New Article about Honor, Discipleship, and Christian Identity

Dr. Chris Flanders has published a new article, “Honor, Discipleship, and Christian Identity: How Attention to Cultural Honor Can Facilitate Christian Movements in the Buddhist World” in the Journal of Asian Mission (Vol. 26, No. 1; May 2025), which is available (for free, with an account) at https://journalofasianmission.org/downloads/jam-vol-26-no-1-may-2025/. 

The article argues that understanding how honor shapes people’s identity is key to helping Christian movements grow in Buddhist societies. In most Buddhist-majority cultures, honor is tied to community and family, not just the individual—so a person’s sense of self depends on how well they live up to shared cultural expectations. When someone becomes a Christian in these settings, they often face a clash between their new identity in Christ and their old identity rooted in national, cultural, or family honor. To respond well, churches need to become “identity laboratories” that teach believers how to see their honor as coming from God rather than from social approval. Drawing lessons from Paul’s letters, the article shows how early Christians used “honor discourse”—language that praised faithfulness and redefined what it means to be honorable—to help believers stand strong against outside shame. For today’s churches in Buddhist contexts, this means shaping rituals, language, and community life that affirm both cultural and Christian forms of honor. By doing so, local Christians can live faithfully “in Christ” without losing their cultural rootedness—forming disciples who are both authentically Buddhist-world and authentically Christian.