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Culture of Honor: Sustaining a Supernatural Environment by Danny Silk
An environment that sustains life, hope, honor and destiny! In this powerful, revelation-packed book, Danny Silk describes the significant paradigm shift in church life, government, and relationships that has created and sustained the revival culture at Bethel Church in Redding, CA. Through many relevant and true-life stories, the church is revealed as a place of freedom, respect, empowerment, and healthy discipline (not punishment). Culture of Honor challenges the status quo of church leadership structure and presents a refreshing view of the five-fold ministry. Jesus acknowledged this important principle in Matthew 20:25-26: "But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant." If those with power learn how to empower those around them, then surely it will come to pass that, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." Today you can apply the truths revealed to relationships in your family, workplace, community, ministry, church--anywhere you deal with others.
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First published December 1, 2009
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August 30, 2019
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In this book, Danny Silk sets out to explain the beliefs and practices needed to create a “culture of honor” in the local church. This paradigm-shifting environment—practiced and promoted by Bethel Church where Silk serves as a senior leader—is created as a church learns to discern and receive people in their God-given identities and roles (26). It is based on Bethel’s principle of honor, which says, “Accurately acknowledging who people are will position us to give them what they deserve and to receive the gift of who they are in our lives” (25). A popular and pithy quote by Bill Johnson of Bethel Church says it best: “A culture of honor is celebrating who a person is without stumbling over who they’re not.”
In this culture of honor, however, the church recognizes not only teachers, pastors, and evangelists, but also modern-day apostles and prophets to provide the foundation for leadership in the local church. When a church embraces all five of these roles, a “funnel” is created that brings the “focus and priorities of Heaven to earth” (26-27). Silk explains that this culture has enabled Bethel Church to establish relationships and roles that “attract and sustain the outpouring of God’s presence and power in [their] midst” (27).
The challenge of reviewing this book is that it is worthy of both commendation and criticism. For example, while Silk’s principle of honor is surely a biblical and necessary component of a healthy gospel culture in the local church, the expression of that principle through the recognition of modern-day apostles and prophets is not. In other words, the problem is not with the principle of honor (cf. 1 Pet. 2:17; Rom. 12:10; 13:7), or with “honor” as a core value of a church, but with its implementation. The problem is expanding the principle of honor to include recognition of, and submission to, modern-day apostles and prophets.
Any book about the church that begins with the author challenging “what many understand to be true” and messing with “long-standing paradigms” should be a warning to the reader to proceed with caution, especially when the paradigms being challenged are, in fact, biblical. According to Silk, the culture of honor is a “contest to those long held approaches and core values one can easily find in the historic and contemporary Christian culture” and is “reforming and confronting what we’ve come to know about church leadership, authority, and church discipline for literally centuries” (23). That is fine and often needed when the approaches and values found in the church are unbiblical and in direct opposition to God’s Word. However, the paradigm Silk winds up rejecting—churches led by elders and deacons—is neither unbiblical nor ineffective. Silk sets up several straw-man arguments, presenting all churches led by elders as legalistic, divisive, ineffective, devoid of honor, grace, and the supernatural (i.e., the Spirit). Once he has caricatured and painted all pastoral environments with the same large brush, he is able to present the apostolic culture of honor as the true form of church government that brings heaven to earth, unleashes the supernatural, and helps believers grow as God intends.
Despite its helpful emphasis on grace and honor, the culture of honor proposed in this book is founded upon several glaring misinterpretations of Scripture. To reject the God-ordained offices of elder and deacon, and replace them with modern-day apostles and prophets, is to be at odds with God’s own word. To consider pastor-teachers as ineffective, harmful, and useful insofar as they submit to modern-day apostles and prophets is to misunderstand their role, importance, and permanence in the church. To replace evangelism with “treasure hunting,” and to shift the goal of evangelism away from preaching the gospel to simply creating “God encounters” is to be disobedient to our risen Lord and the task he has given his church.
The principle of honor, as defined by Silk, is an excellent principle to live by and promote in the local church. We should always strive to acknowledge the gifts and callings of other believers. We should seek to create an environment where the inherent dignity of every person is recognized and celebrated. Our churches must be safe places where conflict can be dealt with and believers can discover who they are and why they exist. We must cultivate an “environment of grace,” where confrontation is aimed at restoration. But we do not need to adopt an unbiblical form of government to do so.
In this book, Danny Silk sets out to explain the beliefs and practices needed to create a “culture of honor” in the local church. This paradigm-shifting environment—practiced and promoted by Bethel Church where Silk serves as a senior leader—is created as a church learns to discern and receive people in their God-given identities and roles (26). It is based on Bethel’s principle of honor, which says, “Accurately acknowledging who people are will position us to give them what they deserve and to receive the gift of who they are in our lives” (25). A popular and pithy quote by Bill Johnson of Bethel Church says it best: “A culture of honor is celebrating who a person is without stumbling over who they’re not.”
In this culture of honor, however, the church recognizes not only teachers, pastors, and evangelists, but also modern-day apostles and prophets to provide the foundation for leadership in the local church. When a church embraces all five of these roles, a “funnel” is created that brings the “focus and priorities of Heaven to earth” (26-27). Silk explains that this culture has enabled Bethel Church to establish relationships and roles that “attract and sustain the outpouring of God’s presence and power in [their] midst” (27).
The challenge of reviewing this book is that it is worthy of both commendation and criticism. For example, while Silk’s principle of honor is surely a biblical and necessary component of a healthy gospel culture in the local church, the expression of that principle through the recognition of modern-day apostles and prophets is not. In other words, the problem is not with the principle of honor (cf. 1 Pet. 2:17; Rom. 12:10; 13:7), or with “honor” as a core value of a church, but with its implementation. The problem is expanding the principle of honor to include recognition of, and submission to, modern-day apostles and prophets.
Any book about the church that begins with the author challenging “what many understand to be true” and messing with “long-standing paradigms” should be a warning to the reader to proceed with caution, especially when the paradigms being challenged are, in fact, biblical. According to Silk, the culture of honor is a “contest to those long held approaches and core values one can easily find in the historic and contemporary Christian culture” and is “reforming and confronting what we’ve come to know about church leadership, authority, and church discipline for literally centuries” (23). That is fine and often needed when the approaches and values found in the church are unbiblical and in direct opposition to God’s Word. However, the paradigm Silk winds up rejecting—churches led by elders and deacons—is neither unbiblical nor ineffective. Silk sets up several straw-man arguments, presenting all churches led by elders as legalistic, divisive, ineffective, devoid of honor, grace, and the supernatural (i.e., the Spirit). Once he has caricatured and painted all pastoral environments with the same large brush, he is able to present the apostolic culture of honor as the true form of church government that brings heaven to earth, unleashes the supernatural, and helps believers grow as God intends.
Despite its helpful emphasis on grace and honor, the culture of honor proposed in this book is founded upon several glaring misinterpretations of Scripture. To reject the God-ordained offices of elder and deacon, and replace them with modern-day apostles and prophets, is to be at odds with God’s own word. To consider pastor-teachers as ineffective, harmful, and useful insofar as they submit to modern-day apostles and prophets is to misunderstand their role, importance, and permanence in the church. To replace evangelism with “treasure hunting,” and to shift the goal of evangelism away from preaching the gospel to simply creating “God encounters” is to be disobedient to our risen Lord and the task he has given his church.
The principle of honor, as defined by Silk, is an excellent principle to live by and promote in the local church. We should always strive to acknowledge the gifts and callings of other believers. We should seek to create an environment where the inherent dignity of every person is recognized and celebrated. Our churches must be safe places where conflict can be dealt with and believers can discover who they are and why they exist. We must cultivate an “environment of grace,” where confrontation is aimed at restoration. But we do not need to adopt an unbiblical form of government to do so.
September 18, 2011
I found this book to be okay and that is a averaged out assessment. The first half of the book that describes the biblical foundation and expression of Bethel Church in Redding California, and the supposed "key" to this "Culture of Honor" was erroneous and contradictive at best. The author, whom has a great heart, is not a good Bible teacher by any means. This probably stems from the disregard that Bethel's staff places on the importance of teaching as a gift and contributing member within the framework of Bethel's leadership structure as stated in this book. Apostles are the top dogs with the prophets coming into a close second, but unfortunately other gifts are mentioned with borderline disrespect towards pastors and teachers. Therefore I did not like it at all and I hope no one takes the words too seriously.
The second half of the book actually speaking of the specific culture at Bethel Church was inspiring. The attitude that is encouraged is amazing and convicting at the same time. A community that encourages taking responsibility for actions and attitudes all the while extending grace and compassion with seemingly limitless measure, is almost unheard of in the American church and even more so in my life. If the picture that is painted from the stories mentioned in the book are fractionally true, we could learn a lot from Bethel and their enormous loving hearts. This part I liked.
Thus the review of this book being just "okay". I would, without question, hang out and spend time with Danny Silk. However, I would not be quick to accept anything he has to say about The Bible or Attributes and character of God.
The second half of the book actually speaking of the specific culture at Bethel Church was inspiring. The attitude that is encouraged is amazing and convicting at the same time. A community that encourages taking responsibility for actions and attitudes all the while extending grace and compassion with seemingly limitless measure, is almost unheard of in the American church and even more so in my life. If the picture that is painted from the stories mentioned in the book are fractionally true, we could learn a lot from Bethel and their enormous loving hearts. This part I liked.
Thus the review of this book being just "okay". I would, without question, hang out and spend time with Danny Silk. However, I would not be quick to accept anything he has to say about The Bible or Attributes and character of God.
October 19, 2017
So I loved this book, Danny Silk: two for two.
The principle of honor states that accurately acknowledging who people are will position us to give them what they deserve and to receive the gift of who they are in our lives.
I fell for “Culture of Honor” in the first chapter, when Danny Silk illustrated a supernatural culture (and creating a safe space) by sharing a conversation had between himself, two students in school at Bethel, and their overseeing pastors. This conversation both astounded and challenged me (you’ll have to read it to know what I’m talking about.)
“Shame is removed through love.” Shame will try to keep people trapped, never letting them move away from their mistakes, and will leave them feeling powerless. Love casts out fear and makes them powerful people again, who can love fearlessly. It’s a heaven to earth perspective.
The principle of honor states that accurately acknowledging who people are will position us to give them what they deserve and to receive the gift of who they are in our lives.
I fell for “Culture of Honor” in the first chapter, when Danny Silk illustrated a supernatural culture (and creating a safe space) by sharing a conversation had between himself, two students in school at Bethel, and their overseeing pastors. This conversation both astounded and challenged me (you’ll have to read it to know what I’m talking about.)
“Shame is removed through love.” Shame will try to keep people trapped, never letting them move away from their mistakes, and will leave them feeling powerless. Love casts out fear and makes them powerful people again, who can love fearlessly. It’s a heaven to earth perspective.
October 9, 2025
I disagree with this book’s very premise. The title was fairly misleading - not much of the book covers the topic of honor and how honor can build a better culture. Rather, it seems that throughout the entire book, the author is just making a faulty argument for why the offices of apostle and prophet are open today and essential for the church (a belief that I certainly disagree with). Throughout the book, I was confused by certain applications of Scripture that the author attempted to use in support of his argument, but which seemed to support the opposite. Overall, this book wasn’t what I was hoping for and not worthwhile.
February 6, 2023
This won't say what many reviewers haven't said before...
There were some really cool nuggets of truth found in this book. However, the author is so set on talking about what he thinks about apostles and prophets, it seems like that overcrowds a book about creating honor among the members. He seemingly takes one verse and creates a hierarchy that can't be argued with - saying little to nothing about how we're to honor the parts deemed weaker or less honorable (1 Corinthians 12:21). (Which, whatever - we're all entitled to our opinions. I'm not even saying he's wrong. I'm just saying it felt like a very narrow application when I thought a book about honor in the body would be a huge topic).
I felt like he could have fleshed this out a lot better, and brought lowliness and humility into a culture that esteems others as better than self. I am so thankful that God gifts people differently - and I need to do a better job of recognizing how they contribute - even and especially when they don't act like me or how I would personally like them to.
Anyway, there's some other good stuff about not being afraid of sin and about confrontation amongst believers. But every year I read about five books that I tell everyone else to read - this isn't one of them. Okay, but not great.
There were some really cool nuggets of truth found in this book. However, the author is so set on talking about what he thinks about apostles and prophets, it seems like that overcrowds a book about creating honor among the members. He seemingly takes one verse and creates a hierarchy that can't be argued with - saying little to nothing about how we're to honor the parts deemed weaker or less honorable (1 Corinthians 12:21). (Which, whatever - we're all entitled to our opinions. I'm not even saying he's wrong. I'm just saying it felt like a very narrow application when I thought a book about honor in the body would be a huge topic).
I felt like he could have fleshed this out a lot better, and brought lowliness and humility into a culture that esteems others as better than self. I am so thankful that God gifts people differently - and I need to do a better job of recognizing how they contribute - even and especially when they don't act like me or how I would personally like them to.
Anyway, there's some other good stuff about not being afraid of sin and about confrontation amongst believers. But every year I read about five books that I tell everyone else to read - this isn't one of them. Okay, but not great.
February 20, 2018
Unbelievable! Incredible. A great read not only for ministry, but for finding how to cultivate an environment where the honor and dignity God placed in every person is recognized, celebrated, and sharpened. Great for parents and kids, spouses, friends, and especially difficult people or those struggling under destructive patterns. Highly recommended!
June 26, 2019
Este es un buen libro, especialmente la segunda parte. Nuestra tendencia a la hora de construir relaciones, o construir a las personas que tenemos cerca, es utilizar las herramientas equivocadas. Nos convertimos en personas llenas de temor que intentan controlar a otros, eso es lo que define nuestras acciones al enfocarnos en los errores del otro, en vez de sacar a la superficie su verdadera identidad.Nos da una mirada reveladora acerca de la confrontación con base en la confianza, el honor y la libertad como expresiones máximas del amor, y con bases sólidas en la Biblia y fundamentalmente en las enseñanzas de Jesús.
Le quité 1 estrella debido a la primer parte que a mi gusto se tornó tediosa y no agrega demasiado valor al libro, sin embargo lo recomiendo y creo que marcará un antes y un después en la manera que construyes tus vínculos de amor.
Le quité 1 estrella debido a la primer parte que a mi gusto se tornó tediosa y no agrega demasiado valor al libro, sin embargo lo recomiendo y creo que marcará un antes y un después en la manera que construyes tus vínculos de amor.
September 23, 2021
Danny Silk expounds on the five fold ministry in this book. It would take time or even be difficult for someone on the sidelines to understand and digest how it works. I felt some parts could have been done without appearing to put other churches / people / generations down. Particularly enjoyed the insights on parenting and discipling people from a place of love, trust, courage and honour. Had a deeper understanding of the gift of self-control, that we need to manage ourselves in the presence of other people's problems, if not be would be reacting to others which creates distrust, blame and anxiety.
November 7, 2021
El honor un valor imprescindible a la hora de establecer relaciones seguras y de confianza, porque lo hacemos de acuerdo a lo que Dios hizo primero en cada persona.
Muy importante a la hora de liderar y al entrar en situaciones de confrontación.
Danny Silk da ejemplos increíbles en donde pone en practica este valor, ahora el desafío es ponerlos en practica en nuestros ambientes para ver la realidad del cielo en medio de nuestras relaciones.
Muy importante a la hora de liderar y al entrar en situaciones de confrontación.
Danny Silk da ejemplos increíbles en donde pone en practica este valor, ahora el desafío es ponerlos en practica en nuestros ambientes para ver la realidad del cielo en medio de nuestras relaciones.
May 1, 2023
Loved that the content was geared toward church leadership but is a good read for any believer. So many gems from this book that I will be thinking about for years to come.
November 25, 2019
I had picked Culture of Honor up after hearing a conversation where one person was liking the book, and the other person was very disenchanted with what she saw playing out in environments that tried to implement the Culture of Honor.
So naturally I began reading. First and foremost, the concept in the book is great (and actually provided me not one, but TWO whole new ways of looking at how we as Christians live out the Gospel). After digging into it and understanding what Culture of Honor truly meant, I decided I was a proponent for it. The teaching itself really is Heaven-based. But I also can see how the earthly forms of church government can screw up implementing it, which is exactly what Culture of Honor is trying to bring to light (that the way we govern our churches is based on our earthly governing method of justice, fear, and punishment, which is the opposite of the Heaven-based approach of restoration, freedom, trust, and grace).
Since main principles of theological books are always so hard to convey in writing (at least for me), I'll refrain from trying to do it, and just sum up that the Culture of Honor presented a lot of truths that my human self needs to wrestle with, but it prompted growing pains rather than berate-ment, and - win for the book! - that's a founding principle in cultivating a Culture of Honor.
Even though I approached it with a critical eye, Culture of Honor turned my head and earned its way onto my "re-read" and "to share" bookshelves.
So naturally I began reading. First and foremost, the concept in the book is great (and actually provided me not one, but TWO whole new ways of looking at how we as Christians live out the Gospel). After digging into it and understanding what Culture of Honor truly meant, I decided I was a proponent for it. The teaching itself really is Heaven-based. But I also can see how the earthly forms of church government can screw up implementing it, which is exactly what Culture of Honor is trying to bring to light (that the way we govern our churches is based on our earthly governing method of justice, fear, and punishment, which is the opposite of the Heaven-based approach of restoration, freedom, trust, and grace).
Since main principles of theological books are always so hard to convey in writing (at least for me), I'll refrain from trying to do it, and just sum up that the Culture of Honor presented a lot of truths that my human self needs to wrestle with, but it prompted growing pains rather than berate-ment, and - win for the book! - that's a founding principle in cultivating a Culture of Honor.
Even though I approached it with a critical eye, Culture of Honor turned my head and earned its way onto my "re-read" and "to share" bookshelves.
March 29, 2019
I believe I was able to grasp and accept this book better because I had read his parenting and relationship books previously. There are things contained here that will challenge a few of your sacred cows. I hope you can join the BBQ after.
March 6, 2020
Wow, this is a must read! Read it!
June 29, 2025
I'll start out with the positive: The goal of this book is about creating an environment that attracts and hosts the presence of God. (25) It's about bringing revival and keeping revival going. The author emphasizes connecting with Revivalists and studying what God is doing around the globe today in terms of revival. (143) It is a noble goal and desire. Something I wish more ministers across all denominations had. So, I can agree with the author on his intentions, but that's about it.
I would classify this book as being "lite reading," so lite that I think an appropriate description would be, "chaffy." There's not much substance to it. There's not much theological depth. I wouldn't classify it as heresy but definitely as, "junk food" doctrine. It has as much substance as a Cheeto puff.
What I didn't like -
I don't know what bothered me more about this book - the sloppy exegesis that was used to promote a very dangerous ecclesiastical hierarchy or the repeated moral flexing vibe that permeated the book. The vibe was, "Look at me! I do ministry right! Bethel does ministry right! Everyone else is wrong!"
The author has issues with historical forms of church government and hierarchical models. It's clear that he has a beef with teachers and pastors.
The author promotes a dangerous church leadership model that exalts apostles and prophets above the other gifts of pastor, evangelist and teacher to the Church.
In a nutshell, the author believes that apostles and prophets get revelation from heaven and are heavenly focused while pastors are concerned about people and teachers are concerned about being right -
"Paul clearly lays out an order of priority in this passage, and this order is related to the realms of the supernatural that correspond to each particular office. As you can see in the previous illustration, the anointing on the apostle and prophet creates a perspective that is primarily focused on perceiving what is going on in heaven and bringing that to earth. The teacher is focused on being able to describe everything that happened accurately, and the evangelist and pastor are focused on the people. Each of these areas of focus is very important, but in order for them to function together as God intended, they must relate to one another according to his order of priority. The areas of heavenly focus come first and influence the areas of earthly focus." -author quoting 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 (56)
"Rather than having the apostle and prophet at the foundation of the church culture, today the American church has largely placed the teacher, pastor, and or evangelist at the helm. But effectively divorcing the supernatural from ministry in this way has drastically impacted the general understanding of the true role of each anointing. Today in most churches the role of a teacher is to state clearly and accurately the truth of the Bible in a theologically sound message in an effort to build security into the lives of believers. The role of the pastor is to create a church that has strong family values and systems in place to nourish strong character and relationships. The role of the evangelist is to emphasize church growth and train truth members to share their faith and lead others to Christ.
"The problem is that these are earthly-focused models of leadership. Without the flow of grace from the apostles and prophets, who are not only focused on seeing what is going on in heaven but also releasing that reality here on earth, these models will inevitably lead us to focus on what we know God has done in the past and miss out on what He is doing now. They teach us to care more about knowledge than experience." (57)
"When Heaven is the model for our culture, the primary result is peace. Peace is the goal of Heaven because it is the primary quality of the government of God. But the disordered forms of government to which we've all become accustomed create not peace, but control, which is their intended goal. Man has the opposite goal of heaven. Earth's leadership structure is motivated by the desire to protect the rule of those in office. When we primarily structure the environment of God's house to protect the will of the people, we've stepped off the path of the 'wisdom from above.'"(60)
What then is the role of the teacher in the Church if it is not to prove that Christians are right to believe what they believe? In order for teachers to play their true role in the culture of the Church, they will first have to be willing to pursue a supernatural lifestyle. They will have to be dissatisfied with the armor of their arguments and the lifelessness of their theology. They will need to increase their courage to risk failure and live a life that is unable to answer all the questions of their world. The teachers must embrace mystery."(69) - the author presumes that teachers don't embrace mystery and they lack courage. He also assumes they are not pursuing a supernatural lifestyle, or at least, his idea of a supernatural lifestyle.
In chapter 3 the author seems to suggest that to have rules is to be unloving and part of the Old Covenant. Following this logic, God is unloving because of Sinai and the Ten Commandments.
"Generation after generation in the church has lived life attempting to protect a relationship to the rule book. You can say you're not all day long. What happens when somebody breaks the rules? That is your barometer. What happens when somebody violates what you're living to protect? That's where it's going to show up. That's your feedback right there. What happens when Johnny brings you an F on his report card? Your 'Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs' response is evidence of how important the rules are to you." (89) - so if you get upset when your child gets an F on his report card you're legalistic and rule-based?
"When we are afraid, we want control, and our responses to the sin of other people are a set of controls that help us feel like we are still in charge. The typical practices of the family, churches, and the government are to set a series of behaviors called punishments in front of an offender and require the offender to walk through these punishments in order to prove that the family, churches, and governments are still in charge in the environment. In doing so, we help to confirm the belief in the person who has chosen to sin that he or she is powerless to change and take responsibility for his or her behavior. This whole business is just what Jesus died to get rid of. He's introduced a whole other world with a whole other way." (92-93)
Author suggests that because God didn't punish David for sleeping with Bathsheba and killing her husband that it is wrong to get upset when people sin. (96)
Author states that Abigail was an unsubmissive wife because, "She did what her husband Nabel had refused to do - took her husband's stuff and gave it to David, who was very upset. He was coming to kill Nabel. She did an end run, and this made her a rebellious, unsubmissive wife according to the rules. And what was the response? God killed her jerk husband and she married David.⁵" But there's no record that Nabel had instructed Abigail to not interfere.
I found the author's perspective on punishment bizarre and extraodinarily speculative -
"Punishment's main purpose is to ease the anxiety of the people. We want to call it justice, but it is simply the fear of man in leaders who need to stay in favor with the people. As we saw in the lives of David and Peter, God's justice is baffling to human beings. We can only understand it when we give up trying to protect our relationship with the rules. When we start to protect a relationship with the law of life in Christ, our goal is never to assuage fear, but to restore a broken relationship and to get life and love flowing again, and there is only one process that will accomplish that. There is satisfaction through repentance. We have to lose our fear of sin and our fear of man, and we have to stop punishing those who repent." (114)
I could go on and on. Suffice it to say that I not only found this book and the fanciful ideas promoted within to be ludicrous but also dangerous. Dangerous because it promotes an ecclesiastical hierarchy that exalts leaders (apostles and prophets) above all else as closest to heaven. They are the one receiving heavenly revelation that others cannot and, therefore, they are basically above criticism.
This book is one of those that's good for starting a fire, not a revival fire but a fire to burn your trash. It's rubbish.
I would classify this book as being "lite reading," so lite that I think an appropriate description would be, "chaffy." There's not much substance to it. There's not much theological depth. I wouldn't classify it as heresy but definitely as, "junk food" doctrine. It has as much substance as a Cheeto puff.
What I didn't like -
I don't know what bothered me more about this book - the sloppy exegesis that was used to promote a very dangerous ecclesiastical hierarchy or the repeated moral flexing vibe that permeated the book. The vibe was, "Look at me! I do ministry right! Bethel does ministry right! Everyone else is wrong!"
The author has issues with historical forms of church government and hierarchical models. It's clear that he has a beef with teachers and pastors.
The author promotes a dangerous church leadership model that exalts apostles and prophets above the other gifts of pastor, evangelist and teacher to the Church.
In a nutshell, the author believes that apostles and prophets get revelation from heaven and are heavenly focused while pastors are concerned about people and teachers are concerned about being right -
"Paul clearly lays out an order of priority in this passage, and this order is related to the realms of the supernatural that correspond to each particular office. As you can see in the previous illustration, the anointing on the apostle and prophet creates a perspective that is primarily focused on perceiving what is going on in heaven and bringing that to earth. The teacher is focused on being able to describe everything that happened accurately, and the evangelist and pastor are focused on the people. Each of these areas of focus is very important, but in order for them to function together as God intended, they must relate to one another according to his order of priority. The areas of heavenly focus come first and influence the areas of earthly focus." -author quoting 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 (56)
"Rather than having the apostle and prophet at the foundation of the church culture, today the American church has largely placed the teacher, pastor, and or evangelist at the helm. But effectively divorcing the supernatural from ministry in this way has drastically impacted the general understanding of the true role of each anointing. Today in most churches the role of a teacher is to state clearly and accurately the truth of the Bible in a theologically sound message in an effort to build security into the lives of believers. The role of the pastor is to create a church that has strong family values and systems in place to nourish strong character and relationships. The role of the evangelist is to emphasize church growth and train truth members to share their faith and lead others to Christ.
"The problem is that these are earthly-focused models of leadership. Without the flow of grace from the apostles and prophets, who are not only focused on seeing what is going on in heaven but also releasing that reality here on earth, these models will inevitably lead us to focus on what we know God has done in the past and miss out on what He is doing now. They teach us to care more about knowledge than experience." (57)
"When Heaven is the model for our culture, the primary result is peace. Peace is the goal of Heaven because it is the primary quality of the government of God. But the disordered forms of government to which we've all become accustomed create not peace, but control, which is their intended goal. Man has the opposite goal of heaven. Earth's leadership structure is motivated by the desire to protect the rule of those in office. When we primarily structure the environment of God's house to protect the will of the people, we've stepped off the path of the 'wisdom from above.'"(60)
What then is the role of the teacher in the Church if it is not to prove that Christians are right to believe what they believe? In order for teachers to play their true role in the culture of the Church, they will first have to be willing to pursue a supernatural lifestyle. They will have to be dissatisfied with the armor of their arguments and the lifelessness of their theology. They will need to increase their courage to risk failure and live a life that is unable to answer all the questions of their world. The teachers must embrace mystery."(69) - the author presumes that teachers don't embrace mystery and they lack courage. He also assumes they are not pursuing a supernatural lifestyle, or at least, his idea of a supernatural lifestyle.
In chapter 3 the author seems to suggest that to have rules is to be unloving and part of the Old Covenant. Following this logic, God is unloving because of Sinai and the Ten Commandments.
"Generation after generation in the church has lived life attempting to protect a relationship to the rule book. You can say you're not all day long. What happens when somebody breaks the rules? That is your barometer. What happens when somebody violates what you're living to protect? That's where it's going to show up. That's your feedback right there. What happens when Johnny brings you an F on his report card? Your 'Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs' response is evidence of how important the rules are to you." (89) - so if you get upset when your child gets an F on his report card you're legalistic and rule-based?
"When we are afraid, we want control, and our responses to the sin of other people are a set of controls that help us feel like we are still in charge. The typical practices of the family, churches, and the government are to set a series of behaviors called punishments in front of an offender and require the offender to walk through these punishments in order to prove that the family, churches, and governments are still in charge in the environment. In doing so, we help to confirm the belief in the person who has chosen to sin that he or she is powerless to change and take responsibility for his or her behavior. This whole business is just what Jesus died to get rid of. He's introduced a whole other world with a whole other way." (92-93)
Author suggests that because God didn't punish David for sleeping with Bathsheba and killing her husband that it is wrong to get upset when people sin. (96)
Author states that Abigail was an unsubmissive wife because, "She did what her husband Nabel had refused to do - took her husband's stuff and gave it to David, who was very upset. He was coming to kill Nabel. She did an end run, and this made her a rebellious, unsubmissive wife according to the rules. And what was the response? God killed her jerk husband and she married David.⁵" But there's no record that Nabel had instructed Abigail to not interfere.
I found the author's perspective on punishment bizarre and extraodinarily speculative -
"Punishment's main purpose is to ease the anxiety of the people. We want to call it justice, but it is simply the fear of man in leaders who need to stay in favor with the people. As we saw in the lives of David and Peter, God's justice is baffling to human beings. We can only understand it when we give up trying to protect our relationship with the rules. When we start to protect a relationship with the law of life in Christ, our goal is never to assuage fear, but to restore a broken relationship and to get life and love flowing again, and there is only one process that will accomplish that. There is satisfaction through repentance. We have to lose our fear of sin and our fear of man, and we have to stop punishing those who repent." (114)
I could go on and on. Suffice it to say that I not only found this book and the fanciful ideas promoted within to be ludicrous but also dangerous. Dangerous because it promotes an ecclesiastical hierarchy that exalts leaders (apostles and prophets) above all else as closest to heaven. They are the one receiving heavenly revelation that others cannot and, therefore, they are basically above criticism.
This book is one of those that's good for starting a fire, not a revival fire but a fire to burn your trash. It's rubbish.
September 29, 2023
Really good. The author gave me a fresh perspective on honour and church government. Still I feel he could have expanded more into other areas of the culture o f honour.
July 11, 2019
It must first be understood that this is not the ramblings of a seminary professor or theoretical exposition by a biblical scholar. This is actual working model for 8,000 member Bethel Church in Redding, CA. By their claim, this model of church government is an experiment and changing as needed.
It must also be understood that this book is an overview, not a handbook of policies and procedures. The book has 8 chapters describing Bethel’s vision of Church culture.
In addition, to my understand there is no real New Testament model or description of church government. The Bible is silent on that matter. Furthermore, there are no real definitions or job descriptions of the roles of the 5-fold ministry of the church.
In the book, the 5-fold gifts are called “anointing” rather than gifts. The descriptions and definitions of the 4-fold ministries are encouraging. The role of apostle and prophet have been been neglected or invisible and this work is an attempt to redefine those roles.
There are some difficulties with the book. The chapter on “wealth” is problematic and some of the support comes the work of Dr. Ruby Payne, which has been widely criticized as being stereotypical and the main concepts of Dr. Ruby’s concepts are lacking in fundamental verifiable support.
One chapter in particular is worthy of careful study—the chapter on confrontation. The modern church is far to concerned with punishment rather than restoration. The chapter is vague on what merits confrontation. Not all readers are pleased with the concept that offenders may not necessarily be removed from positions of authority or influence. The key statement is “Make as big a mess as you are willing to clean up.” This requires a great deal of trust and maturity of the congregation, and tremendous trust in leadership.
This book is an outstanding alternative to modern church organization, which more often resembles a business corporation than a church. The accountability and responsibility of many current mega churches indicates a change is needed and this book may be the recipe for change.
It must also be understood that this book is an overview, not a handbook of policies and procedures. The book has 8 chapters describing Bethel’s vision of Church culture.
In addition, to my understand there is no real New Testament model or description of church government. The Bible is silent on that matter. Furthermore, there are no real definitions or job descriptions of the roles of the 5-fold ministry of the church.
In the book, the 5-fold gifts are called “anointing” rather than gifts. The descriptions and definitions of the 4-fold ministries are encouraging. The role of apostle and prophet have been been neglected or invisible and this work is an attempt to redefine those roles.
There are some difficulties with the book. The chapter on “wealth” is problematic and some of the support comes the work of Dr. Ruby Payne, which has been widely criticized as being stereotypical and the main concepts of Dr. Ruby’s concepts are lacking in fundamental verifiable support.
One chapter in particular is worthy of careful study—the chapter on confrontation. The modern church is far to concerned with punishment rather than restoration. The chapter is vague on what merits confrontation. Not all readers are pleased with the concept that offenders may not necessarily be removed from positions of authority or influence. The key statement is “Make as big a mess as you are willing to clean up.” This requires a great deal of trust and maturity of the congregation, and tremendous trust in leadership.
This book is an outstanding alternative to modern church organization, which more often resembles a business corporation than a church. The accountability and responsibility of many current mega churches indicates a change is needed and this book may be the recipe for change.
April 24, 2013
Highly recommended because of it's tremendously important topic. However, throughout most of the book I was planning on giving it three stars. It seemed way too wordy to make the small (but important) points. It was a hard and boring read for the most part. BUT the last two chapters are soooo good. In summary, the intro, the examples of how Bethel practices honor when dealing with people who fell into sin in a few parts in the middle, and the last quarter of the book are well worth the slow and wordy parts. The book has stretched me and caused me to grow. I believe my life will bear positive fruit from reading this as I think yours would as well. And, it ended as a faster and more fun read than it started. I really enjoyed it.
As a side note, chapter 2 can be a turn off because of what it seems like he is trying to say. It seems like he is setting up a religious, formulaic way to run a church - which people with which giftings should occupy which roles in the church to do church "right", basically pointing out that all the rest of us are doing it wrong. But by the end, you realize that he is really addressing priorities of focus not heirarchal structure. You will see that he is merely saying that our first priority as a church should be Heaven on Earth, Jesus at work. I say all this so you will not be turned off early if you happen to read it. This is a MUST READ for all church leaders.
As a side note, chapter 2 can be a turn off because of what it seems like he is trying to say. It seems like he is setting up a religious, formulaic way to run a church - which people with which giftings should occupy which roles in the church to do church "right", basically pointing out that all the rest of us are doing it wrong. But by the end, you realize that he is really addressing priorities of focus not heirarchal structure. You will see that he is merely saying that our first priority as a church should be Heaven on Earth, Jesus at work. I say all this so you will not be turned off early if you happen to read it. This is a MUST READ for all church leaders.
January 17, 2011
I first heard about this on a retreat, and the person who recommended it said so in such a vehement manner that I immediately picked it up. Well, I've finally got around to reading it, and while I believe Danny Silk, and to a greater extent the folks at Bethel, are doing some amazing things, this book just didn't hold its weight. Then again, he's got Bill Johnson to contend with, never an easy chore. Still, Silk does bring a lot to the table. I believe his enlightened views of how to create a safe church atmosphere, and especially his tactics on confrontation are exquisitely laid-out. The one problem I had though, was his blueprint for a successful church community. Being that I attend a charismatic-oriented church, I agree that there is certainly a need for the apostolic and prophetic, but to create a hierarchy of sorts is just wrong, in my opinion. In my estimation, we're all on equal ground. Silk, seems to be taking a piece of scripture and molding to a specific goal, and it just doesn't fit completely.
Even though I found some problems, I think the overall value of this book is learning from one who is part of a successful community, and how they are handling situations and creating as he puts it "Culture of Honor".
Even though I found some problems, I think the overall value of this book is learning from one who is part of a successful community, and how they are handling situations and creating as he puts it "Culture of Honor".
April 19, 2018
The ideas in the book are ones that I was taught about 10 years ago and have been trying to keep in practice that long. However, as I'm no longer near the people who taught and lived this book out with me, it was an excellent experience to read and be reminded of the power of freedom.
I have long agreed with those who say that our focus and emphasis in the church is on the wrong thing. I didn't know what exactly was wrong with it for so long until I encountered the freedom that this book speaks of. Starting from a "safe place" to learn, discover, and make mistakes makes all the difference in a church setting. No longer is being a Christian about proving yourself or performing for God and the elders, but it's about truly experiencing and living out grace -- a word we throw around so much, but has almost lost its real meaning.
If you have ever felt God nudge you towards something more in your Christian life, then this is a great place to start. If you're ready to look beyond the rules of scripture and maybe turn your life upside down a little I highly suggest this read -- the change you'll experience will be an awesome miracle in and of itself.
I have long agreed with those who say that our focus and emphasis in the church is on the wrong thing. I didn't know what exactly was wrong with it for so long until I encountered the freedom that this book speaks of. Starting from a "safe place" to learn, discover, and make mistakes makes all the difference in a church setting. No longer is being a Christian about proving yourself or performing for God and the elders, but it's about truly experiencing and living out grace -- a word we throw around so much, but has almost lost its real meaning.
If you have ever felt God nudge you towards something more in your Christian life, then this is a great place to start. If you're ready to look beyond the rules of scripture and maybe turn your life upside down a little I highly suggest this read -- the change you'll experience will be an awesome miracle in and of itself.
February 17, 2015
I'm an Oswald Chambers, 'service as worship' (and thus obviously middle class) kind of girl who probably would feel fidgety in a Bethel meeting.
I felt that maybe Silk has taken some good anecdotes and writings on various topics and organised them to construct this book. Some of the most useful material was obviously informed by his social work background. But there are some holes for me. So the paedophile who repents goes to jail but the long term adulterer gets to stay on as worship leader. What's the thinking behind that?
I liked being provoked into thinking bigger about God. I found the socio-economic link to how we relate to God fascinating. The model for dealing with confrontation was helpful. BUT. The general tone of this book was so 'Bethel is the correct model' with anyone outside their network basically 'getting it wrong'. Along with his counter-mainstream definitions of the fivefold ministries, Silk's message for me became a little undermined.
I felt that maybe Silk has taken some good anecdotes and writings on various topics and organised them to construct this book. Some of the most useful material was obviously informed by his social work background. But there are some holes for me. So the paedophile who repents goes to jail but the long term adulterer gets to stay on as worship leader. What's the thinking behind that?
I liked being provoked into thinking bigger about God. I found the socio-economic link to how we relate to God fascinating. The model for dealing with confrontation was helpful. BUT. The general tone of this book was so 'Bethel is the correct model' with anyone outside their network basically 'getting it wrong'. Along with his counter-mainstream definitions of the fivefold ministries, Silk's message for me became a little undermined.
July 3, 2012
This book is awesome. It challenges the western church's emphasis on teachers and pastors and argues for a more balanced view of apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors and evangelists; the five fold ministries. Silk explains that we need to hold these five ministries with equal validity rather than placing an emphasis on teachers or pastors as the western church has mostly done. This is crucial to our understanding and practice of church leadership. Conservatives will struggle with this view as teaching is heralded as the holy grail in such churches. However, it is vital that we return to a kingdom minded approach to the gospel and this is what Danny Silk is encouraging. You must read this book if your are interested in church leadership.
February 13, 2019
Danny Silk is a great teacher with profound insights that I’ve come to treasure. However, like his book Loving Our Kids On Purpose, I find that the writing unintentionally distracts from the meat of the message, and it takes me out of what I’m meant to appreciate. I definitely found this book doing that less than LOKOP, but there were two or three chapters that were difficult for me.
All that said, I highly recommend this book for its teachings, testimonies and guidance into a Culture of Honour.
All that said, I highly recommend this book for its teachings, testimonies and guidance into a Culture of Honour.
January 6, 2018
A thought provoking book, with will, hopefully, change the way I relate to people in a positive way.
I occasionally found it came across as Bethal church has it all sorted, but he can only write about his own experiences. These examples were needed as a practical demonstration of the biblical teaching, I guess he can only write about his own experiences.
I particularly liked the chapter on how we relate to God's blessings depends on the culture or class we come from, very illuminating.
I occasionally found it came across as Bethal church has it all sorted, but he can only write about his own experiences. These examples were needed as a practical demonstration of the biblical teaching, I guess he can only write about his own experiences.
I particularly liked the chapter on how we relate to God's blessings depends on the culture or class we come from, very illuminating.
April 29, 2012
The principle and heart behind the book is awesome and Holy Spirit saturated. God is definitely using those guys down at Bethel, and Danny has done a great job at summarizing what has been working for them. All in all, the title is almost self-explanatory...Culture of honor...I mean how can you go wrong if you are in one and fighting for one? Solid book.
October 16, 2013
I liked this book. It really showed me a new way to act i. certain situations, that according to our justice, deserve punishment. I do have to put that in practice. However, I have to admit that there are some things that the author said that I want to double check with the Scriptures.
I do recommend this book, the main teaching of Silk is a challenge to everyone.
I do recommend this book, the main teaching of Silk is a challenge to everyone.
March 3, 2024
Over all I would say this book basically shows us how we can and should deal with people who in a moment of weakness, or just plain bad choices, fall into sin. We do pay the penalty for our bad choices, but how we handle the situation is also a key. This book shows us how we can do that. It's a good read and will speak to your spirit.
January 15, 2019
I need to start this by saying this is not a book I would have picked for myself. It was a gift from my wife by way of recommendation of a good friend. With that said, I enjoyed this book. Personally it challenged my approach to people and how I view them, especially in terms of confrontation and counseling. It raised some questions but the overall message of the book is one I can get behind.
May 12, 2022
This is a book about practicing apostolic and prophetic in the Bethel Church. How everybody have a role in the community, and how everyone honor each other. The author argue that this kind of environment was a practice of grace and induce supernatural environment, and this practice already done in the author's church.
September 19, 2010
I sought out this book during a conflict I was having with my teenager. Danny gave me some great concept understanding of how to behave toward one another in a confrontation situation. Did leave me with practical questions of just how do I do that?
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