Brilliant conversation about Paul’s message of the cross in the social context of the Roman Empire

Gospel of Jesus, social context of Roman Empire, Violence

I listened to a podcast recently: “How Saint Paul Changed the World.” This podcast (also in video, below) is chock full of wonderful insights.

The podcast conversation features two brilliant scholars—N. T. Wright and Tom Holland—who speak with “Unbelievable?” podcast host Justin Brierley about the life and writings of Apostle Paul. Central to this discussion is the gospel which Paul puts forth in his letters—the gospel of believing in a crucified God in the social context of the brutal Roman Empire.

I found this conversation compelling, even delightful. A gospel featuring a horribly shamed, crucified Savior (who three days later rises from the dead)—is a gospel which remains as relevant as ever, as challenging as ever, as hope-filled as ever.

This conversation reinforces the principle that understanding the social context of the Roman Empire is essential for a richer understanding of the New Testament.

The conversation features two guests:

  1. N. T. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and one of the world’s most renown Bible scholars. He now serves as the Chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews. The author of numerous books, his most recent work, Paul: A Biography, is featured in this podcast conversation. (I read Paul: A Biography earlier this year. I found the book exceedingly rich and readable—and a great encouragement to my faith.) See N. T. Wright’s Amazon page here.
  2. Tom Holland is the author of several books: … on the Roman Empire … the rise and fall the house of Caesar … the rise of Christianity and the West … and the rise of Islam. See Tom Holland’s Amazon page here.

Enjoy the conversation …

 

Highly recommended: Jackson Wu’s new article on objective and subjective shame according to the Bible

Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, objective shame

I want to point you to what I believe is an extremely significant article from Jackson Wu. The article appears in the current issue of Themelios, which is the online theology journal of The Gospel Coalition.

Jackson Wu’s article adds much biblically-based nuance to the conversation about sin-and-shame

The article is titled, “Have Theologians No Sense of Shame? How the Bible Reconciles Objective and Subjective Shame.” (FYI: Jackson is the book review editor of the Mission and Culture section of Themelios.) 

Some things I particularly value in this article:

  • The article is highly readable—and organized in an ordered, logical manner.
  • The article classifies shame in the Bible into three types: 1) psychological, 2) social/cultural, and 3) sacred.
  • The article classifies not only the kinds of shame in the Bible, but also whether it is objective, subjective, or both.
  • Through wide-ranging biblical support, the article critiques the view that guilt is objective (humanity’s main problem) and shame is merely subjective (a secondary problem).

This article makes a big contribution to the conversation about honor-shame in the Bible and its implications for the gospel.

Why is this article so significant? Two reasons.

First of all, the article appears in the online theology journal of The Gospel Coalition, called Themelios. This gives the content an extra degree of credibility among evangelical and “broadly Reformed” pastors, theologians, and other Christian leaders. (Note: Jackson Wu is the Book Review Editor of the “Mission and Culture” section of Themelios.)

Second, as already stated: The article critiques the conventional view that guilt is objective (humanity’s main problem) whereas shame is merely subjective (a secondary problem). This is not a small issue. Why?

  • Because if we believe that sin-and-guilt is the sole core issue, the solitary basic problem of humanity according to the Bible, the very crux of humanity’s disease …
  • then the gospel that we preach and teach (and train others to preach and teach) by default will ignore the problem of sin-and-shame …
  • and the enormous problems of humanity that are caused primarily by shame (both objective and subjective) remain largely unaddressed in the preaching of the gospel.

I heartily encourage you to read this 15-page article by Dr. Jackson Wu. Better yet, slowly digest it as you look up the myriad verses in your own Bible. Discuss it, critique it with your friends and colleagues. And consider the implications for your life and ministry.

Toxic shame has its own neurobiology. The gospel offers a cure.

Book review, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, Shame pathology, Violence

A review of The Soul of Shame by Curt Thompson, MD

Curt Thompson’s The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves (IVP, 2015) addresses the pathology of toxic shame and its cure. Thompson writes as a board-certified psychiatrist and Christian. He is the founder of the Center for Being Known LLC.

Thompson often refers to a field called interpersonal neurobiology or IPNB. Thompson’s 2010 book, Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships (Tyndale, 2010), thoroughly explores the overlap between interpersonal neurobiology and Christian spiritual formation.

The distinguishing feature of The Soul of Shame is that it specifically addresses the neurobiology of shame. Thompson offers a hopeful process of how toxic shame can be cured through thinking biblically, Christian community, Christian disciplines, and therapy.

Thompson describes nine “domains of the mind” based on Daniel Siegel’s The Developing Mind. These nine domains are: 1) Consciousness, 2) Vertical, 3) Horizontal, 4) Memory, 5) Narrative, 6) State, 7) Interpersonal, 8) Temporal, and 9) Transpirational.[1] Thompson offers a brief description of each; he describes how these various domains of the mind must work together in an integrated way for human flourishing. It is fascinating to learn of these dimensions of thinking and the complexity of the human mind.

Thompson describes the inseparable link between mental/emotional health and the biochemistry of the mind:

[T]he mind is as relational as it is embodied. By this I mean that the very emergence of the mind’s capacity to do what it does is crucially dependent on the presence of relationships. From the day we enter the world, our neurons are firing not only out of the depths of genetically influenced patterns but also in response to the myriad of social interactions we sense and perceive when we encounter other people. … In this way, our relational interactions can actually influence our lives at the most basic biological level. Thus, the way our neurological system wires its responses to various emotional experiences is significantly influenced by the relational contexts in which those emotions arise. This means that the “nature versus nurture” boundary is illusory when it comes to the mind.[2]

Dr. Thompson then speaks of the “neurobiological energy” of the mind.

The task of the mind, in terms of what we witness scientifically that it does most effectively (and not from a theological perspective), is to regulate the flow of energy and information. Energy refers to the literal electrochemical communication from neuron to neuron. And information refers to those meaningful perceptions, whether conscious or unconscious, that are coursing through our lives at every moment, that are correlated with that very neurobiological energy.[3]

Then, one of the key points of the book:

Shame has a tendency to disrupt this process of “regulating the flow of energy and information” by effectively disconnecting various functions of the mind from one another, leaving each domain of the mind cut off from one another as we feel ourselves to be disconnected from other people.[4]

In other words, there is a biological correspondence between toxic shame and the brain. When we speak of shame, brokenness, rejection, exclusion, “the fear of disconnection,” the science of interpersonal neurobiology or IPNB shows that there is an observable pathology of disconnection in the brain.

Bad news and good news

The bad news is that shame is stubborn. Shame is not easily remedied. Through case histories from his practice as a psychiatrist, Thompson gets into the debilitating and largely involuntary nature of toxic shame on the human soul.

In light of the interpersonal neurobiology of shame, we learn that this makes sense. The brain is literally wired by the relative health, unhealth or destructiveness of human relationships and experiences which often go back to childhood. These experiences are foundational, core to our identity as humans. It is difficult to undo the foundation.

But Thompson delivers resounding good news, too. The good news is this: Our brains can literally be rewired by healthy practices. Those practices are biblically informed—Christian fellowship, bearing one another’s burdens, confession of sin, loving and accepting one another in authentic relationships. And yes, vulnerability with mature believers who love and accept you. After a case history describing the healing process of a patient he calls Natalie, Thompson writes: “Her shame required a community to realize the fullness of its healing.” Beautiful.

Healing inside of a Story

Perhaps most important is the belief that we are inside of a story of healing and redemption. This also informs our identity. Hence, Thompson’s emphasis on “retelling the stories we believe about ourselves.” He has two chapters on the significance of story: “The Story of Shame You Are Living” and “Shame and the Biblical Narrative.”

In these chapters, Thompson offers excellent applications of theology and the gospel to the problem of toxic shame. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are inside of a grand narrative—the story of a good and loving God who is working all things together for good (Rom 8:28)—through a good and loving kingdom-community whose central focus is relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thompson describes the healing power of living in God’s Story—engaging in biblical reflection, Christian disciplines, and healthy community. These behaviors starve the ever-present ‘shame monster’ (Thompson calls this our “shame attendant”) of his power—which at the same time keeps our minds healthy and integrated.

Excising shame from the organization

The final chapter of the book, “Renewing Vocational Creativity,” speaks to the mission and calling of believers inside of companies, institutions, and the church. Thompson explores healing for shame at the organizational level. Here’s a quote:

We cannot thrive on our own. In the same way, IPNB suggests that the mind must function as an integrated whole—differentiated functional parts: attention, memory, emotion, attachment—flexibly linked together. We cannot form the soul of our company, church, school or family well if we fail to see them in this light. Shame’s mission is to disintegrate all institutions in the same way it intends to disintegrate individuals, and isolation is no small part of its tactical arsenal.

… There is no “Jesus and me” option. There is only “Jesus and us.”[5]

Commenting on Paul’s analogy about the human body and the health of the church (1 Cor 12:15–23), Thompson helpfully writes:

But beyond our tendency toward judging others, Paul makes an even more extraordinary statement, especially for his time. He suggests that the weaker parts are indispensable, and that the less honorable parts are to be treated with more honor (vv. 22–23). These “weaker” and “less honorable” elements are understood to carry the weight of shame in that culture. They would normally be seen as disposable, contemptible and worthy of abandonment. But quite counterintuitively, as our IPNB models would also reflect, Paul turns the tables on shame, indicating that the body benefits when it’s fit and vital parts turn their attention to the more vulnerable parts, seeking them out to create space for them to contribute “indispensably” to the overall health of the body. To flourish, a mind or a community must turn its attention to where shame is hiding in order to create space for even greater growth, even in the way Jesus moves from his place in heaven to join us (Philippians 2:5–8).[6]

I find this compelling. Not only is this needful for the organizations and local churches in which we serve. This is vital for cross-cultural partnerships and collaborative efforts that are now widespread in the world Christian movement.

Finally, below is a listing of the chapters in The Soul of Shame.

  1. Our Problem with Shame
  2. How Shame Targets the Mind
  3. Joy, Shame and the Brain
  4. The Story of Shame You Are Living
  5. Shame and the Biblical Narrative
  6. Shame’s Remedy: Vulnerability
  7. Our Healing Cloud of Witnesses
  8. Redeeming Shame in Our Nurturing Communities
  9. Renewing Vocational Creativity

Curt Thompson has given us a wonderful resource on the healing of shame. He integrates recent advances in brain science—with evangelical Christian theology and practice. I found The Soul of Shame insightful, encouraging, and practical.

Videos: You can watch Curt Thompson teaching his material on several videos. Click here for a selection.

FOOTNOTES
1. Curt Thompson, The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2015), 42–44.

2. Ibid., 40.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid., 173–4.

6. Ibid., 175.

New book, “Why Honor Matters” by Tamler Sommers, challenges Western views about honor cultures

Book review, Honor and shame, Violence

The new book by Tamler Sommers, Why Honor Matters, offers a much-needed corrective to Western views of honor cultures.

Sommers is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Houston. But this is not a book of abstract philosophical musings. This is deeply practical and relevant to  modern life.

He says that unlike honor cultures, we are too risk-averse in America. This affects us—from an obsession with bicycle helmets … to irrational fears about the refugee crisis … to America’s criminal justice system.

Designed as a “trade book”, Why Honor Matters is highly accesible. It is handsome, not big and not too long—just 215 easy-to-read pages (before you get to the back-of-the book material). Despite the compact size, Why Honor Matters is weighty. It impacted me a lot.

Some of the literature over the past few decades about honor-shame has been critical of honor-shame cultures—pointing to honor killings and honor-based violence as so-called conclusive proof that our modern world should transcend cultures based on honor and shame.

Sommers challenges this view.

Sommers clearly acknowledges that honor-based violence is sometimes dehumanizing and evil. But having researched the differences between “honor cultures” and what he terms “dignity cultures,”  Sommers unmasks a Western liberal bias, and includes a fascinating assessment. Honor-based cultures and communities are, overall, much more skilled than Western “dignity cultures” at conflict resolution and restorative justice. Sommers writes:

Although honor cultures are more famous for their bloody feuds, the fact is that feuds are costly and people want to avoid them as long as they can maintain their honor and self-respect. With such high stakes, honor groups acquire tremendous skills and techniques for mediation, for discovering nonviolent ways for all parties to save face and restore their honor. Revenge is one form of restorative justice but not the preferred one, by any means. (p. 173)

I first heard about Tamler Sommers and his book Why Honor Matters on the Sam Harris “Waking Up” podcast. The podcast is titled “In Defense of Honor.”

It is fascinating to listen to Sam Harris discussing honor-shame with Tamler Sommers. Note—there is a little bit of swearing on the podcast, and the conversation gets bogged down in a couple of places where they lost me due to the  philosophically dense points being made. But overall, I found the conversation enlightening and interesting.

Why Honor Matters explores the downside and upside of honor cultures. Sommers offers real-life examples of communities that have strong honor codes. He explains why we need more of that in our world today, not less. He looks at a range of examples. From the major league baseball team … to the Navy Seals … to the hockey team honor code … and the Korean collectivistic society … to gangs … to the family unity in which everyone sticks up for one another … Sommers examines the honor values that characterize these groups and enable them to survive. He makes a compelling case for a return to honor values—with constraints.

Tamler Sommers spends the last couple chapters examining the difference between “retributive justice” and “restorative justice.” Retributive justice is the default in America, and Sommers critiques the ways that our criminal justice system tends to dehumanize both the criminal as well as the victim of crime. Sommers is an eloquent advocate for restorative justice, and as such is a “victims-rights advocate.” Taking into account the suffering and costs incurred by the victim (as well as their wishes) is one of the great benefits of restorative justice.

Unlike many of books I have read about honor-shame, this is not a Christian book. Obviously, it would not focus on issues of Christian mission. However, this book contributes much to the conversation about the deeply human and practical considerations about honor and shame in the world in which we live—especially concerning issues of violence. I therefore find Why Honor Matters a valuable contribution to the conversation about honor and shame in cross-cultural ministry.

Perhaps the most significant contribution is that Tamler Sommers, with his academic and cultural authority as an associate professor of philosophy at an American university, is calling his readers to reconsider and reintegrate honor-shame values into our modern world. He does so in a nuanced, carefully reasoned, readable manner using vivid examples and stories. I highly recommend Why Honor Matters.

The God-centered way that the “concept of face” overlaps with the gospel

atonement, Bible commentary, Contextualization, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, Quotes, articles & books related to cross-cultural partnership, The Global Gospel

This blog post is an excerpt from chapter 3.5 of my book, The Global Gospel, pages 242–244. This constitutes a summary I wrote (admittedly, an exceedingly brief summary) of Jackson Wu’s Saving God’s Face.[1] This excerpt is from Section 3 of The Global Gospel, in which I examine how various honor-shame dynamics overlap and intersect with verses about the atonement of Christ and salvation.

Atonement and the “concept of face”

One may rightly ask: Where does the atonement—the finished work of Christ on the cross, followed by his resurrection—intersect with the concept of face? It is found in the curious phrase, “saving God’s face.” I am indebted to Jackson Wu for the contours of this argument (especially points 4 and 5), which is put forward below.

  1. God’s glory is ultimate. All creation is for the display of his glory (Ps 19:1). The honor and glory of God is both the genesis and final reality of the universe. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Rom 11:36). 
  2. God’s sorrow in humanity’s sin. The world God made was good, but Adam and Eve were tempted by the dark devious destroyer and sinned (Gen 1–3). Thus, the world was cursed under Adam’s sin, and God was sorrowful (Gen 6:7). Sin is not only the violation of God’s laws. It is ultimately the dishonoring of God’s Person (Rom 1:21–26; 2:23). Sin is falling short of an ethical standard, but much more than that, sin is falling short of the glory and honor of God (Rom 3:23). 
  3. God’s promise through God’s family to bless all peoples. God promised Abraham, “I will bless you and make your name great” (Gen 12:2) and “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3). This constitutes God’s plan—to reverse the curse of sin and restore his blessing on all humanity through Abraham’s offspring. “Abraham ‘believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’” (Gal 3:6) apart from the righteous works of the law. 
  4. God’s Son makes good on God’s promise for all peoples. Jesus Christ is the offspring of Abraham (Gal 3:16). He died on the cross to redeem us from our sins (Gal 3:13). Moreover, Jesus Christ became “a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:13–14). This opened the “door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27) so that all peoples—all tribes and tongues and nations—could receive the honor of joining God’s family-on-mission and experience eternal life. 
  5. God’s “face” saved for God’s glory in all creation. In John 12, Jesus was praying to the Father. His soul was filled with fathomless sorrow about enduring the coming events—arrest, mocking, flogging and torture, humiliating crucifixion to bear the sins of the world, separation and rejection from the Father: “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again” (John 12:27–28).

When Jesus prays, “Father, glorify your name,” he is essentially saying, Father, vindicate your honor! Save your “face”! 

Why would the death and resurrection of Christ vindicate God’s honor? Because it is the only way that God’s promise to Abraham to bless all the families of the earth could have come true. God’s credibility hinged on a means for all peoples to be blessed and redeemed. Yes, God gave the law to Moses and his people; yes, the law revealed God’s righteousness and holiness; but the law was lifeless in that it was totally unable to save (Rom 8:2–3). 

There was only one way that God’s plan to bless all families—to reverse the curse among all peoples—could be guaranteed: through a heart-captivating faith that individuals and peoples everywhere would place in the name, honor, and finished work of Jesus Christ, a faith that transcends culture. 

With regard to ethnicity this faith needed to be neutral, accessible to and affirming of all peoples. But with regard to ethics, this faith needed to be superior; that is, it needed to have the ability to truly transform people from the inside out, conforming them to the righteousness of the Son of God. Therefore, this faith would be a fulfillment of the covenant promise God gave to his people through Abraham (Gen 12:1–3), but the faith would be untethered from the works of the law specific to Jewish ethnicity and culture, such as circumcision. Apostle Paul made this clear: 

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (Rom 4:16). (Emphasis mine.) 

Jackson Wu explains: 

Christ’s atonement centrally concerns the honor of God and the shame of man. Salvation preserves God’s honor and takes away human shame. God keeps his promises made in the OT, foremost to Abraham. Jesus’ death therefore vindicates God’s name. Therefore, God’s people will not be put to shame. Christ perfectly honored the Father, who then reckons worthy of honor all who, by faith, are united to Christ. … Jesus is a substitute in that he pays the honor-debt and the life-debt owed by sinful creatures.[2] 

Consider this: Thousands of peoples in our world have “saving face” as a vital social dynamic in their culture. How valuable would it be to share with them a gospel framework using the honor-shame language and concept of “face”?

1. Jackson Wu: Saving God’s Face: A Chinese Contextualization of Salvation through Honor and Shame. EMS Dissertation Series (Pasadena, CA: William Carey International University Press, 2012).
2. Ibid., p. 219.

Resuming webinar classes next week: “Journey of Discovery in Honor, Shame, and the Gospel”

Contextualization, curriculum, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, Training

Unit B starts Thursday May 24 (see Unit A content below)

The six classes of Unit B (classes 7–12) in “Journey of Discovery in Honor, Shame, and the Gospel” begins next week—on May 24th.

  • Miss a webinar class? No problem. View the webinar videos at your convenience.
  • $60 fee includes a free 60-page study guide, five lessons per week, that you can use for reflection and discussion.
  • Students can join Unit B whether or not they have completed Unit A.

Please join us! Unit B classes will cover:

Class 7  /  Contextualizing the gospel: H/S-1 to H/S-5: Five levels of awareness of honor-shame in cross-cultural ministry / Assuming the gospel? / Gospel seed—kernel and husk / Conversation in Scripture between honor-shame dynamics and the atonement of Christ

Class 8  /  Concept of face: “Face” for all of humanity—East and West, North and South / Story of God’s glory / Maximum loss of face and shame in the crucifixion / Gospel of “face restored” as salvation message

Class 9  /  Body language: “Right hand” and “feet”, honor and shame / Psalm 110 as bridge between Old & New Testament / Gospel of the kingdom—Bible story by which God saves the world

register for honor-shame curriculumClass 10  /  Patronage: Patronage in New Testament / Blessing & patronage / Abraham & Melchizedek / “Abrahamic gospel” / Patronage as gospel dynamic—for both the vulnerable and ‘post-moderns’?

Class 11  /  Name/kinship/blood: Family-offspring as window to the gospel / “Blood replicates the honor of the family” / “drink my blood” as “taking in” the honor of Christ / Blood sacrifice, honor-shame, and salvation

Class 12  /  Purity: Uncleanness as exclusion-shame and cleanness-holiness as inclusion-honor / Atonement, salvation, discipleship in the Bible’s purity dynamics / Gospel of purity for unreached peoples, secular peoples

CLICK HERE to learn more about “Journey of Discovery in Honor, Shame, and the Gospel”

Please join us! Unit A starts Tuesday May 22

  • Miss a webinar class? No problem. View the webinar videos at your convenience.
  • $60 fee includes a free 60-page study guide, five lessons per week, that you can use for reflection and discussion.

Class 1 / Honor-shame in the mission of God: Intro stories / Overview: guilt, shame, fear / Pathologies of shame / Blind spot: H-S in Western theology / ‘Honor-shame wheel’

Class 2 / Honor-status reversal as Bible motif: Overview of status reversal motif—Old Testament and New / Honor-status reversal in Ephesians 2 / The Father’s Love Booklet

Class 3 / Love of honor: Glory of God/glory of humanity / Longing for honor satisfied in Christ / Salvation as gaining a new source of honor in Christ

register for honor-shame curriculumClass 4 / Two sources of honor—ascribed and achieved: Ascribed & achieved honor—in Jesus’ life, in the Christian life / Justification as God’s way to give believers ascribed honor

Class 5 / Image of limited good: In Christ is unlimited good / Shame resilience and honor surplus in Christ / Gospel of more than enough glory and honor

Class 6 / Challenge & riposte: Honor competition as prominent social dynamic in New Testament / Honor-shame and power-fear in challenge & riposte / Gospel of Christ as salvation-rescue from the Powers via crucifixion and resurrection

CLICK HERE to learn more about “Journey of Discovery in Honor, Shame, and the Gospel”

Endorsements for the webinar series

Thank you for your wonderfully helpful webinars. Each one is like a bit of yeast which really starts working after the session ends, and continues to bring transformation in our thinking and seeing. Having lived in an honor-shame culture for close to two decades, I am well aware of the many individual differences which exist between my host and home culture. However, the honor-shame webinar training has helped me begin to understand how all these individual differences hang together in a coherent worldview, and more than that, to find that same worldview throughout the Bible!  —David Bakewell, Frontiers

I am thankful for the shame and honor class that Werner has been teaching. I have worked in French Africa for the last 25 years. All that his book and his teaching give on honor and shame are pertinent daily in my ministry in that area. –Mary Stone, TEAM

Werner aims for heart-integration in this class that leaves both lay and scholar with an honor-shame framework to integrate faith with holistic KIngdom living. I’ve been training people in this arena for over a dozen years, yet God is using Werner’s passionate and integrative approach in this class to so bless my heart. –Steve Hong

Honor-Shame is a KEY dynamic from the beginning to the end of Scripture. Yet for many of us it remains unknown. Through his book, The Global Gospel, and ESPECIALLY the webinar series, Werner clearly and with great depth has helped me to not only understand it’s importance but motivated me to preach it to the church to which God has called me. And the Study Guide exercises really help to personalize these truths in whatever cultural context God has you. I highly recommend it. –Dennis Schwarm, Pastor, First Baptist Church Of Oakridge

Questions? Visit the curriculum webpage or write to Werner Mischke at werner@mission1.org.

Arabic version of The Father’s Love Gospel Booklet available now. Save 20% thru May 31.

Contextualization, Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame, Ministry tools and resources

Now you can simply share the gospel with Arabic-speaking people—using The Father’s Love Booklet, Arabic edition.

Our Mission ONE partner has distributed thousands of these booklets in the Middle East. Many people like them. They love the illustrations … the unusual story … the open-ended questions … the honor-oriented gospel presentation … all about the amazing story Jesus told of the Prodigal Son.

Introductory discount: Get 20% off through May 31. Use this discount code at checkout: Arabic20  (Note: this coupon code is good only for the Arabic version of The Father’s Love Gospel Booklet.)

  • View all 20 pages of the Arabic version here.
  • 20-page booklet is carefully designed for people for whom honor and shame is vitally important
  • Based on the Prodigal Son story (Luke 15:11–32), using a respected modern translation of Arabic
  • Designed for easy conversation and interaction
  • For professionals, refugees, international students—anyone you know who speaks and reads Arabic.
  • Invites people to find forgiveness, salvation, and honor in Christ—through the love of the Father who covers our shame and restores our honor.
  • 20 pages; size: 5-1/8″ x 3-5/8″ — fits into a shirt pocket
  • Shrink-wrapped sets of 50 booklets
  • Translated by Mission ONE’s ministry partner in the Middle East, where tens of thousands of these booklets have been distributed.
  • Prices: 10 for $10 / 50 for $40 / 100 for $60 / 500 for $250. Plus shipping.

You can also see the English version here — and Spanish version here.

Introductory discount: Get 20% off through May 31. Use this discount code at checkout: Arabic20

To purchase now, click here.

Under 30, more shame?

atonement, curriculum, Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame

I received a question from a pastor in Oregon who is participating in our webinar curriculum, “Journey of Discovery in Honor, Shame, and the Gospel.” His question:

Can you address why/how those under 30 in the United States are so strong on shame?

This is a huge question and whole books could be written on the subject. Here are just a few thoughts and a few resources…

1) Smartphones and social media

Check out these articles—all of which have several references to the intense anxieties of inclusion and exclusion (honor-shame dynamics).

Smartphones and social media have created a never-ending strain of peer pressure on young people and young adults. (Of course, this experience is not limited to an age group; I have observed social media-related anxiety among middle-age adults, myself included.) There is constant anxiety about inclusion and exclusion. The possibility of shame seems inescapable. According to Brené Brown, shame can be defined as “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging … the fear of disconnection.” Peer pressure and the fear of exclusion/shame has always been a part of adolescence. But social media and the smartphone expands this fear of shame into a dynamic that’s 24/7—it never turns off.

2) The diminished status of the law in Western culture

Our society has developed a high level of cynicism about the law. At one time, civil law in Europe and North America was viewed as an extension of the righteous law of God. But the modern world has seen that law and rules are sometimes agents of oppression. For example, in World War 2, in Germany, the Holocaust was perpetrated on millions of innocent men, women, and children by Germans who were ‘just following the rules.’ … Racism and segregation in America was codified into housing and zoning laws, and lending policy (see Rothstein: The Color of Law). … The criminal justice system in America has been critiqued as one of injustice toward minorities. The privileged status of the law has been diminished in the West, and I believe this shift has contributed to the rise of shame dynamics, especially among teens and young adults. (Note to pastors: An overview of the changing views of law and justice in Western history is contained in Atonement, Law and Justice by Adonis Vidu.)

3) Sexual defilement and moral relational pollution

I believe there is a synergy of defilement-related shame in Western culture. (See Alan Mann: Atonement for a ‘Sinless’ Society). Mann says that in the post-Christian West, “sin” is passé—an old way of thinking that doesn’t make sense to modern people. Any yet (Mann contends), everyone still understands the reality of “moral relational pollution,” which would include…

  • persistent occurrence of sexual abuse across all levels of social status
  • dramatic growth of the problem of pornography—now available via any smartphone
  • breakdown of the stable two-parent family, and all the relational brokenness connected to this

Conclusion: Could it be that these dark social dynamics have created a perfect storm of defilement and shame—especially observable among young people and young adults? Could it be we need to teach and preach the gospel in ways that transcend the “legal-framework-gospel”? The Bible is full of stories, principles, and truths (we are exploring these in our webinar curriculum) that speak to the problems of defilement, sin, and shame.

Also, for pastors, teachers and trainers, I highly recommend this relatively short but deep book. It is a pastoral treatment about the atonement of Christ—and how the atonement speaks to humanity’s shame: Philip D. Jamieson: The Face of Forgiveness: A Pastoral Theology of Shame and Redemption.

Answering three questions from the first class

curriculum, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame

We had our first honor-shame webinar class yesterday.  Here are three questions I received from one participant after the class:

1. You mentioned that ‘law’ is important in the guilt/innocence worldview. What is the equivalent in the shame/honor worldview? Would it be ‘peer pressure’ or something like that (it’s only bad if you get caught)?

2. You mentioned that the ways people deal with shame are generally unhealthy, while guilt leads to the possibility of reconciliation and forgiveness/pardon. Does this mean that we can make a value judgment and say that the guilt/innocence worldview is ‘better’ or ‘healthier’ than the shame/honor worldview?

3. (linked to 2) When discipling in a shame/honor culture, is it therefore a legitimate aim to introduce the more ‘western’ guilt/innocence elements of biblical truth? Or can shame/honor be redeemed without reference to guilt/innocence?

Here are my responses to these questions.

1. You mentioned that ‘law’ is important in the guilt/innocence worldview. What is the equivalent in the shame/honor worldview? Would it be ‘peer pressure’ or something like that (it’s only bad if you get caught)?

First of all, from the perspective of the Bible, the law is not separate from an honor-shame worldview. Consider for example Rom 2:23–24: “You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” See also Daniel 9:8–11. When God’s people broke God’s laws, the result was shame and dishonor in God’s sight, and being “blasphemed among the nations.” This is appropriate shame. It is objective shame before God; it is subjective shame before people—subjective in the sense they felt and experienced it. All because of the corporate sins of God’s people.

Keep in mind that the Mosaic law was given to God’s people not by an impersonal judge, but by the creator God and King who calls himself the Bridegroom and his people his bride (see Eze 16). So the law was given to God’s people inside of an eternal, deeply relational covenant. (This is not how we think about the law in Western culture; the law is much more abstract and impersonal in the West.)

You said, “What is the equivalent in the shame/honor worldview? Would it be ‘peer pressure’ or something like that (it’s only bad if you get caught)?” There is some truth to this. What you are talking about might be described as the primary motivation factor in human behavior: Is this an internal legal code, sometimes called our conscience? Or is it an external social code? I believe that for most people it is usually not all one or the other, but a combination of the two. It’s a matter of degree—depending on the culture, the individual, the social circumstances.

“Peer pressure” is certainly one way of describing the primary motivation for many. I think the words “peer pressure” have the connotation of being something that young people struggle with. But aren’t most people influenced by their peers? Don’t most people do things in a way that advances their reputation? Everyone is concerned about reputation. Everyone is concerned about “saving face,” although it shows up in varying degrees and in varying social styles.

There is some truth to the fact that in many cultures—and for many people all over the world regardless of culture—“it’s only bad if you get caught.” For Christians everywhere, the discipleship process includes learning to live with Spirit-empowered integrity regardless of who is watching. I would add, that as our culture in America and the West continues to move away from a Christian worldview, this represents a corresponding growing need here. The psychological and social anxieties related to social media (Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc.) and the unhealthy dynamics of inclusion/exclusion are very much alive all across America and the West.

2. You mentioned that the ways people deal with shame are generally unhealthy, while guilt leads to the possibility of reconciliation and forgiveness/pardon. Does this mean that we can make a value judgment and say that the guilt/innocence worldview is ‘better’ or ‘healthier’ than the shame/honor worldview?

I remember a counselor telling me once that he tried to help people move “from shame to guilt.” I think from this perspective, shame is toxic and harmful. It’s reflected in the thought, “I am bad, disgusting, unworthy.” In contrast, guilt is more healing and is represented by the thought—“I did bad things that are wrong, but I am loved, I can be forgiven, I can change my behavior.”

Having said that, there is ample research and Scripture which shows that shame is not necessarily toxic, but rather, can be healthy for families and societies. Reflecting on the views of some parents I know, they actually wish their teenagers had a greater sense of shame and family honor; it might have prevented these teens from doing stupid things that have had negative long-lasting consequences!

So shame is not to be thought of exclusively as a toxic thing. There can definitely be a healthy side to shame. This morning as I was reading my Bible, I noted that I had highlighted Daniel 9:7–8.

“To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.”

Two observations about Dan 9:7–8:

  • Shame is an objective appropriate response to the sin of God’s people. By “objective shame,” I mean this: The problem of humanity’s OBJECTIVE SHAME before God—whether we know it our not.
  • In this passage—and many many others in the Old Testament—sin is understood as a collective reality, not merely as an individual problem.

Getting back to the question, Does this mean that we can make a value judgment and say that the guilt/innocence worldview is ‘better’ or ‘healthier’ than the shame/honor worldview?, the answer is a cautious “Perhaps.” I do think in some ways this is true. I believe that guilt-prone people will generally have healthier relationships than shame-prone people.

But consider honor-based violence—the most seriously pathological dimension of honor-shame cultures (think ISIS, honor-killings, the Mafia, gang violence). Will this honor-based violence be cured by new laws and a guilt/innocence worldview? If the desire to preserve and gain honor is at the root of much violence, isn’t the cure contained in the gospel and the Person of Christ—addressing the covering of shame and the longing for honor?

In other words, I believe that for whatever pathologies exist in honor-shame cultures, the cure is not to replace it with a guilt/innocence worldview, but to offer the upside-down honor-sharing, shame-covering blessing of the gospel. I believe a Christ-centered culture of honor/shame will produce an ethically superior society. Therefore, I suggest that we be very careful about attributing the values of “better” or “healthier” to a guilt/innocence worldview—especially if it is apart from the gospel of Christ.

3. (linked to 2) When discipling in a shame/honor culture, it is therefore a legitimate aim to introduce the more ‘western’ guilt/innocence elements of biblical truth? Or can shame/honor be redeemed without reference to guilt/innocence?

Actually, both are true. As Christians, we believe that humanity’s guilt before God is an objective reality. By “objective guilt,” I mean this: The problem of humanity’s OBJECTIVE GUILT before God—whether we know it our not. (See blog at HonorShame.com—“Exposing the Truth about Honor and Shame: The 4 Dimensions Christians Must Understand,” by Jackson Wu and Jayson Georges.) Therefore, as part of any discipleship process, the believer should learn about guilt/innocence, God’s laws, God’s judgment for sin—and Christ’s work of redemption that puts believers in a relationship of “no condemnation in Christ” (Rom 8:1).

This silent one-minute video communicates the basic idea of “Guilt & Shame—Objective & Subjective:”

However, shame/honor is not some separate truth, distinct from the guilt/innocence worldview or from guilt/innocence themes in Scripture. (In the biblical worldview, guilt/innocence, shame/honor, and fear/power are often overlapping realities.) If a person realizes that their sin, whether individual or corporate, is deeply dishonoring to God, isn’t that enough to qualify for the “conviction of sin” and the need for forgiveness and salvation? To support this from Scripture:

  • Romans 1–3 in describes sin primarily using honor-shame terminology (Rom 1:23, 2:23, 3:23). The passage on God’s judgment in Rom 2:1–5 is wrapped by other verses and concepts using honor-shame language.
  • The story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32) describes sin not in terms of rules and laws broken. Rather, the Prodigal Son story describes sin in more serious terms: Sin is the unthinkable descent into shame—and the profound dishonoring of the father, who represents Almighty God. (See The Father’s Love Gospel Booklet which brings out the honor-shame realities of this story.)
  • Salvation by grace (Eph 2:8–9) and being declared innocent (“no condemnation”, Rom 8:1) are not to be understood as ends in themselves. Rather, they are to gain the status reversal of being adopted (Rom 8:16; Eph 1:5) into the family of God (Eph 2:19) … being included in God‘s new humanity (Eph 2:15), the church … which is on mission with God to fulfill his honorific promise made to Abraham (Gen 12:1–3) to bless all the peoples of the earth (Rom 4:16–17).

So, concerning the question: “Can shame/honor be redeemed without reference to guilt/innocence?”

  • I believe shame/honor need not be “redeemed by guilt/innocence.” It can stand alone as theologically basic. I believe shame/honor can be used without guilt/innocence to communicate the gospel.
  • Nevertheless, guilt/innocence values are present in Scripture and should be taught as a part of God’s many-faceted revelation of himself—and of humanity made in God’s image.

It starts next week, April 5th—honor-shame webinar curriculum

curriculum, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame

Journey of Discovery in Honor, Shame, and the Gospel

We are eager here at Mission ONE to begin offering the webinar curriculum, “Journey of Discovery in Honor, Shame, and the Gospel”, starting April 5th. The first of six classes (Unit A) begins soon! Click here to learn more.

Our Mission ONE team has been working hard to get ready and make this a great learning experience.

I’ve also been working on the Study Guide (free to all registrants). I am excited about the step-by-step journey we are developing. It well help many learners grow in their understanding and experience of God’s honor conquering humanity’s shame through Jesus Christ.

You will learn …

  • that God covers our shame and restores our honor through the cross and resurrection of Christ;
  • why honor-shame is a strategic issue for world evangelization;
  • why honor-shame is increasingly part of the Western world because of social media;
  • how the gospel speaks to secular peoples—Jesus cures relational pollution;
  • how to help Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu peoples better understand the gospel;
  • about the blind spot concerning honor-shame in Western theology—and what to do about it;
  • to identify nine dynamics of honor-shame in the Bible;
  • why salvation includes gaining a new source of honor in Christ;

»Learn more at the Mission ONE website»