks about Western concerns. In this paper, I will briefly answer two important “why” questions. First, why do oral learners think the way they do? Second, why are honor and shame important for gospel ministry? I will conclude by suggesting a few applications for theological education.