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After Constantine converted to Christianity in AD 312, every Roman emperor was Christian (at least nominally). This fact is remarkable, considering both the great pride Romans had long placed in worshiping their Gods and the fact the (Eastern) Roman Empire continued for another millennium. There was, however, a single exception to this rule—the emperor Julian, …

A Revealing Letter about Ancient Christianity Read More »

I am part of a biblical training program based in Asia Minor that teaches the historical and cultural backgrounds of the New Testament. The week-long program visits many biblical sites in Turkey. This is a funded study trip for Bible scholars and teachers in the Majority World; participants pay only for transport to/from Turkey; all …

Free Biblical Training Program In Asia Minor Read More »

The School of Theology at Singapore Bible College recently hosted a symposium, “Contextual Issues of Honor & Shame in Spiritual Formation.” The lectures from this 3-day event are available to watch via YouTube. Every presentation was outstanding and continues to move the global honor-shame conversation forward in important ways. Below is the schedule of the …

Videos from Honor-Shame Conference Read More »

The Singapore Bible College is hosting the conference “Contextual Issues of Honor & Shame in Spiritual Formation” September 11–13, 2023, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm (GMT + 8:00). The conference can be attended in person or online for free. Click here to learn more. Registration ends September 7, so don’t delay! Their website states: “Join us …

Free Online Honor-Shame Conference (Sept 11–13) Read More »

The early Christian letter of 1 Clement was written from the church in Rome to the Corinthians around AD 90. The long epistle admonished the divided Corinthians to reunite under their appointed leaders. Though it did not become part of the New Testament canon, 1 Clement was highly regarded by the early Church and reveals …

Patronage in 1 Clement Read More »

If you’re looking for a sermon that will grow your understanding of honor (especially in American culture), I recommend “A Community of Honor in a Culture of Contempt” by John Mark Comer.  In the sermon, Comer explores the idea of honor and how it has been lost in our society due to the prevalence of …

A Sermon about Honor Read More »

A speech about Dio Chrysostom reveals how honor and shame worked in the first century.

  I am part of a new training program based in Asia Minor for training people from the Majority World in the historical and cultural backgrounds of the New Testament. Since many subscribers this blog live and work in parts of the Majority World, I thought this may be of interest. You can read below …

Biblical Field Studies in Turkey Read More »

Christopher Flanders (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is associate professor of missions at Abilene Christian University. He served as a missionary in Thailand for eleven years. This post is from his recent article This post is based on his article, “Bringing Shame upon an Honored Missiological Paradigm: A Study of Conviction and Elenctics,” IJFM 37 (2020). …

Shame-Conviction and Guilt-Conviction Read More »

David deSilva’s book Honor, Patronage, Kinship, and Purity is a sort of cult classic in terms of honor-shame and NT backgrounds. I still remember reading the book on a camping trip in 2006 and thinking on each page, “This makes so much sense!” Because it is such a tremendous work, I’m glad that deSilva has revised …

deSilva’s Classic Book, 2nd Ed. Read More »

  Jackson Wu and Ryan Jensen have authored a new book, Seeking God’s Face: Practical Reflections on Honor and Shame in Scripture. Many people will enjoy the devotional and challenging content. This post is one of the 101 practical reflections.    When Feeling Ashamed Is Not a Bad Thing Look up to the bare heights, and …

Seeking God’s Face—A New HS Book with Practical Reflections Read More »

Translation is difficult work. A major issue in translating texts is that the two languages reflect two different cultures, or ways of looking at reality. So words and concepts do not always translate perfectly across cultures. Translators must make many choices to best reflect the original meaning. However, sometimes one’s own cultural assumptions can find …

Adding “Guilt” to the Bible Read More »

Mark Baker’s new book, Centered-Set Church: Discipleship and Community without Judgementalism, will be helpful for anyone interested in developing healthy church communities. The problem is that many churches are really good at drawing lines. As a result, some people learn how to be “good Christians” by just following the rules, while others experience shame for …

Developing Communities with Redefined Honor & Shame Read More »

Guest Dr. Te-Li Lau is an Associate Professor of New Testament at TEDS and author of Defending Shame: Its Formative Power in Paul’s Letters (Baker Academic, 2020), from which this post draws. We live in an age where many consider shame to be destructive and harmful. Brené Brown appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul Sunday and …

Defending Shame Read More »

Ajith Fernando has published a recent article titled “Confronting Lying Biblically in Honour- and Shame-Oriented Cultures” (Evangelical Review of Theology, 2022) This a topic many people struggle to address with truth, wisdom, and love. As he has for decades, Ajith Fernando brings together strong biblical exegesis and insightful missiology. The article can be downloaded for …

Confronting Lying in HS Cultures Read More »

The 17th-century English Puritans had an intense commitment to biblical teaching on sin, salvation, and genuine conversion. They brought their attention to both the guilt-innocence and honor-shame themes in Scripture. Just as for the guilty sinner in the hands of an angry God pardon at the cross was an immeasurable treasure, so also for the …

John Owen on Salvation from Shame Read More »

Charles R. Harle (MS, Oregon State University) lived and taught ESL for a year in China then for 18 years worked with colleges and universities in China to recruit, train and place native English speaking ESL teachers. The Oxford Languages Dictionary defines mercy as “compassion or forgiveness shown to toward someone when it is within …

Mercy in Honor-Shame Contexts Read More »

Hospitality—the welcome and provision of guests and strangers—was important in the ancient world. It remains an important aspect of honor-shame cultures. The previous post explained what hospitality accomplishes at a social level. This post introduces the NT teaching on hospitality.  The NT instructs believers to be hospitable. The action is commanded by three different authors. …

Hospitality: The Theological Meaning Read More »

Hospitality is a significant aspect of honor-shame cultures. Many people know this through personal experience. When you visit someone from a Majority World culture, you receive a lavish and generous welcome. Besides the quality of hospitality, the quantity is also significant. People visit each other regularly, and “just sitting for tea” is common. This post …

Hospitality: The Social Meaning Read More »

The 3D Gospel is now available in 11 different languages. I am grateful for the global interest and eagerness of translators to complete the projects. Most interesting to me is the variety of cover designs. The visual styles reflect how cultures communicate the same idea in different ways. Same words, but different colors and fonts (and …

The 3D Gospel in 11 Languages! Read More »