Author: HonorShame
resources for Majority World ministry
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 …
Jesus’ Miraculous Healing Honor
Zech Hogan, a student from my class at Eternity Bible College, developed this 3-minute video about Jesus’ healing of the bleeding woman. Zech offers a great example of “Honor Christology.” For being a short video, it is quite amazing. I appreciate his creative and impactful …
3 Facts About Isaiah’s Suffering Servant
Isaiah 53 is central for understanding the identity of Jesus Christ; in part because NT writers frequently quote it to explain the cross. Evangelicals tend to read this passage as how “the suffering servant removes sinners’ guilt before God” or …
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 …
How Jesus Atones For My Shame
Guest Mako A. Nagasawa is a campus minister at Harvard and Boston College with the New Humanity Institute, and founding director of New Humanity Institute.“Don’t you know how much I sacrificed for you???” Those words shaped my sense of self, …
Biola Course on Shame
“Honor & Shame Themes in Scripture & Ministry .” A graduate level course from Biola University, School of Intercultural Studies. Chang Mai, Thailand. A one-week intensive in August 8-12, 2016. Taught by Dr. Tom Steffen, this course investigates the roles of …
7 Reasons Jesus Has Supreme Honor
God acted decisively through Jesus Christ to confirm his glory and restore honor to the human family. Jesus, being the essence and perfect embodiment of God’s Honor, was uniquely qualified for the task. For Jesus to atone for sin, he …
“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 …
“In the Form of God” (Phil 2:6)
Guest Joseph Hellerman (Ph.D., UCLA) is Professor of NT Language and Literature at Talbot School of Theology. His publications, both scholarly and practical, examine aspects of honor and shame in the New Testament. This post adapts portions of his latest book, an …
Towards an “Honor Christology”
by Jayson Georges“Who do you say that I am?”—Jesus Your answer determines everything. Interestingly, this question was for Jesus’ disciples, not unbelievers. Who we say Jesus is doesn’t always match who he actually is (Mt 16:13-20). The limited Christology found in …
Culture Profile: Haiti
Sean Christensen serves with World Team as a Bible college professor, training current and future church leaders in Haiti. Sean and his students recently surveyed nearly 400 Haitians using TheCultureTest.com.What does honor & shame look like in Haiti? Although Haitian …
Culture Profile: Kenya
Martin Munyao (Th.M., Daystar Academy of Nairobi) was a pastor and theology teacher in Kenya. He is earning his Ph.D. at Concordia Theological Seminary. What is your research/ministry focus? I am researching the values of honor and shame in African …
An Objective View of Shame
Evangelicals commonly perceive shame as just subjective and personal, thus negating the theological and objective dimensions of shame. In this recent post (reposted with permission), Jackson Wu offers a more complete view of both guilt and shame. This topic is crucial, since …
Culture Profile: Thailand
Chris Flanders (Ph.D. Fuller) is Director of the Halbert Institute of Missions at Abilene Christian University. He lived 11 years in Thailand doing church planting, and has published About Face. What does honor & shame look like in your context? Honor/shame is like gravity. It is everywhere, it …
5 Facts about Asian-American Shame
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 …
H-S Resources in 8 Languages
The proclamation of God’s honor for the shamed must extend far beyond the confines of English. Here are honor-shame resources in 8 different languages. From my experience (and observation), just learning the vocabulary for speaking about honor and shame is a paramount …
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 …