Category Archives: Honor and shame

Quick video: Challenge and riposte

Bible study, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, The Global Gospel

Fencing

Here is a quick description of the honor-shame dynamic called the “challenge and riposte”.

“Riposte” is a term used in the sport of fencing, meaning “a quick return thrust following a parry.” Socially it means, “a quick clever reply to an insult or criticism.” There are four steps to this protocol or social code of challenge and riposte—or “push-and-shove.” These four steps are:

  1. Claim of worth or value
  2. Challenge to that claim or refusal to acknowledge the claim
  3. Riposte or defense of the claim
  4. Public verdict of success awarded to either claimant or challenger[1]

There are numerous examples of honor competition in the Bible. The honor competition between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders in the Gospels frequently follows the four-step sequence referred to above. Learn about this honor-shame dynamic—“challenge and riposte”—in the next in our series of quick videos about honor and shame. Click here to watch the video on Vimeo.

Learn more—free chapter from The Global Gospel on the honor-shame dynamic of “challenge and riposte”

Free resource1The free resource available with this post is an excerpt from The Global Gospel—Chapter 2.4: Honor/Shame Dynamic #4: Challenge and Riposte. The chapter is eight pages long. NOTE: This chapter helps you understand the seemingly unending cycle of conflict and violence in some honor/shame societies. The honor-shame dynamics of the love of honor, the image of limited good, and challenge and riposte—work together in a dark synergy to support a greater propensity for violence.

Enjoy the next quick video: “Challenge and Riposte”.

1. Jerome Neyrey: Honor and Shame in the Gospel of Matthew (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998), 20.

Quick video: the “image of limited good”

Bible study, Honor and shame, The Global Gospel

Image of limited good vertical win-loseHere is a quick description of the honor-shame dynamic called the “image of limited good”. The image of limited good is “the belief that everything in the social, economic, natural universe … everything desired in life: land, wealth, respect and status, power and influence … exist in finite quantity and are in short supply”.[1] If you gain, I lose … it’s a “zero-sum game.”

The example given in the video is from 1 Samuel 18:6–9. After David’s victory over Goliath, Israel’s women celebrated and honored David above Saul. Did Saul celebrate with the people over their great victory? No!

Instead of Saul rejoicing over Israel’s dramatic victory, Saul lamented (1 Sam 18:8); he considered it a mortal threat that David was honored above himself. Here’s why: There was only so much honor to go around (honor is a “limited good”)—so as David’s honor status increased among the people, Saul’s own honor went down.

Saul’s extreme envy reflected the default values of his culture—a win-lose mindset—the “image of limited good”.

Learn more about the “image of limited good”, and discover how Christ overturns “limited good”—in the next in our series of quick videos about honor and shame. Click here to watch the video on Vimeo.

Learn more—free chapter from The Global Gospel on the “image of limited good”

Free resource1The free resource available with this post is an excerpt from The Global Gospel—Chapter 2.3: Honor/Shame Dynamic #3: The Image of Limited Good. The chapter is five pages long. Enjoy the next quick video: “The Image of Limited Good”

1. Jerome Neyrey: Honor and Shame in the Gospel of Matthew (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998), 18.

Quick video: Two sources of honor—ascribed and achieved

Bible study, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame

Two sources of honor graphic copy verticalIf you want to gain an awareness of honor-shame in the Bible and what it implies for the gospel, there is nothing more important than understanding this:

There are but two sources of honor—ascribed and achieved.

Both the ascribed and achieved honor or Jesus Christ are elaborately described in Scripture. Why? In order to make the case for his supreme honor; Jesus is worth believing in, following, obeying, and worshiping—as God.

Ascribed honor of Jesus: Consider just a few of the titles given to Jesus in the Bible—Emmanuel, Savior, Son of Man, Son of David, Son of God, King of kings, Lord of lords, Alpha and Omega. These titles conveying his ascribed honor carried tremendous weight in ancient Palestine, both among the Jews and among the Gentile peoples of the Roman Empire.

Achieved honor of Jesus. We see Christ’s achieved honor beautifully declared in Philippians 2:8–11. And in Hebrews 1:1–14 we find an elaborate description of Jesus Christ, incorporating both his ascribed and achieved honor.

Learn about this honor-shame dynamic, “two sources of honor—ascribed and achieved”, in the next in our series of quick videos about honor and shame. Click here to watch the video on Vimeo.

Learn more—free chapter from The Global Gospel on the “two sources of honor”

Free resource1The free resource available with this post is an excerpt from The Global Gospel—Chapter 2.2: Honor/Shame Dynamic #2: Two Sources of Honor—Ascribed and Achieved.  The chapter examines how this dynamic is prominently represented in the Bible. The chapter is four pages long.

Enjoy the next video: “Two Sources of Honor—Ascribed and Achieved”

Quick video: The love of honor

Bible study, Honor and shame, The Global Gospel

Aristotle said, “… honor is clearly the greatest of external goods … it is honor above all else which great men claim and deserve”. He was pointing to the love of honor as a default attitude and mindset in ancient Greek culture

Love of honor heartLove of honor is the desire for acceptance and esteem in one’s social group. To varying degrees, love of honor is common among all peoples. But it is especially pronounced in many honor-shame cultures.

This honor-shame dynamic—love of honor—was carried forth from Greek culture into the Roman Empire into which Jesus was born, and is plainly observable in Scripture. The ancient Hebrews also displayed the love of honor.

Learn about this honor-shame dynamic, “love of honor”, in the next installment of our series of quick videos about honor and shame. Click here to watch the video on Vimeo.

Learn more—free chapter from The Global Gospel on the “love of honor”

Free resource1The free resource available with this post is an excerpt from The Global Gospel—Chapter 2.1: Honor/Shame Dynamic #1: Love of Honor.  The chapter examines how this dynamic—love of honor—is prominently represented in the Bible. The chapter is ten pages long.

Enjoy the next video: “Quick intro: The love of honor”

New series of short videos on honor and shame

Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, The Global Gospel

Some quick videos on honor-shame

During my last week in New Zealand (I was there March 4–20), my host Russell Thorp of GC3 said, “Let’s do some quick videos about honor and shame.”

So Russell and I set up my iPhone on a tripod with a good external microphone and shot a few videos at his house near Auckland.

Russell’s idea was to create some quick videos—and then ultimately connect these to the longer videos of my teaching sessions on honor and shame. (These longer videos are currently in production in New Zealand.)

Well, these quick videos that Russell and I did turned out pretty good. And so I thought, Why not also use them on my blog?

So I’m producing a series of quick videos about honor and shame (on Vimeo). These videos will be three to five minutes in length. Each quick video includes a few discussion points at the end. My plan is to introduce a short video in this series about every other day, and announce each one on my blog.

Free resource related to the video—to learn more

Free resource1Each post in this series will include one free written resource—an article I have written or a chapter from The Global Gospel. The free resource for this post is a chapter excerpt from my book: Chapter 1.3: “Why Our Blind Spot about Honor and Shame?”

Enjoy the first video: “Quick intro: Honor-shame in the Bible”

Other free honor-shame resources are available at my Resources page,
and many more are available from our friends at HonorShame.com.

“Honor, Shame and the Gospel”—six-week class at Scottsdale Bible Church starts January 24th

Bible study, Contextualization, Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, Terrorism, The Global Gospel, Violence

sbclogoI am so grateful for my home church, Scottsdale Bible, which has provided me the opportunity to teach a class based on my book, The Global Gospel. The class will incorporate lecture with PowerPoint, handouts, and ample discussion. It will be held six successive Sundays, January 24 to February 28, 11:00 a.m., at the Shea Campus. The classroom is A7. Copies of The Global Gospel are available at the Scottsdale Bible book store/café.

Honor, Shame, and the Gospel

Honor shame and the gospelOverview: How does the gospel speak to a violent world and the refugee crisis? Are there facets of the gospel that especially resonate with Muslims as well as millennials? In this interactive class with the author of The Global Gospel, you’ll discover how understanding the Bible’s own honor/shame dynamics offers fresh answers and powerful hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Class 1: Biblical Honor for a World of Shame: We’ll compare basic Majority World values of honor/shame to Western values of innocence/guilt. We’ll show why guilt is more likely to lead to healing behavior—whereas shame is more likely to lead to hurtful behavior. Could it be that a gospel that focuses on sin and guilt is the “on-ramp” to a gospel that also addresses sin and shame?

Class 2: The Gospel of Honor-Status Reversal: We’ll discover a motif in Scripture—honor-status reversal—hidden in plain sight from Genesis to Revelation. We’ll go through the The Father’s Love Booklet (each attendee gets a copy). We’ll learn how to share the gospel in the “language of honor and shame”. It’s a new, easy way to share Christ with people from Majority World cultures.

Class 3: The Gospel of Purity: Christians know they are forgiven. But for many, a sense of shame persists. How does the Bible’s “purity language” speak to us through the gospel to forgive, cleanse and restore? How does the gospel speak to Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist peoples with their ritual purity practices? This is good news here and now—and across cultures.

Class 4: The Gospel of the Kingdom for a Violent World: Honor-based violence makes the news daily. Yet the church is weak in its understanding and response. Discover how the dark side of honor and shame fuels violence. Examine how Christ’s honor-sharing “gospel of the kingdom” offers a powerful cure for violence—a living hope and powerful message for the world today.

Class 5: The Gospel that Speaks to Postmodernism and Pluralism: How can our theology emphasize “sola Scriptura” (the sole authority of Scripture)—while also speaking to our postmodern, pluralistic world? We will examine three ways: 1) Acknowledging blind spots in Western theology; 2) addressing the sinful pathology of shame; and 3) magnifying the multicultural essence of the gospel.

Class 6: The Story of Joseph as Gospel Motif: Can the story of Joseph (Gen 37–50) help us make sense of the whole Bible? We’ll explore the motif of honor-status reversal in this amazing drama. In so doing, we’ll see God’s sovereignty over evil, his purpose to bless all peoples through his honorific family, and his persistent reversal of honor status—all pointing to the glorious gospel.

Questions? Please write to me at werner@mission1.org.

Why so much honor-based violence in the Bible? Part 1

Bible commentary, Evangelism, Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, Violence

Honor-based violenceThe Bible is a great big book about violence.

One could rightly say that the Bible is at once 1) God’s revelation of the origin of violence among humans, 2) a series of stories and case histories on the kinds of violence common to humanity, and 3) God’s revelation through the Jesus Christ as the cure for violence on the stage of human history.

Of course, the Bible is more than a great big book about violence, but it is certainly not less than this.

In the Old Testament, there is an enormous amount of murder, raping, bloody revenge, the stoning of sinful people, decapitation of enemies and kings, the offering of infants in ritual sacrifice, whole cities being destroyed, entire peoples and armies either enslaved or annihilated … and so much more.

In the New Testament we read of the murder of infants, the decapitation of John the Baptist, the stoning of righteous people, the bloody torture and crucifixion of the holy Son of God, the martyrdom of saints.

Blood and honorLet‘s face it: The Bible is a big book with a lot of violence, much of it honor-based violence. But why?

In this series of posts, I am proposing:

  • The Bible reveals the origin of human violence—and that it is largely honor-based.
  • The Bible describes the kinds of violence in the Bible and in our world today—and that what they have in common is that they are both largely honor-based. This reflects the pathology of sin/shame permeating humanity—as well as the cultural value of honor/shame.
  • The Bible reveals that the cure for humanity’s violence is found in Jesus Christ, and we will see that this cure may also be considered honor-based.

And if there will be one point to grab hold of from these posts, it will be this:

The numerous stories of honor-based violence and bloodshed in the Old Testament—often considered obscure, repulsive, or irrelevant—are, to the contrary, profoundly relevant entry points for the gospel in today’s world.

Gory stories and glory stories

What else will this series of posts lead to? I will contend that we must rediscover the Old Testament’s stories of violence—what I am calling the “gory stories”.

I will propose that we must teach, preach, and evangelize by using the Bible’s gory stories—for they are historic, narrative on-ramps to God’s own gory and glory Story—culminating with the good news, the gospel of peace in Jesus Christ.

Christian leaders of all kinds need to re-acquaint themselves with the bloody, gory, “adult content” of the Bible—and be willing to teach it and preach it.

The Bible’s numerous, dramatic stories of violence are there for a reason. That reason is to connect—to resonate, to speak with Christ-centered hope to a world awash in violence. For the Word of God pierces “to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow” (Heb 4:12).

We must recover the truth that the entire Bible is useful for evangelism, not merely a set of a few verses or biblical presuppositions. The entire Bible, even the gory stories can be an essential, exciting part of making disciples of all nations—so that King Jesus is known and worshiped among all the peoples of the earth.

Could it be that the peoples of the earth are actually longing to hear this gospel which speaks with blood-earnest, street-level authenticity to our worlds of violence?

New resources to examine your level of awareness of honor/shame in cross-cultural ministry

Contextualization, Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, The Global Gospel
Levels of awareness of honor-shame diagram.fw
“H/S-1 to H/S-5: Levels of Awareness of Honor/Shame 
in Cross-Cultural Ministry”. This diagram was developed as I was writing The Global Gospel. It reflects my own long journey to understand the subject of honor/shame dynamics in the Bible—and what this means for cross-cultural ministry . After EMQ approved my submission for an article about this, Dr. Scott Moreau offered good suggestions to improve the diagram. I am grateful for his advice.
Two resources are available to you: 1) an article in EMQ, and 2) a downloadable PDF of the diagram-chart

“H/S-1 to H/S-5: Levels of Awareness of Honor/Shame 
in Cross-Cultural Ministry” describes a learning journey to help you understand honor/shame dynamics in the Bible—and how this relates to your work of blessing all the peoples of the earth through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here’s an overview of “H/S-1 to H/S-5”:
  • H/S-1: Unawareness. At this level the key words are “blind spot”.  You have little to no awareness 
of honor/shame dynamics; it’s both a cultural and theological
 blind spot.
  • H/S-2: Ethical. At this level the key words are “inferior values”. You become aware of honor and shame in the culture—but only the unethical or dark side of honor/shame.
  • H/S-3: Functional. At this level the key words are “Bible cultures”. You become aware of honor/shame as the pivotal cultural value of Bible societies. You gain a functional tool for better Scripture interpretation, better hermeneutics. Understanding honor/shame helps to minimize the Western bias for interpreting Scripture
. Plus you gain a tool to better understand Majority World cultures.
  • H/S-4: Evangelical. At this level the key words are “gospel message”.  You now understand that honor/shame dynamics are central to the meaning 
and proclamation of the gospel of Christ
.
  • H/S-5: Teleological. At this level the key words are “glorious kingdom”. You see honor/shame dynamics as central to the Bible’s narrative of a doxological destiny for Christ and for believers from among all the peoples of the earth.

“H/S-1 to H/S-5” is available in two forms—an article in EMQ and the downloadable diagram/chart. This resource is designed to help you: 1) bring to the surface default attitudes about honor/shame relative to the Bible and the culture in which you serve, and 2) consider adjusting your beliefs and practices in the light of the Bible’s negative and positive renderings of honor/shame dynamics.

EMQ-logoTHE ARTICLE: “H/S-1 to H/S-5: Levels ofLevels of awareness of honor-shame chart Awareness of Honor/Shame in Cross-Cultural Ministry.” This 3,000-word article was published in Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ), April 2015. The article is available by logging in at EMQonline. The article is available only to subscribers. (After April 2016, the article will be downloadable from this page.) The article is written in an academic style—and is based on Addendum 2 in The Global Gospel. 

THE DIAGRAM-CHART: “H/S-1 to H/S-5: Levels of Awareness of Honor/Shame in Cross-Cultural Ministry.” Published as Addendum 2 in The Global Gospel—now available as a free PDF by clicking here.

You can read and highlight your Bible to better see the honor/shame dynamics

Bible study, Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame
Colored pencils to see honor and shame in the Bible
Use colored pencils to highlight some of the Bible’s honor/shame dynamics

Various Bible scholars have proven conclusively that Bible societies had honor and shame as their pivotal cultural value. (See my Honor/Shame Resources page for a small selection of these books. Be sure to scroll down to get to the books.)

So for six-plus years now, I have been reading my Bible and highlighting some of the Bible’s key honor/shame dynamics. It has been a most rewarding journey.

In this post, I want to show how I do this.

The system I use is simple: 1) I use a small number of Prismacolor soft-core colored pencils available at any art supply store, and, 2) I use a regular edition of the ESV Bible. Pretty much any printed Bible will work. Below is an image from my Bible.

Ps97.3 to Ps102.20
Click the image to enlarge.
In the image above, take note of the following highlights:
  • ♦♦♦♦♦♦ YELLOW—Verses which relate to honor-status reversal—or changes in honor status. (In the image above: Ps 97:7; Ps 101:6–7; Ps 102:8–10.) This is by far the most commonly used color in the pages of my Bible. Honor-status reversal is a dynamic that occurs in every book of the Bible—from Genesis to Revelation.
  • ♦♦♦♦♦♦ ORANGE—Words and verses which relate to things royal—the reign of a king, the kingdom, the sovereign ‘high-ness’ of God, etc. (In the image above: Ps 97:9; Ps 98:6, Ps 99:1–5; Ps 100:4; Ps 102:12–15.) These orange-highlighted words and verses always refer to the two sources of honor—ascribed and achieved—especially as it is reflected in the royal honor of the king and his royal family.
  • ♦♦♦♦♦♦ RED—Words and verses which relate to salvation and redemption. (In the image above: Ps 98:1–3.) Highlighting ‘salvation words and verses’ helps us see the sometimes vital overlap between salvation and honor/shame.
  • ♦♦♦♦♦♦ GREEN—Words and verses which relate to the earth, nations, or peoples—and God’s purpose to bless all peoples of the earth. (In the image above: Ps 97:4–6; Ps 98:2–4; Ps 98:7–9; Ps 99:1–2; Ps 102:15; Ps 102:19.) These highlights help the reader to visualize the integral link between God’s honor and his global purpose to bless all the peoples of earth.
  • ♦♦♦♦♦♦ BLUE—Words and verses which relate to glory—the glory of God, or other uses of the words glory, glorious, glorify, glorified. (In the image above: Ps 97:6; Ps 102:16.) Of course, glory is part of honor/shame vocabulary, and God’s passion for his glory is largely synonymous to the honor/shame dynamic known as the love of honor.
  • ♦♦♦♦♦♦ VIOLET—Words and verses which relate to the love of God—and especially the words, steadfast love, in the Old Testament. (In the image above: Ps 98:3; Ps 101:1.)
What is the value of this highlighting practice?
  1. We discover that the Bible is already contextualized for honor/shame cultures. When we see the honor/shame dynamics in the Bible—we understand that the social context of the Bible—with its pivotal cultural value of honor and shame—overlaps deeply with most of today’s Majority World cultures and peoples. This gives us fresh hope. The Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ speaks more profoundly to  Majority World peoples than we in the West often realize.
  2. We see that honor-status reversal is a motif of Scripture. I’ve been reading and highlighting my Bible like this for about six years. I’ve highlighted about 80% of my Bible this way. This highlighting process has led me to conclude that the dynamic of honor-status reversal is so prevalent in the pages of Scripture, that it is unquestionably a motif of the Bible. Over and over again, God is raising up and saving the humble—while putting down and judging the proud and arrogant. Moreover, the motif of honor-status reversal ties together many stories of the Old Testament—with the salvation work of Jesus Christ. This enhances our seeing the unity between Old and New Testaments.
  3. We see that things regal—are more prevalent than things legal. Kings and queens … pharaohs and caesars … kings and kingdoms of the earth in conflict with one another … and God’s already-but-not-yet kingdom/kingship … these all are widely represented on the pages of Scripture. Of course, everything regal connotes honor, so this further enhances our apprehension of honor and shame on the pages of the Bible. Plus, when laws are decreed in Scripture, they always come forth from a king—or the King: Almighty God, King of Creation. Even laws are saturated with regal flavor.
  4. We see more clearly many overlaps and connections. A full two-page spread of Scripture—with various colors and notations—offers the student of Scripture the ability to see a broader context and see more connections. Prominent themes and how they connect can be quickly identified through color as we flip through the pages of our Bibles.
  5. It helps us grow in our love for God’s Word. Reading and studying the Bible this way has deepened my love for the Bible. It is thrilling to see—over and over again, day after day—how the cultural value of honor and shame is so deeply woven into the text and story of Holy Scripture—from Genesis to Revelation.

Of course, the goal of Bible study is not simply knowledge, but transformation—becoming more like Jesus. My journey to know Scripture’s honor/shame dynamics has done this for me: I have come to more deeply know that, through Jesus Christ, God has covered my shame and shared with me his honor. To God be the glory.

A new honor code to end honor-based violence

Honor and shame, Shame pathology, Violence

The Honor Code | Katy Chevigny from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

Thanks to HonorShame.com, I learned about this short video which artfully describes the problem of honor-based violence—and how it can be overcome. It presents a secular view on the subject, and has really worthwhile content.

Here’s the main idea: Honor-based violence can be overcome through a new honor code.

Now isn’t that what Jesus teaches? We have a new honor code as we follow Christ—as we pattern our lives after his.

Consider these two well-known passages about Jesus’ reversal of honor codes:

And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45)

Easy to say it, hard to live it

We all know this is not easy, even for those who follow Jesus as Lord and Savior.

How can we actually live out these new reverse-honor codes?

Here’s how: I believe the Bible teaches that God himself shares with us his honor and glory, so that we gain an “honor-surplus” … and build “shame-resilience”.[1] In turn, Jesus himself empowers us to live in a way that reflects his very love and servanthood. We can actually endure shame, and be “last of all and servant of all”—living out the reverse honor codes of Jesus.

We can do this because God has already shared with us his own honor and glory!

We can call a cease -fire! Because of Jesus, we are not compelled to defend our honor or engage in honor competition—because we are already so abundantly honored in Christ! We are literally peacemakers (Mat 5:9–10)—in the honor and under the reign—of King Jesus.

God shares his glory with his people

Consider these verses that reveal that God actually shares with his people his honor and glory:

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? (John 5:44).

… for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God (John 12:43).

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one (John 17:22).

In addition, these verses below show that followers of Jesus Christ are, in fact, to be given honor, to seek glory, and to be called glorious.

So the honor is for you who believe … (1 Pet 2:7)

To those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life (Rom 2:7).

… that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom 8:21).

But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory (1 Cor 2:7).

Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones (Jude 1:8).

Do you see it? We have a new source of honor in following Jesus.

The verses above are but a small sampling from Scripture which tell followers of Christ that God is sharing with us his glory and honor. (Click here to learn more about the believer’s honor-status reversal through salvation.) This abundant honor surplus in Jesus helps us overcome rivalry, conflict and violence in our relationships.

Oh, how we need to experience the glory and honor of God—our honor-surplus in Christ—to build peace-filled marriages, families, communities, churches, and nations.

A new honor code through following Jesus Christ—this ends honor-based conflict.

1. For more on the concept of “shame resilience”, see Brené Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (New York: Gotham, 2012).