Bible Archives - Honor Shame

The Problem with Bruce Malina’s Cultural Frameworks

By HonorShame Posted on May 6, 2026 Posted in Bible No Comments Tagged with malina, methods

Dr. Melissa C. M. Tan (PhD., University of Aberdeen) wrote her doctoral dissertation on the methodology of Bruce Malina, the scholar who introduced honor-shame, patronage, and related anthropological categories to New Testament studies and even missiology. Forty-five years have passed …

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“Gnashing Of Teeth” as Status Resentment

By HonorShame Posted on April 28, 2026 Posted in Bible, NT, OT 7 Comments

Jesus described Gehenna as a place characterized by “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The vivid phrase, “gnashing of teeth,” is often equated with sorrow and regret, as if it were synonymous with “weeping.” That is, the unrighteous would anguish over …

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The Forgiven Debtor Who Loves (Luke 7:41–43)

By HonorShame Posted on February 18, 2026 Posted in Bible, Jesus 3 Comments Tagged with gospels, Jesus, parables

A certain loan-maker had two debtors—one owed $50,000, and the other owed $5,000. When they had no money to repay, he forgave both of them. So, which debtor would love him more? Jesus told this short parable after Simon the Pharisee gawked …

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How to Eat and Drink “Unworthily” (1 Cor 11:27)

By HonorShame Posted on May 14, 2025 Posted in Bible, ethics, Uncategorized 8 Comments Tagged with 1 Cor, communion, Eucharist, Paul ethics

In 1 Cor 11:27, Paul says, “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily is culpable of the body and the blood of the Lord” (Ὥστε ὃς ἂν ἐσθίῃ τὸν ἄρτον ἢ πίνῃ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦ …

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Free Biblical Training Program In Asia Minor

By HonorShame Posted on November 15, 2023 Posted in Bible, Uncategorized 1 Comment

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 …

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Adding “Guilt” to the Bible

By HonorShame Posted on July 20, 2022 Posted in Bible, Guilt 9 Comments

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 …

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Advent Devotional: “Honor, Shame, and the First Christmas”

By HonorShame Posted on December 16, 2020 Posted in Bible, Jesus 5 Comments Tagged with Christmas

Cameron D. Armstrong (PhD, Biola University) serves with the International Mission Board in Bucharest, Romania. He is part of the Theological Education team and teaches at the Bucharest Baptist Theological Institute. Cameron and his wife, Jessica, have two children. One …

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Jesus’ Purifying Death

By HonorShame Posted on November 25, 2020 Posted in Bible, Jesus No Comments

After Jesus died, something strange happened. “The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the holy ones who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to …

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Purity and Pollution in the Gospels

By HonorShame Posted on October 15, 2020 Posted in Bible 1 Comment

“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’ …

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Paul’s Rhetoric of Shame in Philemon, ala John Chrysostom

By HonorShame Posted on September 15, 2020 Posted in Bible No Comments Tagged with philemon

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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The Origins of Guilt-Shame-Fear

By HonorShame Posted on August 19, 2020 Posted in Bible 5 Comments

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 …

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New Webzine: Women, Honour, & Shame

By HonorShame Posted on August 17, 2020 Posted in Bible, Ministry, Missiology 2 Comments Tagged with journal, resources, women

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 …

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4 Honor-Shame Motifs of Lamentations 1

By HonorShame Posted on July 22, 2020 Posted in Bible, OT 1 Comment Tagged with lament, OT

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 …

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Honor and Shame in Lamentations

By HonorShame Posted on July 15, 2020 Posted in Bible, OT No Comments Tagged with lament

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 …

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Honor and Shame as (New) Covenant Language

By HonorShame Posted on June 3, 2020 Posted in Bible, salvation, Shame, Theology 4 Comments Tagged with bible, covenant, salvation, theology

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 …

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Honor and Shame in Letter of Aristeas

By HonorShame Posted on May 27, 2020 Posted in Bible, NT, OT 1 Comment Tagged with bible, culture

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 …

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Ruth 1 (HSP)

By HonorShame Posted on May 13, 2020 Posted in Bible, Honor-Shame Paraphrase 1 Comment Tagged with OT, ruth

This paraphrase of Ruth 1 is from the new book Ruth: An Honor-Shame Paraphrase. A long time ago before the days of king David, a man named Elimelech lived in his ancestral village of Bethlehem. There was a famine in the land …

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Highest Honour

By HonorShame Posted on March 18, 2020 Posted in Bible, Missiology, Spirituality 1 Comment

This post is excerpted from the new devotional book Highest Honour: 60 Days Toward Honouring God With Your Whole Life, by Kenosi Molato and S. E. Freeman. Every day of our lives we are faced with decisions. Sometimes they are big …

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Updated Data for The Global Culture Map

By HonorShame Posted on July 10, 2019 Posted in Bible 2 Comments Tagged with map, the culture test

The data for the “Global Map of Culture Types” has been updated and doubled. Click here to view and use the map. This free, interactive tool visualizes all results from TheCultureTest.com. The initial launch (March 2018) included data from the first …

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Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes (Jackson Wu)

By HonorShame Posted on June 26, 2019 Posted in Bible No Comments Tagged with book, Romans

Do you want to see Romans from an honor-shame perspective? Here is the book! Jackson Wu’s latest book, Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Pauls’ Message and Mission (IVP Academic) is now available. Here is the publisher’s description: What …

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