Category: Shame

By Posted on Posted in Culture, Honor, Shame, Wesetern 3 Comments Tagged with , , ,
A new moral system has emerged in America. It is shaped by the language of privilege, class, bias, inequality, tolerance, and inclusion. This new moral system has taken definitive expression in the issue of microaggressions.Microaggressions are “brief, everyday exchanges that …

Microaggressions and “Reverse Honor”: America’s Latest Moral System Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Culture, ethics, Shame 10 Comments Tagged with , , , ,
Guilt-innocence cultures are W.E.I.R.D.—Western, Education, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic.In 2010, three cultural psychologists published an article titled “The Weirdest People in the World?” The authors explain that most psychological research in conducted on a small, unrepresentative subset of human population—W.E.I.R.D people.The …

Guilt-Innocence Cultures are WEIRD Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Bible, Communication, Honor, Relationships, Resources, Shame, Spirituality, Theology No Comments Tagged with , , , ,
Why learn about honor and shame? Here are four benefits.1. HermeneuticsI once saw a Turkish person read Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (Lk 15). He read the opening verse about the son asking for his inheritance, closed the Bible, and declared, “That …

4 Benefits of Learning about Honor & Shame Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Bible, Honor, Ministry, Missiology, NT, OT, Resources, Shame, Theology 1 Comment Tagged with , , , , , ,
My latest book Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures: Biblical Foundations and Practical Essentials (InterVarsity Press) is now available.This 270-page book equips Christians to proclaim and embody the gospel in honor-shame contexts. Our aim was simple: to show how honor-shame is central …

New Book: Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures (IVP) Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Culture, ethics, In The News, Resources, Shame 12 Comments Tagged with , , ,
Here are 12 claims about honor cultures from Honor Bound: How a Cultural Ideal Has Shaped the American Psyche (Oxford University Press, 2016) by Ryan Brown, professor of social psychology at the University of Oklahoma.In honor cultures, “men are hyper …

12 Proven Facts about Honor Cultures Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Culture, In The News, Jesus, salvation, Shame, Theology 7 Comments Tagged with , , , , , ,
Jesus Christ and Donald Trump share a remarkable similarity—they both promise honor. What is “honor”?Honor is essentially status or respect in a community. Such honor comes about in two ways—inclusion and exaltation. The campaign of Donald Trump and gospel of Jesus Christ …

How Trump Thinks Like Jesus Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Culture, salvation, Shame 2 Comments Tagged with , , , ,
“Honor // Shame” is a powerful devotional video. Since it is just 2-minutes long and well-edited, it could nicely introduce a Bible study or sermon. Broaching the topic of shame can be uncomfortable, so why not outsource the dirty work with a quality video!Produced by Ricky Diaz and Luis Espino, …

Honor-Shame Devotional Video (2-min) Read more »

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 Bible, Culture, Honor, In The News, Relationships, Shame 7 Comments Tagged with , ,
The diplomatic tiff this week between Germany and Turkey is the same thorn bush that often entangles Western missionaries.The German Parliament adopted a symbolic resolution declaring the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 a “genocide.” The Ottomans killed over 1 million Armenians, …

Making Peace like Jesus, not Germany Read more »

By Posted on Posted in OT, Relationships, Shame, Sin, Theology 12 Comments Tagged with , , , , ,
When David slept with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11:1-13), why was that sin? David thought nothing was amiss, “but the thing that David had done displeased Yahweh” (2 Sam 11:27). Exactly why was God displeased? Despite common assumptions, the Bible does not portray David’s …

How David Sinned with Bathsheba Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Culture, Evangelism, Honor, Resources, Shame No 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. How can the gospel change people in honor-shame cultures?Remember, the gospel is not a tool for just making converts out …

A Gospel That Changes 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 Culture, Ministry, Missiology, Resources, Shame, Sin 4 Comments Tagged with , ,
Violence is inseparably linked with dishonor and shame. To better understand these deadly partners, here are two learning resources—a book and a Missio Nexus webinar. Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic (1996) has become a modern classic in sociology. The …

Shame & Violence: Deadly Partners Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Evangelism, Ministry, Resources, Shame, Theology No Comments Tagged with , , , ,
This “Field Guide” (at www.ZwemerCenter.com) explains 9 must-knows for ministry in honor-shame societies, especially Muslim contexts. Muslims live (and die) for honor. Guilt and shame are two different cultural/moral systems. Shame is not just an Arab or Asian characteristic. The Bible is …

9 Must-Knows for Muslim Ministry Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Culture, Relationships, Resources, Shame, Spirituality 1 Comment Tagged with , ,
Sam Louie (M.A., Clinical Psychology) is a therapist and speaker near Seattle, WA. He published Asian Shame and Addiction and Asian Honor, and blogs at Psychology Today.As a therapist specializing in shame and addictions within the Asian-American culture, here are 5 …

5 Facts about Asian-American Shame Read more »