Tag: culture
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…
Charlie Hebdo, Being Human, & Gal 5
I happened to be in France the week after the Charlie Hebdo tragedy. Reactions to the events revealed the rather large gap between the cultural values of “individualism” and “collectivism.” Yet, the incident surrounding Charlie Hebdo reveals not only two distinct…
VBS is Shame-less (Individualism vs. Collectivism)
My dear three-year old came home from Vacation Bible School eager to show me her activity poster (below). I read it, and complimented her work. Then as any good father would, I sat her down to explain the individualism of…
Exodus: The Story Behind the Movie
For Bible-related movies like Exodus: Gods and Kings, Christians are often quick to note to what extent the movie is faithful to the biblical story. But, how faithful is our Christian retelling of the exodus to the biblical story? Do we…
LeBron Dishonors (Touches) The Royal Princess!
The media buzzed this week when LeBron James broke royal protocol—he touched the Royal Duchess Kate of Cambridge. The incident is a classic clash of honor codes.The USA Today reported: At the NBA game Monday night in Brooklyn, James either forgot,…
Understanding Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures
“We have to reckon with three different types of reactions to transgressions of religiously sanctioned codes: fear, shame, and guilt.” (Eugene Nida, Customs and Cultures [1954], p. 150)Christian missiologists identify three responses to sin in human cultures: guilt, shame, and fear.…
Posted in Communication, Culture, Honor, Missiology, Relationships Tagged with: 3D Gospel, culture, guilt/shame/fear, TheCultureTest
TheCultureTest.com – A New Tool
To make it easier for people to learn about Honor-Shame cultures, I have developed: TheCultureTest.com is a free assessment tool for learning your group’s culture type – guilt, shame, or fear. It is like a personality test, but for groups…
Posted in Communication, Culture, Ministry, Missiology, Relationships Tagged with: 3D Gospel, culture, missiology, TheCultureTest, training
Why Western Theology Neglects HonorShame
The themes of honor and shame are woven throughout scripture, and most of the world frames life in terms of honor and shame, yet they are virtually absent in our contemporary theology, This gap in Western Protestant theology is (partially)…
