Author: HonorShame
resources for Majority World ministry
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 …
The Disgraced Human Family (Gen 4-11)
After the fall of Adam and Eve, the storyline of Genesis reads like a season of Arrested Development (or any other sitcom about a dysfunctional family) – a series of episodes featuring the human family’s disgrace and dysfunction. Humans sense …
The Shame of Original Sin (Gen 3)
Adam and Eve’s glorious and shame-free life did not last long. They sin, and shame enters the world. (Previous posts on their honor at a creation – HERE and HERE.) After eating the fruit, Adam and Eve cover themselves with fig leaves. They do …
What is the ‘Image of God’? God’s Face!
What exactly is ‘the image of God’? Western theology asks which facet of humans makes them ‘like’ God – intelligence, emotions, morality?? This approach defines the precise qualities that people share with God (personality, will, sensibility, etc.) from a philosophical …
7 Subcultures of Shame in America
Shame is a dominant moral emotion in many pockets of American society. These subcultures use public praise and scorn to regulate behavior. In such groups, a person’s reputation is determined by their ability to meet the group expectations, the unwritten …
In the Beginning…Honor
Q: “If Adam was a Central Asian, what type of person would he be?” A: “Oh! He would be a respected guy! People would honor him because…” This conversation with my Central Asian friend helped me to see the various …
ISIS – Terrorizing or Shaming?
Guest blogger Colin E. Andrews has lived in Central Asia for 10 years and Southeast Asia for 4 years. The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) has been in the headlines for months now. Western journalists and governments have …
The Cost of (Unequal) Wealth
The facts are in regarding economic inequality. It exists!In America, the top 1% own 33% of the wealth in America, the next 9% own another third, and the bottom 90% of Americans own the final 33% of wealth. (The bottom …
Work & Vocation in Honor-Shame Cultures
This post was originally published at the Washington Institute‘s Missio blog. Is our work sacred? Does God “see” what you and I do from 8am – 5pm? Beyond the paycheck, do our jobs mean something? In our ever secularized world, contemporary Christians …
How Paying Money Honors (and Shames)
Does Paying Money Honor or Dishonor?In 1969, the St. Louis Cardinals traded their All-Star center fielder, Curt Flood, to the Phillies. During the days before free agency, MLB players were owned by one team for life. Instead of reporting to …
Top 7 Honor-Shame Videos
I created a new resources page of videos I commonly use when doing honor-shame trainings. If you only have time to watch one, I recommend the 2-minute “Africa Mercy Ships“. It is powerful, encouraging, and illuminating. The videos include: TEACHINGS ON …
Another FREE BOOK, and HS Missiology
WIN ANOTHER FREE BOOK! We are doing one more promotional book giveaway. Last week’s winners of Misinterpreting Scripture were Clive of Chicago, who learned of @HonorShame on Twitter from Mike in Long Beach. This week’s book is Shame Interrupted: How God …
Nails vrs. Screws, and a FREE BOOK!
WIN A FREE BOOK! To broaden the conversation about honor & shame, we are giving away Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes. Although the book is about hermeneutics, cross-cultural workers are finding it highly relevant for ministry as well. (If you …
6 Places Honor & Shame Hide in the Bible
Here is something we have all experienced: You are looking to buy a new car, and begin eyeing (for example) the Toyota Corolla. Now that you are thinking about buying a Corolla, they begin popping everywhere on the road! Where …
How Authoritarian Leaders Could Lead
Guest blogger Arley Loewen (Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Studies) has lived in Afghanistan and published several books, including a short novel, where he explores honor-shame themes. He now directs an international media project and teaches leadership seminars, through which he analyzes …
Why Shame is a HUGE Problem
Imagine the following scenarios: You have labored for two years developing an English program to reach the community. When your director visits, he dismisses the purpose and value of the English ministry. You look out your front window, and see two neighbor …
What is God’s Mission? Honor as Missio Dei
Since the 1950’s Christian missiology has used the phrase missio Dei (Latin for the ‘sending/mission of God’) to frame God’s missional, saving activity in the world. What is the missio Dei in scripture? How exactly is God working to save people? Honorification is missio Dei. …
The Geography of Shame: East vrs. West
When I teach on honor-shame dynamics in ministry and the Bible, people often comment, “You speak about shame in other cultures, but I think shame is a big issue here in America.” Westerners seem to feel decreasingly less guilt, and …
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) …
HonorShame in LA & DC, July 2014
In July, I’ll be on both coasts facilitating discussions on HonorShame, join us if you are in the area. “HonorShame Convo for Happy Hour” in Long Beach, CA, July 1 @ 2pm. An informal training and discussion for Christians working among …