Category: Bible
Jesus’ Purifying Death
After Jesus died, something strange happened. “The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the holy ones who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to…
Purity and Pollution in the Gospels
“Jews in the first century focused on external, ritual purity. Then Jesus came along and erased all the Jewish purity regulations. He emphasized on the internal, moral dimensions of the Law.” Such thinking is the standard Christian interpretation of Jesus’…
Posted in Bible
Paul’s Rhetoric of Shame in Philemon, ala John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom preached four homilies on Paul’s letter to Philemon. The fourth-century bishop of Constantinople was trained in Greek rhetoric, so he discusses the various ways that Paul uses honor and shame to influence Philemon. The words “honor” and “shame”…
The Origins of Guilt-Shame-Fear
From where do we get the categories of “guilt,” “shame,” and “fear”? People do not use these terms to classify themselves. Rather, they are outside (etic) terms that researchers have used to describe the primary relational patterns in groups. In…
Posted in Bible
New Webzine: Women, Honour, & Shame
The online forum When Women Speak has published a new webzine on the topic of honor and shame. Below is a list of the articles, which are introduced in the editorial. A sentence from the opening page explains why these articles…
4 Honor-Shame Motifs of Lamentations 1
The realities of dishonor and shame pervade the book of Lamentations (see previous post). Four motifs express the honor-shame dynamics in Lamentations 1—defilement, loneliness, subjugation, and desperation, as this post explores. Defilement The poet portrays the destruction of Israel is…
Honor and Shame in Lamentations
The book of Lamentations features two of my least favorite things in the world—poetry and suffering. I enjoy many other biblical books more than Lamentations. But in seasons of loss and anguish, the voice of Lamentations has drawn my attention…
Honor and Shame as (New) Covenant Language
The removal of shame is a new covenant reality. When God (re)makes his covenant, he removes the shame of his people. This covenantal context, I believe, is crucial to properly understanding the nature of biblical shame, and, thus, salvation as…
Honor and Shame in Letter of Aristeas
Letter of Aristeas is a second-century BC “historical letter” explaining the composition of the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament, i.e., LXX) by Jews in Alexandria. Honor and shame are prominent motifs in the story. The Plot The…
Ruth 1 (HSP)
This paraphrase of Ruth 1 is from the new book Ruth: An Honor-Shame Paraphrase. A long time ago before the days of king David, a man named Elimelech lived in his ancestral village of Bethlehem. There was a famine in the land…
Highest Honour
This post is excerpted from the new devotional book Highest Honour: 60 Days Toward Honouring God With Your Whole Life, by Kenosi Molato and S. E. Freeman. Every day of our lives we are faced with decisions. Sometimes they are big…
Updated Data for The Global Culture Map
The data for the “Global Map of Culture Types” has been updated and doubled. Click here to view and use the map. This free, interactive tool visualizes all results from TheCultureTest.com. The initial launch (March 2018) included data from the first…
Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes (Jackson Wu)
Do you want to see Romans from an honor-shame perspective? Here is the book! Jackson Wu’s latest book, Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Pauls’ Message and Mission (IVP Academic) is now available. Here is the publisher’s description: What…
Visualizing the Resurrection
Christians throughout history have used art to communicate theology. Most paintings are rather straightforward in their depiction of a gospel scene. But the scene of the resurrection of Jesus is an enigma. The miracle of Jesus’ resurrection was not directly…
Creation to Christ Story
Andy Smith has served in Southeast Asia since 1989. He is the International Coordinator for Evangelization with OMF International. Several years ago I learned about Creation to Christ stories. These stories summarize the Bible. Versions range from 1 minute to…
New Article: Theology of Honor & Shame (by J Wu)
The recent edition of Themelios journal (The Gospel Coalition) published Jackson Wu’s article “Have Theologians No Sense of Shame? How the Bible Reconciles Objective and Subjective Shame.” This article clearly sets forth a biblical theology of honor and shame. I recommend…
Biblically, What Is Your ‘Name’?
Author and teacher Lois Tvarberg is co-founder of the En-Gedi Resource Center. This post is adapted from her recent book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus International communications trainer Sarah Lanier has traveled the globe to teach about cultural differences. In…
Posted in Bible, Communication, Culture, Relationships, Theology Tagged with: collective, Lois Tvarberg, name, Sarah Lanier, shem
CAUTION: Honor-Shame is “Unbalanced” and “Extreme”!!
“Watch out! Honor and shame can lead to unbalanced extremes!” At least this is the concern of some people when they hear about honor-shame. They worry that emphasizing honor-shame might lead Christians to neglect essential tenets of orthodox, biblical theology.…
A Fourth Category of ‘Pain-Pleasure’?
Along with guilt-innocence, shame-honor, and fear-power, should there be a fourth category of “pain-pleasure”? This post considers the merit of this idea. The Idea of Pain-Pleasure Philosophers have long considered the feelings of pain and pleasure to be part of…
“Honor Restored”—New Evangelism Tool from Cru
Last summer several Cru staff members attended the Honor-Shame conference in Wheaton. After the conference, they began discussing and designing a new honor-shame evangelism tool that could used in a smart-phone app. Their new tool “Honor Restored” launched in December…
