Author: HonorShame
resources for Majority World ministry
Jesus was “lifted up” onto the cross. This phrase refers to the physical act of raising the person so that everyone could see. However, the term also has royal/status connotations. Crucifixion was a moment of exaltation. On this topic, Joel Marcus …
Crucifixion as Exaltation in Mark
When was Jesus exalted and gloried? In the Gospel of John, Jesus is gloried at the cross. The fourth gospel plays off the double meaning of “lifted up” (3:14; 8:28; 12:31-34; 13:18). When the Romans lift up the crucified Jesus …
The Atonement: A Series
How does God save? More specifically, how do Jesus’ death and resurrection bring salvation? This is the question of “atonement”—the core of Christian theology. Posts over the next several weeks will explore the theology of atonement in light of honor-shame. …
New Issue of Missio Dei Journal on Honor-Shame
The academic online publication Missio Dei: A Journal of Missional Theology and Praxis has a recent issue dedicated to honor and shame. Rather than repeating the introductory explanations of honor and shame, the articles apply and explore a rich variety of topics in …
Purity and Pollution in the Gospels
“Jews in the first century focused on external, ritual purity. Then Jesus came along and erased all the Jewish purity regulations. He emphasized on the internal, moral dimensions of the Law.” Such thinking is the standard Christian interpretation of Jesus’ …
Honor-Shame in India??
There appears to very few resources about honor-shame in India. Compared with other contexts such as Asian and Arab cultures, I have discovered only a few resources on the topic, either secular or Christian. This is surprising to me, considering …
A Gospel Narrative for the Shame-Honor Culture of India
Jay Dharan (M.Div, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary) is a Bible-teacher ministering in India. He desires to foster an indigenous Christianity that addresses the honor-shame culture of India. In India, the shame-honor culture is deeply rooted in the caste system, which …
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Paul’s Rhetoric of Shame in Philemon, ala John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom preached four homilies on Paul’s letter to Philemon. The fourth-century bishop of Constantinople was trained in Greek rhetoric, so he discusses the various ways that Paul uses honor and shame to influence Philemon. The words “honor” and “shame” …
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Article: “Why We Dislike Shame”
The American Interest has published an article “Why We Dislike Shame—and Can’t Get Enough of It.” The article examines why shaming is essential in America today, and offers some suggestions for curbing its excesses. I commend the article for its clarity, balance, …
My Response to a Critique
The academic journal Missiology recently published a critique of honor-shame, especially my book The 3D Gospel. The article is entitled “The Culture Problem: How the Honor/Shame Issue Got the Wrong End of the Anthropological Stick”, by Johannes Merz (PhD), an …
The Origins of Guilt-Shame-Fear
From where do we get the categories of “guilt,” “shame,” and “fear”? People do not use these terms to classify themselves. Rather, they are outside (etic) terms that researchers have used to describe the primary relational patterns in groups. In …
New Webzine: Women, Honour, & Shame
The online forum When Women Speak has published a new webzine on the topic of honor and shame. Below is a list of the articles, which are introduced in the editorial. A sentence from the opening page explains why these articles …
Perpetua and Felicitas
The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas is an early martyr story that subverts and transforms the ancient Greco-Roman notions of honor and shame. Summary The short story narrates the martyrdom of six young catechumens in Carthage, North Africa in the …
4 Honor-Shame Motifs of Lamentations 1
The realities of dishonor and shame pervade the book of Lamentations (see previous post). Four motifs express the honor-shame dynamics in Lamentations 1—defilement, loneliness, subjugation, and desperation, as this post explores. Defilement The poet portrays the destruction of Israel is …
Honor and Shame in Lamentations
The book of Lamentations features two of my least favorite things in the world—poetry and suffering. I enjoy many other biblical books more than Lamentations. But in seasons of loss and anguish, the voice of Lamentations has drawn my attention …
Pledge Allegiance To Christ
Guest Werner Mischke did a blog series on some key books in New Testament studies related to allegiance, or “relational loyalty”. This concluding post summarizes and applies the key ideas. Reposted with permission. Post #1 introduces the topic of allegiance to “THE …
Updated: Honor-Shame Research Bibliography
In 2015, I compiled and released an extensive bibliography for honor-shame to facilitate research on the topic. Since then, the amount of resources on honor and shame has greatly increased. Thanks to the work of Chris Flanders, the bibliography has …
“In Christ” as a Communal Ethic
I remember reading Neil Anderson’s The Bondage Breaker as a new believer. The long list of “who I am in Christ” statements was powerful. Knowing my position is essential to the Christian life. But have you ever noticed how those …
Honor and Shame as (New) Covenant Language
The removal of shame is a new covenant reality. When God (re)makes his covenant, he removes the shame of his people. This covenantal context, I believe, is crucial to properly understanding the nature of biblical shame, and, thus, salvation as …
Honor and Shame in Letter of Aristeas
Letter of Aristeas is a second-century BC “historical letter” explaining the composition of the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament, i.e., LXX) by Jews in Alexandria. Honor and shame are prominent motifs in the story. The Plot The …