Category: Relationships

By Posted on Posted in Culture, Evangelism, Jesus, Ministry, Missiology, Relationships, Theology 4 Comments Tagged with , ,
A conversation with a young Central Asian Muslim changed my theology forever.We were having a conversation about God, and there was an open door to share the gospel, so I said something like, “Your sins make you guilty before God, …

3 Tips for Evangelism in Honor-Shame Cultures Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Culture, Evangelism, Honor, Relationships 4 Comments Tagged with , , , ,
Rich (B.Th) has worked in the Arab world for 6 years and is researching patronage in Arabic language, culture and theology.Arabs look to community leaders to help them, including managers, fathers, businessmen, celebrities and teachers. My university students expected me to …

5 Lessons I Learned From Being a Terrible Patron Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Ministry, Missiology, Relationships, Shame, Spirituality, Theology 6 Comments Tagged with , , ,
How should people confess their sin? What form should confession take?I was raised Catholic, so the the word “confession” means reliving those experiences as a mischievous little boy shuddering in a confessional booth saying, “Forgive me father for I have …

How Honor-Shame Cultures Confess Sins Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Bible, Culture, Honor, In The News, Relationships, Shame 7 Comments Tagged with , ,
The diplomatic tiff this week between Germany and Turkey is the same thorn bush that often entangles Western missionaries.The German Parliament adopted a symbolic resolution declaring the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 a “genocide.” The Ottomans killed over 1 million Armenians, …

Making Peace like Jesus, not Germany Read more »

By Posted on Posted in OT, Relationships, Shame, Sin, Theology 12 Comments Tagged with , , , , ,
When David slept with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11:1-13), why was that sin? David thought nothing was amiss, “but the thing that David had done displeased Yahweh” (2 Sam 11:27). Exactly why was God displeased? Despite common assumptions, the Bible does not portray David’s …

How David Sinned with Bathsheba Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Jesus, NT, Relationships 6 Comments Tagged with , ,
This post is part of the online conversation “Leading and Ministering in Honor-Shame Contexts” in April 2016. Click here to read reflections and insights from mission practioners. In many countries, patronage is the de facto socio-economic system.Patronage can be defined as “a reciprocal relationship between unequals.” The …

To Be, or Not To Be … a Patron? Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Culture, Missiology, Relationships, Sin No Comments Tagged with , , ,
This post is part of the online conversation “Leading and Ministering in Honor-Shame Contexts” in April 2016. Click here to read reflections and insights from mission practioners. Have you heard (or personally experienced) this story before?  Once upon a time…a national Christian worked for a Western ministry …

Resolving Conflict…Without Shaming Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Honor, Ministry, Missiology, Relationships, Resources, Shame, Sin, Spirituality 2 Comments Tagged with , , , ,
What is addiction? How is addiction healed? This new TED talk—“Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong”—connects these questions about addiction to shame and honor (granted, it uses language besides “honor” and “shame” to do so). Research shows …

An Answer for Addiction Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Honor, Ministry, Missiology, Relationships 3 Comments Tagged with , ,
Our previous post introduced the idea of restorative justice. Here are three applications of restorative justice. 1-Cross-Cultural Relationships Here is a common scenario Western missionaries face: When I confronted a national believer over the problem of _________, he felt shamed and …

3 Ways To Apply Restorative Justice Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Culture, Relationships, Resources, Shame, Spirituality 1 Comment Tagged with , ,
Sam Louie (M.A., Clinical Psychology) is a therapist and speaker near Seattle, WA. He published Asian Shame and Addiction and Asian Honor, and blogs at Psychology Today.As a therapist specializing in shame and addictions within the Asian-American culture, here are 5 …

5 Facts about Asian-American Shame Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Ministry, Relationships, Shame 6 Comments Tagged with , , ,
Readers enjoyed Colin E. Andrew’s earlier post “5 Rude Things Honor-Shame Cultures Say.” In this post, he turns the tables. Here are 5 “rude” things Westerners say, even when trying to be polite. 1. “My friend!” “Hey Rafshan! This is my …

5 Shameful Things Westerners Say Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Evangelism, Honor, Ministry, Missiology, News, NT, OT, Relationships, Shame, Sin, Spirituality, Theology 1 Comment Tagged with , , , , , , ,
Learn how the gospel speaks to all cultures. Western theology emphasizes legal forgiveness of sins, but people in the Majority World seek honor or spiritual power.  In today’s globalized world, Christians need a three-dimensional gospel. Learn how the Bible speaks to cultures …

New book: THE 3D GOSPEL Read more »