Category: Communication

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Ministry, Missiology, Relationships, Shame, Spirituality, Theology 6 Comments Tagged with , , ,
How should people confess their sin? What form should confession take?I was raised Catholic, so the the word “confession” means reliving those experiences as a mischievous little boy shuddering in a confessional booth saying, “Forgive me father for I have …

How Honor-Shame Cultures Confess Sins Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Jesus, NT, Relationships 6 Comments Tagged with , ,
This post is part of the online conversation “Leading and Ministering in Honor-Shame Contexts” in April 2016. Click here to read reflections and insights from mission practioners. In many countries, patronage is the de facto socio-economic system.Patronage can be defined as “a reciprocal relationship between unequals.” The …

To Be, or Not To Be … a Patron? Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Evangelism, Honor, News, Theology 5 Comments Tagged with , , , , ,
Bruce Sidebotham (D.Min., New Geneva Theological Seminary) spent 7 years doing cross-cultural ministry in Indonesia. He directs the ministry called Operation Reveille that helps service personnel with cross-cultural relations. Why do Muslims attempt to defend the honor of Islam against insults? Amidst the …

Why Muslims Defend God’s Honor Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Honor, Ministry, Missiology, Relationships, Resources, Shame, Sin, Spirituality 2 Comments Tagged with , , , ,
What is addiction? How is addiction healed? This new TED talk—“Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong”—connects these questions about addiction to shame and honor (granted, it uses language besides “honor” and “shame” to do so). Research shows …

An Answer for Addiction Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Evangelism, Honor, Ministry, Resources 2 Comments Tagged with , , , , ,
Last month, I heard this story from Bob Lupton, founder of Focus Community Strategies and author of Toxic Charity. Their ministry adopted a “Toys for Tots” drive during the holidays. Churches would gather presents, then bring them to people in …

How to Give Aid…Without Shaming Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Evangelism, Honor, Ministry, Missiology, Theology 5 Comments Tagged with , ,
Christian mission mediates God’s honor into the world. The church is the very means by which people experience and understand the glory of God. We are God’s instrument for overcoming shame. Communicating God’s honor happens relationally, not just verbally. How …

Putting Honor Into Action Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Ministry, Relationships, Shame 6 Comments Tagged with , , ,
Readers enjoyed Colin E. Andrew’s earlier post “5 Rude Things Honor-Shame Cultures Say.” In this post, he turns the tables. Here are 5 “rude” things Westerners say, even when trying to be polite. 1. “My friend!” “Hey Rafshan! This is my …

5 Shameful Things Westerners Say Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Evangelism, Missiology, Resources No Comments Tagged with , , ,
The International Orality Network (ION) recently released Beyond Literate Western Contexts: Honor & Shame and the Assessment of Orality Preference (eds. by Samuel Chiang and Grant Lovejoy). This book compiles the papers presented at 2014’s ION consultation in Houston, TX. …

New book: Honor-Shame & Orality, by ION Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Evangelism, In The News, Missiology, Resources, Shame 1 Comment
Christianity Today’s recent cover article was “The Good News About Shame” by CT executive editor Andy Crouch. This week Ed Stetzer’s blog “The Exchange” is extending that conversation about shame and the gospel with a series of three blogsposts. “4 Keys to Evangelism in Honor-Shame …

3 Blogs about Shame at Ed Stetzer Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Honor, Shame, Spirituality, Theology 2 Comments Tagged with , , ,
I spent last weekend with ethnic pastors worshipping God for His salvation for shame. It was an amazing time! We gathered church leaders from 8 different ethnic congregations (including Sudan, Eritrea, Egypt, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, and multi-ethnic English) to discuss …

Worshipping God for Removing Shame Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Evangelism, Honor, Ministry, Missiology, News, NT, OT, Relationships, Shame, Sin, Spirituality, Theology 1 Comment Tagged with , , , , , , ,
Learn how the gospel speaks to all cultures. Western theology emphasizes legal forgiveness of sins, but people in the Majority World seek honor or spiritual power.  In today’s globalized world, Christians need a three-dimensional gospel. Learn how the Bible speaks to cultures …

New book: THE 3D GOSPEL Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Honor, Missiology, Relationships 1 Comment Tagged with , , ,
“We have to reckon with three different types of reactions to transgressions of religiously sanctioned codes: fear, shame, and guilt.” (Eugene Nida, Customs and Cultures [1954], p. 150)Christian missiologists identify three responses to sin in human cultures: guilt, shame, and fear. …

Understanding Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Communication, Culture, Ministry, Missiology, Relationships 2 Comments Tagged with , , , ,
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 …

TheCultureTest.com – A New Tool Read more »