Author: HonorShame
resources for Majority World ministry
God has saved us from shame unto honor, we are called to worship our Great Patron and Exalt-er. But how exactly? Most public worship and liturgies emphasize confession of transgressions and assurance of pardon/forgiveness, perpetuating the guilt-innocence theological paradigm. But …
The Audience – Lk 15 (4)
As a piece of literature, the parable is rather strange…it has no ending! What happened with the older son? … the village celebration? …the family estate? We don’t know. The previous posts in the Lk 15 series are: The Prodigal, The …
The Brother – Lk 15 (3)
But just then, the older brother heard the music in the fields and walked into the village to investigate. The older brother asked a servant about the music, but getting him to explain was like pulling teeth. “Well sir…well sir… …
The Father – Lk 15 (2)
Just as the community surrounded the younger son, the father came out of his house, jumped the hedge, and sprinted through the village, yelling, “My son! My son!” Everybody watched in shock. Everybody eyes were on the father now, not …
The Prodigal – Lk 15 (1)
A respected man was blessed with two sons. One day, his younger son says to him, “Father, give me the share of the property coming to me.” The father (should have) said, “WHAT ?!#?! I’m as good as dead to …
HS in the blogosphere
This week I encountered 3 blogs exploring HonorShame realities in relation to vocation, Asian-American theology, and gender mutuality. They all got me thinking in new directions for developing a truly Christian theology for honor-shame contexts. Enjoy the reading, and join …
How Stories Change Honor Codes (III)
The two previous posts “How Stories Change Honor Codes” (here and here) examine how narratives can subvert and reorient a person’s honor code. We talked about honor codes in the general and abstract. How can they, on the whole, be reoriented …
How Stories Change Honor Codes (II)
A “code of honor” or “honor code” is the socially-shared value system defining what and who is honorable or shameful. (In American English, ‘honor code‘ typically refers to an pledge of academic honesty and integrity, but I use the term more philosophical and ethically, …
How Stories Change Honor Codes (I)
A friend Kent got in a taxi to travel between two Central Asian cities. In the car with him were the (male) driver, and two other men. Then a young girl was placed in the final seat by her father, …
Understanding 8 Traits of HonorShame Cultures
Honor and shame is the soil bed in which various cultural traits grow. In this post I mention eight cultural phenomena embedded in honor-shame values, and explain why those traits are associated with honor-shame. If you fail to understand the subsurface connection, …
HS in Diaspora Missiology
While working in Central Asia, one reality kept frustrating me: people were always leaving. I respected peoples’ tremendous sacrifices to provide financially for their family, but the emigration of so many believers and friends made it hard to gain traction …
How to Despise Shame
What did Jesus do to shame? He despised it. “For the joy set before Him, (Jesus) endured the cross, despising the shame.” (Heb 12:2)de●spise – to intensely dislike, to regard with contempt.Though shame threatens to make us despicable, we must declare shame despicable. …
Honorism, not Capitalism
In my observation, one of the biggest difference between life in America and life in developing countries is this – Americans consume; Central Asians are consumed (by life’s challenges). American society and identity centers around earning money and consuming stuff. …
Why God Shamed Job
Job’s shame (previous post: “How God Shamed Job”) prepared him to learn a central point – God is the sole arbiter of honor, capable of honoring Himself and others as He chooses.This divine prerogative to honor (and shame) as He pleases is what …
How God Shamed Job
What did Job really suffer? Is the book of job Job about the loss of wealth and health, livestock and children, or something more? I suggest Job suffered primarily shame and social humiliation. And through that shame, God wanted to demonstrate …
How HS Cultures Dialogue (II)
How do we as Christians respond to verbal duels for honor? The previous blog introduced ‘verbal jousting’; this blog explores practical ‘fencing moves’ for Christian workers in HonorShame contexts. Once I learned about verbal jousting, I recognized it often (especially …
How HS Cultures Dialogue (I)
We were having visa problems, so I went with our administrator to the government office for a meeting. While there, our administrator noticed one of her former students interning for the government official. So to score a few social points, …
How to Talk about Shame
How can you discuss shame? It is hard to talk about shame, particularly with unbelievers. It’s not the kind of thing people talk openly about. That is the nature of shame: it is hidden. However, it is only when …
20 HS Truths in the Psalms
For a relevant theology to emerge for Majority World contexts, Christian theology must reflect upon honor and shame. Here are 20 theological truths about honor and shame from the Psalms. Did you know these truths? How to they compliment and …
Back to God’s Village: A Gospel Cartoon
This week, I am excited to share a new whiteboard animation video. People repeatedly want to better understand the gospel for HonorShame contexts. So I designed this short video to visually portray that message for one particular HonorShame culture. I …