Tag: culture
How Do “Lives Matter”?
“Black lives matter.” “All lives matter.” “Blue lives matter.”These activist slogans are causing a stir. What is the matter with “lives matter”? How can such affirming statements be so divisive?Lives Do Matter. But How?Each slogan claims worth and value for…
Is “Redskins” a Racial Slur, or Honor?
The NFL team in America’s capital is called the Washington “Redskins.” Is that a racial slur against Native Americans? Recent conversations in this heated debate revolve largely around the moral ideal of honor. Here’s the story.Native American leaders have argued…
The Different Faces of Honor-Shame Cultures
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. Honor-shame cultures share something in common with wine. They both have terroir—a unique flavor depending on the context. Honor…
A Global Map of Culture Types
I’m thrilled to share this wonderful infographic “Culture’s Color, God’s Light” from Global Mapping International. The professional map below visualizes the 8,500+ global results from www.TheCultureTest.com to show which countries are guilt, shame, or fear. A minimum threshold of 4 respondents was required…
Posted in Culture, Missiology, Resources Tagged with: culture, guilt/shame/fear, missiology, resource
How We’re Selling Honor
The previous post satirically announced our new Honor Rating (a public forum measuring everybody’s social status) and The Honor Market (a global marketplace for buying and selling your personal honor). That post was fictitious, but the idea is already becoming a reality.…
The (New) Honor Market
The post is a satire. Do you struggle with shame? Do you find it hard to be an honorable person? Welcome to The Honor Market—the 21st-century way to manage your social status. Effective January 1, 2016, the website HonorShame.com has become…
The Gospel for Western Shame
Guest Alan Mann (M.A.) lives in the UK. His latest book Atonement for a Sinless Society (Cascade Publishing, 2015, 2nd ed.) explores the gospel for guilt-less Westerners. This post shares his theological journey.When I was a theological student in the 1990s we…
The Gospel of ISIS
Why does ISIS terrorize? How ideology drives their violence? The answer is related to the “gospel” ISIS actively proclaims. And frankly, I find their “gospel” interesting. Without condoning or dismissing the violence, I would like to explain their “theology.”In June 2014, jihadist militants declared…
“Limited Good” has limited good
Imagine reading this in an African anthropology book:Americans, both Christian and secular, display a peculiar lack of hospitality and generosity. People rarely invite neighbors for meals. And even when they do guests are rarely offered food (and may even be expected to get…
5 Shameful Things Westerners Say
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…
Posted in Communication, Culture, Ministry, Relationships, Shame Tagged with: culture, relationships, shame, West
2 Ways Social Media Fuels Shame
Shame is the result of two things: expectations and exposure. The constant whispers of shame are “You’re not who you should be!” (expectations) and “They’re gonna find out who you really are!” (exposure). Consequently, we strive to live up to…
Posted in Culture, Ministry, News, Spirituality Tagged with: culture, shame, social media, spirituality
Can a Truck Make You Handsome?
In case the previous three posts (Appiah video, Jesus’ teaching, discipleship in 1 Peter) did not clarify the idea of “honor code,” this Chevy truck commercial surely will. They show pictures of the same exact guy, one with a truck and the other…
Do You Want to Change the World?
“Honor is very important in bringing about change in the world.” If you want to bring about change in the world, I suggest this engaging 3 ½ minute video “The Honor Code” with Princeton professor Anthony Kwame Appiah.In his book…
Posted in Culture, Honor, Relationships, Spirituality Tagged with: culture, ethics, honor code, ministry
Yahweh’s Counter-Cultural Honor
Guest Ron Mudge (Ph.D., Concordia Seminary) has served as a missionary to Ivory Coast and Togo, West Africa (1996-2006), and is presently the Rouse Associate Professor of Pre-Seminary Studies at Concordia University Wisconsin. Here is a summary of his article,…
Did the Supreme Court “Honor” Gays?
At The Edge of the Kalahari analyzed the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on homosexual marriage (June 26, 2015) from a cross-cultural perspective. Here is an excerpt, posted with permission. This ruling was more about honour, not the law. This was…
Got Face?
Imagine if I showed you this picture, and said, “Here is a picture of my daughters. Aren’t they adorable?”Why wouldn’t that work? Our physical face is how other people know and recognize us. Our public identity is intimately connected with our…
5 Rude Things Honor-Shame Cultures Say
Guest Colin E. Andrews has lived in Central Asia for 10 years and Southeast Asia for 4 years. Every culture has unwritten rules about what is rude and what is polite. Conflict in cross-cultural communication happens when two cultures have a…
Posted in Communication, Culture, Relationships Tagged with: communication, culture, ministry, relationships
Culture Profile: Cambodia
Guest Mark Fender lived in Cambodia for 12 years, and worked as Country Director for Food For The Hungry. What does honor and shame look like in Cambodia? Probably the most important element in engaging in Cambodian social relationships is…
5 Types of Honor-Shame Cultures
Q: What do honor-shame cultures and wine have in common? A: They both have terroir! Honor and shame cultures always have a unique flavor depending on the context. For example, East Asians response to shame by withdrawing, whereas Middle Easterners will defend their…
Top (Mis?)Quoted Verses of 2014
Christianity Today recently listed “The Most Popular Verses Shared on Twitter in 2014.” Here are the winners:Interestingly, the top four verses have an honor-shame nuance that common interpretations typically filter out. A quick look at these 4 verses provides a window into…
