Author: HonorShame
resources for Majority World ministry
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 …
Yes, I Do Believe in Sin.
I often hear this, “Your ideas about shame are helpful, but what about sin?” People assume that since I talk about God’s salvation from shame, that I don’t believe much about sin (which is a rather curious assumption IMO). So …
HS Bible Training Curriculum
Bible colleges around the world commonly use curriculum from Western seminaries—sometimes directly translating the syllabi, course books, and textbooks. Though missionaries rarely favor this situation, it appears to persist simply due to a lack of alternatives. How else can the …
Culture Profile: Ireland
Guest blogger Roy Angle has lived and worked in Dublin, Ireland for 12 years. Though it may surprise people, honor and shame play unique roles in Irish culture, due in part to Ireland’s Latin roots.What does honor and shame look …
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 …
Culture Profile: Botswana
Sandra Freeman has served with her husband in Botswana since 2001 doing discipleship and business mentoring. How is honor-shame manifested in Botswana? Honor and shame are all over, but here are three simple examples.In child rearing—a child does not ‘get into trouble’ …
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 …
Wedding Crashers…or Honored Guests?
This was the lead article Saturday morning on the New York Times.When a young Afghan man walked into his wedding celebration, there were 600 extra guests. He ordered the caterers to feed all the strangers. His rationale–“If I didn’t serve …
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 …
What the Bible Says About Honor & Shame
This posts explains (almost) everything the Bible says about honor and shame, which is a fair amount. Instead of being a book or article, it is three pictures…technically, word clouds. The concepts of honor and shame extend far beyond the words …
Honor-Shame in Africa
There seems to be a lack of literature about honor-shame in Africa. Compared with Asian and Arab culture, I have discovered only a few anthropological and theological resources on the topic. Here is what I have found to date. If …
10 Ways the Cross Atones for Shame
Guest Mark Baker (Ph.D., Duke) is Professor of Mission and Theology at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. Two of his books Recovering the Scandal of the Cross and Proclaiming the Scandal of the Cross explore the saving significance of the cross. …
JANGLED–Short Film by Cru
Cru recently released JANGLED, a short film of 6 minutes dealing with the topic of shame. The film is not an “evangelistic presentation” per se, but a nicely produced “conversation starter” that can easily turn into a spiritual discussion about Jesus. …
Thoughts on Sin and Shame
Recently Doug Coleman asked thoughtful questions about sin in honor-shame terms. Jackson Wu has engaged Coleman’s thoughts on his site (one, two, and three). I greatly appreciate their gracious and constructive tone during this “public conversation,” as they help us understand the nature of …
Honor-Shame Theology in Proverbs
The previous post listed 50 biblical proverbs about honor and shame. The seven categories frame the primary theological themes of Proverbs in relation to honor-shame.Honor is a reward.Pride leads to shame.Fools are shameful.Humans (dis)honor God.A good name reflects honor.Wisdom herself is honorable.The family …
50 Proverbs about Honor & Shame
Here are 50 biblical proverbs about honor and shame, grouped into 7 thematic categories. The next post will analyze these proverbs theologically. I first wanted to introduce these key verses, so you could meditate and reflect on the biblical texts yourself.1-The Reward …
3 Blogs about Shame at Ed Stetzer
Christianity Today’s recent cover article was “The Good News About Shame” by CT executive editor Andy Crouch. This week Ed Stetzer’s blog “The Exchange” is extending that conversation about shame and the gospel with a series of three blogsposts. “4 Keys to Evangelism in Honor-Shame …
“Good News for Shame” – CT’s Cover Story
The cover issue in this month’s Christianity Today is “The Good News about Shame” by Andy Crouch, and you’ll certainly want to read it.Crouch proposes American culture is becoming more shame-based. So consequently, “effective evangelism and discipleship in the next …
A Simple Evangelism Method
Originally posted at EvangelVision.ComI distinctly remember a 2006 conversation with a young Central Asian man named Farhad. It completely changed how I understand and share the gospel. After class, we were standing outside having a conversation about God. There was …