Category Archives: Honor and shame

The gospel of grace as the crux of honor-status reversal, part 1

Bible commentary, Ephesians, Honor and shame, The Global Gospel

In my forthcoming book, THE GLOBAL GOSPEL: Achieving Missional Impact in Our Multicultural World, I devote quite a few pages to  the idea that honor-status reversal is a motif of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.

I have written in previous posts about honor-status reversal as a motif of the Bible. In this post, I want to include an excerpt from my book which explores this motif in Ephesians chapter 2. That excerpt is below, with some modifications to fit a blog format.

A closer look at honor-status reversal in Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2:1–7 gives us a dramatic picture of honor-status reversal from being “dead in trespasses and sins” to having been “raised…up with him and seated…with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” From death—to seated with Christ in exalted honor. Astounding!

Let’s take a closer look below at the profound dynamics of honor-status reversal in Ephesians 2. We will first of all look at honor-status reversal of persons in relation to God (Ephesians 2:1–7).

These first 7 verses relate to our status reversal from our original shameful position in relation to God. Verses 1–3 refer to our alienation from God:
  • Spiritually dead: “dead in…trespasses and sins” (2:1)
  • Unwittingly following the world’s spirit and devil: “following the course of this world” / “following the prince of the power of the air” (2:2)
  • Victimized by evil spirit: “the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (2:2)
  • Spiritual DNA of an evil, shameful father: “sons of disobedience” (2:2)
  • Enslaved to self: “lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind” (2:3)
  • Destined for God’s eternal punishment: “children of wrath” (2:3)
  • Unexceptional: “like the rest of mankind” (2:3)
Verses 4–7 refer to the reversal of our honor-status in relation to God:
  • Loving intervention, undeserved, from the powerful, divine Benefactor directed toward us: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us” (2:4)
  • Gave us new life us by enjoining us to the Messiah-King: “made us alive together with Christ” (2:5)
  • Permanently raised our honor status in Christ’s resurrection: “and raised us up with him” (2:6)
  • Providing us rest and authority in relational co-regency with Christ the King: “seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (2:6)
  • All to display God’s riches to magnify his honor for all eternity: “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (2:6)

Ephesians 2:8–9 as the crux of honor-status reversalAt the crux of two dimensions of honor-status reversal—there it is— 
“Salvation by grace through faith”

What is located between these two dramatic expressions of honor-status reversal—between verses 1–7 and 11–22? The often-quoted verses about salvation by grace through faith:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph 2:8–9).

This “salvation verse” sits at the intersection of vertical and horizontal dimensions of honor-status reversal. The vertical dimension refers to a person’s relationship with God. The horizontal dimension refers to the Gentiles’ relationship with God’s people. The  drama inherent in these dimensions of honor-status reversal—along with the liberation that this brought spiritually, emotionally and socially —is the context for “salvation by grace through faith.”

Timothy Tennent writes: “The New Testament celebrates a salvific transformation that has both vertical and horizontal dimensions. Personal salvation in the New Testament is inextricably linked to becoming a part of the new humanity of Ephesians 2:15.”1 As salvation is vertical because sin is personal, so also is salvation horizontal because sin is corporate. According to Hiebert: “There is both personal and corporate sin and personal and corporate dimensions to God’s redemption.”2

We’ll look at Ephesians 2:11–22 in our next post. Whereas verses 1–7 reveal the vertical, personal honor-status reversal of believers, verses 11–22 reveal the horizontal, social honor-status reversal of believers.

1. Timothy C. Tennent: Invitation to World Missions: A Trinitarian Missiology for the Twenty-first Century (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2010), 62.

2. Paul Hiebert, “The Gospel in Human Contexts: Changing Perceptions of Contextualization” in Ed Stetzer & David Hesselgrave, Eds., MissionShift: Global Mission Issues in the Third Millennium (B&H Publishing, 2010. Kindle Edition),  99.

Go and be a blessing; God’s reward is HONOR!

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

abraham-go-and-be-a-blessingGenesis 12:1–4 is one of the most foundational passages in all the Bible:

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Abram went, as the Lord had told him…”

God’s global promise and command to Abraham was to “Go … and be a blessing.”[1] Abraham needed to heed and obey. Abraham’s obedience to God’s call is certainly one of the most significant aspects of the Genesis 12 passage.

But consider this: Wouldn’t Abraham have understood God’s global promise—along with all the necessary sacrificial obedience—as more than just a command to obey? Wouldn’t Abraham also have understood this as amazing good news for himself?

The central promise to Abraham was, “In you shall all the nations be blessed” (Gal 3:8). Let’s emphasize what this would have meant to Abraham … “In you” … in YOU! … “shall all the nations be blessed.” There is immense honor (and therefore good news!) contained in God’s promise-command. That’s what I want to focus on here.

Let’s look at all eight honorific elements of God’s call to Abraham in Genesis 12:1–3. Consider these astounding rewards:

  1. God will give Abraham a new land, ensuring a new source of land-based honor. This was to more-than-replace the loss of land upon leaving his “father’s house” and “country.”
  2. God will make of Abraham “a great nation,” ensuring that Abraham will have an heir with many descendants. This was to ensure that Abraham would never be forgotten, always remembered by his descendents, his lineage, his ‘forever family.’ This was of huge concern (see Gen 15:2).
  3. God “will bless” Abraham, promising that Abraham will enjoy God’s divine favor. This is God’s choice to freely choose Abraham as one who would share in God’s honor, and without any previous merits earned by Abraham; it was purely by grace.
  4. God will make Abraham’s “name great,” ensuring Abraham’s renown in the larger community. This shows God’s concern for Abraham’s reputation among his people, his region, and ultimately the whole world.
  5. God commands Abraham, “you will be a blessing,” promising him that he will acquire the honor of being a patron who will, in turn, bless many others. This shows God’s desire to share the honor of his global mission with people like Abraham.
  6. God will “bless those who bless” Abraham, ensuring Abraham’s favor in his community. This indicates God’s purpose in expanding his blessing and honor beyond Abraham’s kinship group to others who also bless Abraham.
  7. God will protect Abraham’s honor: “and him who dishonors you I will curse.” This shows God’s concern for protecting Abraham from the shaming and taunts of others—critical to the maintenance of one’s honor.
  8. God promises Abraham: “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This establishes the magnificent extent of God’s blessing-through-Abraham’s-family, and hence, Abraham’s honor: IT WILL BE GLOBAL and ULTIMATELY KNOWN AMONG ALL KINSHIP GROUPS!

What did all this mean to Abraham? Yes, God required obedience from Abraham. But how can we miss the immense, lasting honor promised by God? How can we miss the staggering hope, the astounding good news this must have been to Abraham—not to mention the good news this represented for “all the families of the earth?”

IN FACT, it was such great good news, that some 2000 years later, the Apostle Paul actually says that “God … preached the gospel”—the good news!—to Abraham when he called Abraham to be a blessing to the nations:

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” (Gal 3:8)

The Bible says Abraham is the “father” of all followers of Jesus (Rom 4:16, Gal 3:29). Abraham is the forerunner of all who belong to God by grace and faith alone (Rom 4:13–16) through Jesus Christ. So what does this mean for the gospel and for mission?

  • It means that God shares his honor with people who join with him in his purpose to bless the nations.
  • It means that honor is at the core of blessing, and both honor and blessing are at the crux of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
  • It follows that if the gospel of Jesus is at the core of God’s Story—then honor and blessing are at the core of God’s revelation—from Genesis to Revelation.
  • It means that being the bearer of good news—or that being part of the “family” or kinship group through whom the good news is delivered—is specially honored by God.
  • It means that to be a part of God’s global purpose to bless all peoples is itself good news—because it is so saturated with honor and blessing for both giver and recipient.
  • It implies that shame may be conquered when God gives to people his honor and blessing as they live on mission and share the gospel of Jesus.
  • It means that the work of mobilizing others for the great task of blessing the nations through the gospel of Christ must have at its core both the duty of sacrificial obedience and the rewarding delight of great honor.

What do you think?

This post is partially excerpted from the forthcoming book, THE GLOBAL GOSPEL: Achieving Missional Impact in Our Multicultural World. If you would like read or review the pre-published manuscript write to Werner Mischke at werner@mission1.org.

1. Christopher Wright summarizes Gen 12:1–3 as “Go … and be a blessing.” See Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 208.

Why don’t pastors preach on shame?

Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, The Global Gospel

Why dont pastors preach on shame“When I was a little girl, something shameful happened to me that has troubled me all my life. And in all my years, I’ve never heard a sermon on shame. So I want to thank you for your message, because today, your sermon has set me free.”

That’s basically what she told me. We’ll call her Eleanor for the purpose of this post (it’s not her real name).

It was February of 2013. I was invited to preach one Sunday for the missions week at a church in Tempe, Arizona. My assignment was to introduce the subject of honor and shame to this congregation. A copy of The Father’s Love Booklet was given to each person attending so they could follow the amazing and beautiful honor/shame dynamics in the story of the Prodigal Son. I also shared a little of my own story about how a “shadow of shame” had affected my life. It was a good morning. I felt good about what I had, by God’s grace, communicated from God’s Word.

But I was really surprised by Eleanor. She came to me after the service. Her eyes were twinkling with joy. One person who knew her said she had been involved in befriending international students as a big part of her ministry—for years and years. I think Eleanor was around 70 years old. What Eleanor said was stunning and bears repeating: “… in all my years, I’ve never heard a sermon on shame.”

Why don’t pastors preach on shame? Pastor John Forrester says it well:

“We Western pastors have a blind spot. In a word, that blind spot is shame. We don’t learn about shame in seminary. We don’t find it in our theological reading. We don’t recognize it on the pages of Scripture. We don’t see it in our people. Shame is just not part of our pastoral perspective.” –John Forrester[1]

In my learning journey about honor and shame, I’ve discovered four reasons why there is a persistent blind spot about this vital issue:

1. Theological blind spot. The first reason is that—compared to innocence/guilt—the matter of honor/shame has been largely ignored as a matter of theological inquiry. Most seminary students preparing for the pastorate study systematic theology. Take a look at whatever systematic theology book you may have: When one compares the amount of material concerning sin and guilt compared to sin and shame—one discovers that sin and shame is almost completely ignored.

2. New area of study. The second reason is related; it’s a relatively new area of study. In the fields of anthropology, theology and missiology—shame and honor have only recently been understood as significant for understanding and interpreting the Scriptures, or for understanding peoples from the Majority World.

3. Blind spots are common. The third reason is that blind spots are common—they’re a part of the human condition. Christians in every society, every culture have theological blind spots, no matter how mature.

4. Shame is taboo. This reason is more subjective. To study honor and shame implies a personal willingness to explore shame in one’s own life and one’s own church community. All too often, chronic shame is unintentionally promulgated in the church. It can be uncomfortable for Christian leaders to address these things—causing resistance in studying the matter.

Let’s quit ignoring shame as a matter of theological inquiry. The sinful shame-pathologies which permeate our world are calling pastors and all believers to provide authentic answers. Wonderfully, the Bible is full of hope for not just our sin and guilt, but also, our sin and shame!

This post is partially excerpted from the forthcoming book, THE GLOBAL GOSPEL: Achieving Missional Impact in Our Multicultural World. If you would like read or review the pre-published manuscript write to Werner Mischke at werner@mission1.org.

1. John A. Forrester: Grace For Shame: The Forgotten Gospel (Toronto: Pastor’s Attic Press, 2010), 9.

What does it mean to contextualize the gospel?

Bible commentary, Contextualization, Cultural intelligence, Evangelism, Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame
What does it mean to contextualize the gospelYesterday I shared a post about the “Canopy of Biblical Truth” (click here).

We saw that the Bible contains some dualities, paradoxes, seeming contradictions. Some readers might think … Okay, I get what you mean, but what’s the point? Of course there are some tensions in the Bible. It doesn’t seem important.

But it IS important. Really important.

Today, I am sharing how these varying dualities in Scripture can help us uncover blind spots or assumptions in the way we articulate the gospel. Below is a slide presentation which I developed in 2013 which takes you step by step through what this means.

  • You’ll see how the Canopy of Biblical Truth fits into this discussion about contextualization.
  • You’ll see that a traditional Western presentation of the gospel (“The Four Spiritual Laws”) contains Western cultural assumptions.
  • You’ll discover an alternative way to articulate the gospel using the language of honor and shame.

Plus it’s FREE! You can download this very presentation (at my Slideshare page) yourself and use it to teach and discuss these principles with your own team.

Werner’s video intro of honor/shame in the Bible

Honor and shame

Introduction to honor and shame in the Bible from Mission ONE / Werner Mischke on Vimeo.

This is a short introduction to the dynamics of honor and shame in the Bible. Covered are six features: 1) Love of honor, 2) Two sources or honor—ascribed and achieved, 3) Challenge and riposte, 4) Image of limited good, 5) Body language, and 6) Honor status reversal. Note: The six dynamics presented here are but an introduction. Not covered are other important dynamics of honor and shame in the Bible, such as … purity … glory and “name,” … kinship and blood … patronage … and the “concept of face.”

Recorded July 13, 2013 in Nashville, TN at New Song Christian Fellowship in Woodbine. Many thanks to Ben McGinness for logistics—and to Harry Butler Video & Photography.

One Bible, one Lord … many paradoxes

Bible commentary, Contextualization, Global Christian mission, Honor and shame, The Global Gospel

Canopy of biblical truth2

Consider the diagram above: “The Canopy of Biblical Truth.”

The idea of a canopy may be seen in this Scripture: “The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!” (Ps 113:4). Like a canopy, God is above all nations, peoples and cultures. His righteousness is above all nations. Although his Word is rooted in specific histories and cultures, it is likewise supra-cultural. The diagram contains a sample list of contrasts reflected in Scripture. The list consists of ideas, truths, cultural values, or areas of emphasis. The list of thirteen ‘dualities’—or paradoxes (seeming contradictions)—is by no means comprehensive; it is truly a mere sampling.

Let’s explore in a little more detail these thirteen contrasts or ‘dualities.’

1. Narrative / oral—and propositional / written: God’s Word contains narrative truth in the form of histories, stories, and parables. Sometimes God’s Word and mission are referred to as God’s Story. Jesus told many stories. Moreover, the people in the Bible were primarily oral peoples whose access to books and writing instruments were extremely limited. The stories of Scripture can be read aloud and memorized in order to fit the cultures of oral peoples. In contrast, the Bible also contains propositional truth. It is the Book of books—the written Word of God. Scripture is rich with propositional truth—in the form of declarations, proverbs, principles, laws, prophetic revelations of the future, or letters explaining theological truth.

2. Honor / shame—and innocence / guilt: God’s Word is loaded with material about the honor or shame of humanity as well as the guilt or innocence of humanity. Scripture reveals that the gospel of Christ is the remedy for sin/guilt (Lev 5:19, Rom 3:23–25, 1 Cor 15:1–3). The gospel is also revealed as the remedy for sin/shame (Luke 15:11–32, Eph 1:3–11, Heb 12:2).

3. Kingdom / regal—and democratic / legal: God’s Word has enormous material about kings and kingdoms beginning in the Old Testament and continuing into the New; Jesus Christ is the Son of David (Mat 1:1)—the King of Kings whose regal kingdom is forever (1 Tim 6:15). In contrast, Scripture is sometimes cited as the foundation for democracy, limitations on the absolute power of kings, human rights, and freedom. Moreover, the laws of God—the legal aspects of God’s truth—are widely present in both Old and New Testaments, although generally inside of a relational or covenantal framework.

4. Familial / ancestral—and individual / present-future: God’s Word has a huge amount of material about his working through family and offspring on behalf of other families (Genesis 12:1). There is also much about remembering the past and having regard for one’s ancestors (Mat 1:1–17). This may be contrasted with all the material in which God works through individuals, and where the orientation is the present or future. Scripture presents the gospel of salvation as being offered both to families and individuals (Acts 16:30–31).

5. Obedience / concrete—and knowledge / abstract: God’s Word emphasizes the necessity of obedience to God and concrete action; knowledge apart from obedience results in pride. At the same time, God’s people are commanded to “love the Lord your God…with all your mind” (Mark 12:30) and are warned that they will be destroyed for lack of knowledge (Isa 5:13, Hos 4:6).

6. Mystery / both-and—and logical / either-or: God’s Word teaches the mystery of the Trinity; God is both One God, and a community of Three Persons. The paradox of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility (both are biblical truths) is also a both-and mystery. However, God’s Word also teaches in abundance many truths which are logical and either-or. “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). Either repent and be saved—or—do not repent and perish.

7. Poverty / vulnerability—and wealth / stability: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20, cf. Mat 5:3). God’s Word speaks favorably to his people in poverty and in vulnerable conditions. In contrast, God’s Word contains a ‘development ethic’ which produces wealth for individuals and nations—along with social stability.[1] The book of Proverbs contains many principles for gaining wealth.

8. Glory to God—and glory for humanity: God’s Word teaches that the glory of God is the crux of all reality (Rom 11:36). At the same time, God’s Word teaches that human beings are made in the image of a good and glorious God (Gen 1:27), and God shares his glory with those who believe and follow Jesus Christ (John 17:22).

9. Justice for the oppressed / justice for the oppressor—and acceptance of injustice: God’s Word teaches the good news that God will bring liberty to the oppressed (Luke 4:18) and that God will harshly judge the oppressor (Isa 14:3–6, Mat 23:1–36, Luke 6:24–28, Rev. 18:19–24). However, God also calls his people to accept and endure injustice and persecution (Mat 5:10–12, 1 Pet 3:9), following the example of Jesus (1 Pet 2:23).

10. Israel relativized—and Israel prioritized: God’s Word teaches that “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). The laws and traditions of God’s people Israel are to be relativized under the Lordship of Christ. At the same time, we see in Paul’s letter to the Romans that the gospel is “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16). We see in Paul’s letter to the church at Rome that God’s people Israel are, in a sense, prioritized (Rom 4:16–18, 9:1–5) because the promise of the all-nations blessing in Christ came through God’s people Israel, whose father is Abraham.

11. Everyday / local—and cosmic / universal: God’s Word teaches that obedience to God is for the benefit of people right now in the immediate everyday and local situation. The second half of the Ten Commandments deals with society and the realm of family and human relationships (Ex 20:12–17). The kingdom of God is for today, right here, right now (Mat 6:10). But God’s Word also teaches that he is reconciling together all things in Christ; this is the cosmic and universal level (Eph 1:10, Col 1:19–20).

12. Romantic / desire—and militant / duty: The Bible presents God as a husband or the people of God as his bride in the Old Testament (Ez 16:1–8; Is 54:5; 62:4–5; Hos 1:2–3) and also in the New Testament (Eph 5:25, 31–32; Rev 19:6–9). This shows that the nature of the relationship between God and his people is characterized by deep affection and desire. There is, indeed, a kind of romance between Christ and his bride. At the same time, God’s Word reveals that his people are under the command of an all-powerful King whose mission is to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). God’s people are called in militant duty to engage with their Lord through prayer in a battle “against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil” (Eph 6:12).

13. Alien to the culture / at home in the culture: The church is an alien community, standing against the idolatries of any political or social status quo (Rev 13:1–18) which is a rival to Almighty God.[1] At the same time, the New Testament also provides support, both for working within the church’s socio-political environment (Rom 13:1–7, 1 Pet 2:13–17)—and for identifying foreign cultural signposts as entry points for the gospel (Acts 17:22–34, cf 1 Cor 9:19–23).

What’s the point? Variety!

The point in reflecting on this sampling of contrasts is that God’s Word covers a very wide spectrum of human ideas, social situations and cultural styles. Richard Bauckham writes,

“The Bible does, in some sense, tell an overall story that encompasses all its other contents, but this story is not a sort of straitjacket that reduces all else to a narrowly defined uniformity. It is a story that is hospitable to considerable diversity and to tensions, challenges and even seeming contradictions of its own claims.” –Richard Bauckham[3]

This contributes to our awareness that although the Bible was written in the specific cultural milieu of the ancient Middle East and Roman Empire—and thus reflects the pivotal cultural values of the time—the Bible as God’s Word nevertheless stands above all cultures and reveals God’s righteousness for all peoples.

This also reinforces to us that whatever our own expression of Christianity, the way we communicate the gospel of Christ is by necessity embodied in our own set of values and our own cultural style.

I’ll end this post with a quote from N.T. Wright:

“The Christian faith is kaleidoscopic, and most of us are color-blind. It is multidimensional, and most of us manage to hold at most two dimensions in our heads at any one time. It is symphonic, and we can just about whistle one of the tunes.” –N.T. Wright [4]

Excerpted from the forthcoming book, THE GLOBAL GOSPEL: Achieving Missional Impact in Our Multicultural World. If you would like read or review the pre-published manuscript write to Werner Mischke at werner@mission1.org.

FOOTNOTES
1. For more about the “development ethic” contained in the Bible see Darrow Miller, Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Cultures (Seattle, YWAM Publishing, 1998).
2. Dean Fleming does an excellent job exploring the paradox of the church being both for and against the socio-cultural environment in which it exists. He writes, “Perhaps most striking of all is the tension between Revelation and other New Testament writings in their respective attitudes toward the Roman ‘powers-that-be.’ Revelation’s call for Christians to ‘come out’ of oppressive Babylon seems to be a far cry, say, from Peter’s advice to ‘accept the authority of every human institution’ and to ‘honor the emperor’ (1 Pet 2:13, 17). And John’s parody of Roman power as a diabolical beast (Rev 13) cuts a bold contrast with Paul’s teaching that Roman authorities are ‘instituted by God’ (Rom 13:1) and function as ‘God’s servants’ for the church’s good (Rom 13:4, 6).” See Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament: Patterns for Theology and Mission, 288–289. Kindle Edition.
3. Richard Bauckham, Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 93–94.
4. N.T. Wright’s quote is from the foreword to Scot McKnight’s book, The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 11.

It’s not your book!

Contextualization, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, Quotes, articles & books related to cross-cultural partnership, The Global Gospel

“We can easily forget that Scripture is a foreign land
and that reading the Bible is a cross-cultural experience.”[1]

Its not your book

If you are a Christian from North America (or Northern Europe and Australia or elsewhere)—and you consider yourself influenced primarily by Western values,  consider this:

Culturally speaking, the Bible does not “belong” to you; it’s not your book.

It was the people of the ancient Middle East—characterized not by the individualistic guilt-based values of contemporary Northern Europe and North America and the West, but by the group-oriented values of honor and shame—to whom this book was originally written.

It was in the culture of the ancient Middle East—characterized not by the equality-oriented values of the West, but by the hierarchical values of honor and shame—that men inspired by the Holy Spirit authored the sixty-six books of the Bible.

It was the ancient Middle East—characterized not by the direct communication style of the USA and Northern Europe, but by the indirect communication style of honor/shame cultures—where God chose to call out for himself a man named Abraham, so that through his descendants all the peoples of the earth would be blessed.

It was into Greco-Roman culture at the height of the Roman Empire—characterized not by the individualistic values of the West, but by the family-based, hierarchical values of honor and shame—that Jesus Christ was born and grew up, worked and lived, proclaimed the gospel of his kingdom, called and taught his disciples, suffered a humiliating death, and victoriously rose again.

It was through the kingdom and story of Israel—characterized not by the fast-paced lifestyle and risk-oriented values of urban America, but by the slow lifestyle, the cautionary traditional values of honor and shame—that Christ called his newly formed people, the church, to extend his gospel of the kingdom to the ends of the earth.

Indeed, “reading the Bible is a cross-cultural experience.”

Excerpted from the forthcoming book, THE GLOBAL GOSPEL: Achieving Missional Impact in Our Multicultural World. If you would like read or review the pre-published manuscript write to Werner Mischke at werner@mission1.org.

1. E. Randolph Richards; Brandon J. O’Brien: Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible (Kindle Locations 74–75). Kindle Edition.

What if … the gospel was better contextualized for our multicultural world?

Contextualization, Global Christian mission, Honor and shame, The Global Gospel
What ifDo we have good news for our multicultural world?

Of course we do. We have the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. But what if…

  • What if … the gospel as we know it contained some Western assumptions that make the good news of Jesus less appealing to peoples from Majority World cultures?
  • What if … we could read the Bible in a new light—the light of the cultural values in which the Scriptures were originally written?
  • What if … we discovered that the societies of the Old and New Testament had the pivotal cultural value of honor and shame—and found that this is a lot closer to the values of our multicultural neighbors than we as Westerners ever realized?
  • What if … we could overcome certain theological blind spots? What if we could shift from a gospel articulated exclusively through a legal framework? What if we could share a more comprehensive global gospel which, by God’s grace, would better resonate with our multicultural neighbors—across the street and around the world?

This is what my forthcoming book is all about: THE GLOBAL GOSPEL: Achieving Missional Impact in Our Multicultural World.

 

Believers have no honor deficit

Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, The Global Gospel
This is from the summary chapter in my forthcoming book:
THE GLOBAL GOSPEL: Achieving Missional Impact in Our Multicultural World.

Believers no honor deficit

There is an answer to the perplexing problem of sin for individuals and peoples. The answer is found in Jesus Christ. This is profoundly good news.

There is a kingdom with an infinitely mighty King, who, because of his own honor and compassion, shares his glory with people while absorbing their sin, guilt, and shame. Those who follow this King are sometimes called Christians, or simply believers. Believers have no honor deficit. They are not ashamed. They are children of God, siblings of the King. They are full and they are free, on mission with God to bless all the peoples of the earth.

King Jesus is the One whose glory and honor is of such magnitude that he gives and shares his glory (John 17:22) with those who “believe in his name” so that they literally become “children of God” (John 1:12, 1 John 3:1). Believers experience a dramatic elevation of their honor before God—an honor-status reversal. Although the King gives and shares his glory lavishly, in doing so, the King’s own honor is not diminished whatsoever. More and more people worship him—so the worshipful glory given to our King increases (John 12:32, 2 Cor 4:15), as he shares his life and glory with those who follow him.

Believers who love and obey the King are his siblings (Matt 12:48–50). They have been born again into a new family—a new kinship group. They have been born, “not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). They have a new spiritual DNA out of which springs forth a life-transforming honor that sets them free. By the grace of God believers enjoy a divinely imparted ascribed honor (not achieved honor), so that no one may boast (Eph 2:9), and God receives all the glory he deserves (Rom 11:36). How offensive this is to self-exalting, self-sufficient human pride.

Believers have no honor deficit.
They are children of God, siblings of the King.
They are not ashamed.
They are full and they are free,
on mission with God to bless all the peoples of the earth.

For persons debilitated by sin and shame … for peoples who are oppressed, victims of a majority people obsessed by their own power … for those who consider themselves outsiders and aliens … there is a new Source of honor which heals and covers their shame. It is experienced through “the gospel of the kingdom” (Luke 4:43, 8:1, 16:16, Acts 8:12; cf: Acts 19:8, 20:25, 28:23, 31). It is located in the King and kingdom of Jesus.

The honor which issues forth from this kingdom is embedded exclusively in Christ. This honor in Jesus creates for believers a visceral experience which conquers shame. It is an honor surplus provided to followers of Jesus the moment they are saved. It is symbolized when believers are baptized, immersed into “the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mat 28:19). This honor surplus is a fullness of life which overflows. It is thirst-quenching, thoroughly satisfying (John 7:38). This honor surplus is maintained experientially by being filled with the Holy Spirit, growing in the knowledge of the Word of God, and sharing in the life of Christ’s nurturing body-community (1 Cor 12:21–26), the church.

Believers have no honor deficit.
They are children of God, siblings of the King.
They are not ashamed.
They are full and they are free,
on mission with God to bless all the peoples of the earth.

One might think that the pursuit of knowing Christ and experiencing his glorious honor is somehow selfish. But this pursuit is the practice which Jesus commanded: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Mat 6:33). It was embodied by the life of Apostle Paul (Phil 3:7–11). Paul wrote about this pursuit—this seeking-for-glory-and-honor—to the church at Rome: “to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life” (Rom 2:7). This pursuit is, in reality, the very antithesis of selfishness or sinful pride.

It is by their kingdom-infused, Christ-embedded, Spirit-breathed, Word-informed, church-supported honor surplus that believers are set free from sin (Rom 6:7–8, 17–18). True believers love and give sacrificially. When insulted, true believers are free, if necessary, to absorb the shame of others. Believers are ministers of reconciliation. Believers can stop being defensive or violent, because in Jesus Christ they are peacemakers.

On the one hand, believers can, like Jesus, humbly challenge the status quo and speak truth to power. On the other hand, they freely can stoop down and wash one another’s feet, because like Jesus, they have no honor deficit (John 13:14–15).

All of these freedoms are expressions of selflessness. These freedoms reveal the very life of Jesus.

Believers have no honor deficit.
They are children of God, siblings of the King.
They are not ashamed.
They are full and they are free,
on mission with God to bless all the peoples of the earth..

Many believers live in a consumerist society in which things are worshiped, but because of their honor surplus, they are free to avoid or even relinquish things which signify social status. They may possess the latest technology devices, fashionable cars and clothes, stylish houses, or impressive job titles. But while these things may all be considered gifts from God, believers nevertheless consider them optional because believers are content (Phil 4:11). They are content because they are satisfied in knowing and serving their King. Their honor is located in the King and his kingdom, not the kingdom of this world.

Because of their honor surplus in Jesus, they rejoice in suffering—“counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5:41). They joyously live with an ethical righteousness that rises above depraved cultural values which are insulting to God. Believers know that sin is more than the breaking of a legal code, it is the very dishonoring of Almighty God (Rom 1:21–26, 2:23–24).

Believers have no honor deficit.
They are children of God, siblings of the King.
They are not ashamed.
They are full and they are free,
on mission with God to bless all the peoples of the earth.

Believers saturated with the King’s honor gladly serve him. They know it is by the King’s saving blood and cross and resurrection that they are spared condemnation (Rom 8:1), and are adopted (Eph 1:5) into the honorific eternal family of God (1 Pet 2:6–10).

They embrace with all their hearts the honor of extending the blessing of salvation in Christ to “all the families of the earth” (Gen 12:3, Gal 3:29). They can join the King and his family on mission to bless all peoples with his great salvation. This honor thrills them because it gives them so much purpose and joy.

Their experience of Christ’s kingdom and his shame-conquering love brings healing now (Mat 5:3, Rom 5:5). It will be experienced in fullness and perfection for all believers in eternity.

Believers have no honor deficit.
They are children of God, siblings of the King.
They are not ashamed.
They are full and they are free,
on mission with God to bless all the peoples of the earth.

This is the global gospel.

Fantastic website about honor and shame in cross-cultural ministry

Contextualization, Global Christian mission, Honor and shame
What a great website for learning about honor/shame dynamics in cross-cultural ministry
What a great website for learning about honor/shame dynamics in cross-cultural ministry
A few months ago, a website was launched to serve people engaged in cross-cultural ministry.
It’s called HonorShame.com.

Here’s why I like it:

  1. HonorShame.com is beautifully designed. It is clear and very easy-to-navigate.
  2. HonorShame.com has practical, easy-to-use resources.
  3. HonorShame.com has rich theological resources which explain honor and shame as the pivotal cultural value of the Bible.
  4. HonorShame.com has a really cool video that presents the gospel using a simple story format and the language of honor and shame.
  5. HonorShame.com has a great weekly blog with practical ministry insights.
  6. HonorShame.com (actually the team behind the website) offers expert coaching and training services regarding honor and shame in the Bible and in cross-cultural ministry.

These resources at HonorShame.com can help anyone involved in cross-cultural ministry to share the blessing of Jesus Christ with persons and peoples for whom honor and shame is a vital cultural value.

Check it out! Subscribe to the blog. Use the resources at HonorShame.com.