How Dignity Resolves Conflict
“Our desire for connection is deep in our genes. We are living in a false state of alienation. The quality of our lives and our relationships could be vastly improved if we learned how to master the art and science …
Author: HonorShame
resources for Majority World ministry
3 Ways To Apply Restorative Justice
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 …
Restorative Justice
In my experience, the practice of restorative justice is one of the best ways to tangibly embody God’s honor and overcome shame. Unfortunately, people in Western culture rarely practice (or value) restorative justice. One afternoon we got a phone call …
Shame & Violence: Deadly Partners
Violence is inseparably linked with dishonor and shame. To better understand these deadly partners, here are two learning resources—a book and a Missio Nexus webinar. Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic (1996) has become a modern classic in sociology. The …
Because Who is Perfect? (video)
Series: “Putting Honor into Action” This short video “Because Who Is Perfect?” from Pro Infirmus is an inspiring example of relationally and non-verbally proclaiming God’s counter-cultural honor. They feature and promote the inherent dignity of people. I believe this project beautifully testifies …
Putting Honor Into Action
Christian mission mediates God’s honor into the world. The church is the very means by which people experience and understand the glory of God. We are God’s instrument for overcoming shame. Communicating God’s honor happens relationally, not just verbally. How …
Honor-Shame in Jude and 2 Peter
Andrew M. Mbuvi (Ph.D., Westminster) is Associate Prof. of Biblical Studies and Hermeneutics at Shaw University Divinity School. His latest book is a commentary on Jude and 2 Peter (NCCS: Cascade, 2015). In this post, he summarizes the honor-shame dynamics …
L’Évangile en 3D (FR) & 3D Евангелие (RU) are here!!
The book The 3D Gospel is now available in French (L’Évangile en 3D) and Russian (3D Евангелие). They are each $7.99 at Amazon. I’m particularly excited for how these works may be used in the many Francophone and Russian-speaking regions of the …
L’Évangile en 3D (FR) & 3D Евангелие (RU) are here!! Read more »
The Meaning of God’s Grace
Dr. John Barclay is Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham University. His latest book Paul & The Gift (Eerdmans, 2015) is being hailed as “pioneering” and “ground-breaking.” At the recent Society of Biblical Literature, several people called it “the most important book on Pauline …
“Honor > Life,” Says Humanity
Honor is not a matter of life and death. It is more than that. Respect from the community is more important than life itself. The human craving for honor is so great, people would rather die with honor than live …
Did Bathsheba Seduce David?
Did Bathsheba purposefully seek to seduce David when bathing? Some books say Bathsheba “intended” to be seen by the king, presumably to seduce David and get closer to the seat of power. But I think this is misreading Scripture. The Bible portrays …
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 …
10 Free Resources
HonorShame.com released several free resources in 2015, all towards the aim of “mainstreaming a biblical missiology for honor-shame contexts.” Feel free to share these resources with others. You can forward this email, or click here to share via Facebook. Honor & …
Top 10 Blogs in 2015
Here are the top blogposts at HonorShame.com for 2015. Seems like “5” was the lucky number this year! And a special thanks to guests contributors for your great insights.10) The Gospel of ISIS9) What the Bible Says about Honor & Shame (wordclouds)8) A Simple Evangelism …
3 Aspects of Jesus’ Noble Birth
As Christmas approaches, Christians recount a peculiar birth story filled with strange genealogies, distant travels, and supernatural events. God has come, but not quite as expected. How should we read these culturally foreign birth stories?When you hear, “Once upon a …
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 …
9 Must-Knows for Muslim Ministry
This “Field Guide” (at www.ZwemerCenter.com) explains 9 must-knows for ministry in honor-shame societies, especially Muslim contexts. Muslims live (and die) for honor. Guilt and shame are two different cultural/moral systems. Shame is not just an Arab or Asian characteristic. The Bible is …
Jesus’ Death, for Muslims
How is Jesus’ death good news for Muslims? Ten years ago this month EMQ published my article, “A Muslim Theology of Jesus’ Birth and Death.” Though it was well before I began thinking in “honor-shame” terms, I was surprised to see how much my ideas were already …
Is Jesus an “Honored Ancestor” for Africans?
Ancestors play in a familiar role in African society and religion. Some African theologians have used the category of ancestor to develop an “ancestral Christology.” The notion of Jesus as an ancestor, or brother-ancestor, seems worth exploring as a potential example of …