Category: Theology

posts related to expounding Gods’ word for honor-shame contexts

By Posted on Posted in Honor, Shame, Theology 3 Comments Tagged with , ,
What do the words “honor” and “shame” mean? What is their theological meaning? These questions are surprisingly complex, for the several reasons listed here. This post explains 7 challenges with defining “honor” and “shame.” Honor and shame are invisible. The terms …

7 Problems with Defining “Honor” & “Shame” Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Theology 1 Comment Tagged with , , , ,
What is “the glory of God”? And, why is God’s glory so important? Jonathan Edwards (1703-58), perhaps better than any other theologian, explains the meaning and significance of God’s glory. His book, The End for Which God Created the World …

What is “God’s Glory”?—Jonathan Edwards’ Theology Read more »

By Posted on Posted in patronage, Relationships, Resources, Theology 3 Comments Tagged with , ,
The Patronage Symposium (October 2018, Beirut) wanted to develop resources for an ongoing conversation on patronage. Along with audio recordings of all the presentations, we are glad to share this visual explanation of patronage. Although the concept of patronage can …

“Patronage”: A Visual Explanation Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Bible, Resources, Theology No Comments Tagged with ,
The recent edition of Themelios journal (The Gospel Coalition) published Jackson Wu’s article “Have Theologians No Sense of Shame? How the Bible Reconciles Objective and Subjective Shame.” This article clearly sets forth a biblical theology of honor and shame. I recommend …

New Article: Theology of Honor & Shame (by J Wu) Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Bible, Communication, Culture, Relationships, Theology 1 Comment Tagged with , , , ,
Author and teacher Lois Tvarberg is co-founder of the En-Gedi Resource Center. This post is adapted from her recent book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus  International communications trainer Sarah Lanier has traveled the globe to teach about cultural differences. In …

Biblically, What Is Your ‘Name’? Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Bible, Theology 1 Comment Tagged with , , ,
John Chrysostom, the archbishop of Constantinople (353–407), was famous for his eloquent preaching (the moniker Chrysostomos means “golden-mouthed”). His eighty-eight exegetical homilies on the Gospel of John read much like a social-science commentary. I will explain a few ways that …

A Hermeneutics of Honor: John Chrysostom Read more »

By Posted on Posted in ethics, Honor, Resources, Shame, Theology, Wesetern No Comments Tagged with , , ,
Honor and shame are innately social and cooperate realities. For this reason, an honor-centric morality prioritizes relational harmony and communal edification, as seen in Pauline theology. John Barclay says, “Paul’s redefinition of honor thus gives prestige to such traits that …

Paul’s Honor Ethic in 1 Corinthians Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Bible, Culture, Theology, Wesetern 10 Comments Tagged with , , , , ,
All Bible translations face a problem—the cultural gap between the Bible and contemporary readers. English words evoke Western assumptions and values that are unlike those of biblical writers. The word “grace” (Greek: charis) is a good example of this problem of …

The Problem of “Grace” in English Bibles Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Bible, Communication, Culture, NT, OT, Theology, Wesetern 13 Comments Tagged with , , ,
Anyone who reads the Bible today faces an unavoidable fact—Scripture was originally written in and for a culture different than our own culture. This makes the Bible difficult to understand. Consider the meaning of these words: He whistled at her, …

The Problem with Bible Translations: Your Culture Read more »