Highest Honour
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 …
Category: Spirituality
On Becoming “Like Jesus”
Shame is feeling different, being unlike others (as explained in previous post). But there is good news—God makes us like himself, in his own image, conformed to the image of his son. This erases the shame of difference. In the …
Shame is “Difference”
Shame is being different. We feel ashamed when we feel unlike others. I know it sounds simple and even trite, but this insight summarizes our experience of shame in some profound ways. Feeling Different, Being Unlike Our differences make us …
Can Public Shaming Be Good?
Guest Dan Braga is a church planter in San Diego, CA. He is an M.A. student at Western Seminary (Portland) where I recently taught a course. This post is Dan’s response to the question, “Can public shaming be a good …
My Attempts to Visualize Honor & Shame
I use mostly words to explain honor and shame. I write out my ideas in books, articles, and blogposts. I regret not being more artistic, because honor and shame can also be powerfully communicated visually. On a few occasions, I’ve …
The Meaning of ‘Fear-Power’—3 Options
The label “fear-power culture” has various meanings, depending on the perspective of the speaker. This posts explains the three ways people have defined “fear-power culture.” 1. Religious: Fear-Power as Spiritual Control The worldviews of Majority World cultures, especially tribal religions, …
Guilt, Shame & Fear: Revisited
The notion of guilt, shame, and fear cultures has become a common topic in mission conversations. Ministry organizations and teams around the world are discussing the topic. Four years have passed since I published The 3D Gospel and developed TheCultureTest.com. …
The Honor of Salvation – 11 Tozer Quotes
In The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer offers powerful insights about the role of shame in sin and honor in salvation. The following quotes are from Chapters 8 and 9 of the book, which is available for free in PDF and Kindle. Chapter …
6 Great Sermons on Shame & Honor
People often ask me about good sermons on the topic of shame, but there are not very many. Recently I’ve listened to an amazing 6-part sermon series “He Covers Our Shame” by Dr. Beau Hughes at The Village Church of …
Uncovering the Power of Shame
Guest Samuel Albert is Editor in Chief of www.ChristianMusicAndHymns.com. The Bible has a whole vocabulary to do with shame, reproach and disgrace. There are over 10 Hebrew words that translate these words into English, but they have been almost evacuated …
The Gospel in 2 Poems
Christian Burkhardt is a pastor at Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA. His two poems aim to awaken our “Longing to Belong” and direct us on how to be fully satisfied by seeking God’s face, as we were “Made for …
Super Duper “Unashamed”
Last year Christian publishers released 4 books titled “Unashamed.” These are Christian efforts to speak to a popular topic in Western culture—the longing to be free of shame and to “be myself.” While inspiring and encouraging, these books assume the distorted, Western …
New Training Video about Ethics and Discipleship
“Transforming Honor” is a new training video about biblical ethics, morality, and discipleship in honor-shame cultures. My aim with this video is to (1) transform Western misconceptions about honor cultures and (2) transform honor into a positive source for moral change. The 33-minute resource is …
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Overcoming The Myth of Shame
Eddie H. Park (MDiv, Talbot) is a teaching pastor at EvFree Fullerton and former investment banker. His book The Shame Myth is available for $0.99 (today only, Kindle pre-order version).Shame is the intensely painful feeling that we are unworthy of love and …
4 Benefits of Learning about Honor & Shame
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 …
How Honor-Shame Cultures Confess Sins
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 …
Partaking in His Glory (Dr. Ken Bailey)
Dr. Kenneth Bailey (1930-2016) was an MK and New Testament professor who has spent most of his life in the Middle East. His many books (e.g., Jesus in Mediterranean Eyes) explain the cultural and honor-shame elements of the gospels. This explanation of …
An Answer for Addiction
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 …
How We’re Selling Honor
The previous post satirically announced our new Honor Rating (a public forum measuring everybody’s social status) and The Honor Market (a global marketplace for buying and selling your personal honor). That post was fictitious, but the idea is already becoming a reality. …
The (New) Honor Market
The post is a satire. Do you struggle with shame? Do you find it hard to be an honorable person? Welcome to The Honor Market—the 21st-century way to manage your social status. Effective January 1, 2016, the website HonorShame.com has become …