Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures: Biblical Foundations and Practical Essentials

by Jayson Georges, Mark D. Baker

Many a Westerner has had a cross-cultural experience of honor and shame. First there are those stuttering moments in the new social landscape. Then after missed cues and social bruises comes the revelation that this culture—indeed much of the world—runs on an honor-shame operating system. When Western individualism and its introspective conscience fails to engage cultural gears, how can we shift and navigate this alternate code? And might we even learn to see and speak the gospel differently if we did? In Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures Jayson Georges and Mark Baker help us decode the cultural script of honor and shame. What's more, they assist us in reading the Bible anew through the lens of honor and shame, often with startling turns. And they offer thoughtful and practical guidance in ministry within honor-shame contexts. Apt stories, illuminating insights and ministry-tested wisdom complete this well-rounded guide to Christian ministry in honor-shame cultures.

Genres: Christian, Cultural, Nonfiction, Faith, Christian Living, Christian Non Fiction, Anthropology

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2016

About the author

Jayson Georges (MDiv, Talbot) has served crossculturally for over fifteen years in Central Asia, a refugee community in the United States, and now in the Middle East. He is the coauthor of Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures and the author of The 3D Gospel and The Honor-Shame Paraphrase series. Georges has taught about honor-shame and patronage around the world and is the founding editor of honorshame.com.

Reviews

[Andrew Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt more like a textbook, but I actually really enjoyed it. It took a while to read because the chapters are so long, but I feel like I learned a lot more about how honor-shame dynamics are talked about in the Bible. There were also tons of real life stories and examples of how honor-shame plays out in a lot of the world and how we can speak Biblical truth into it. This book gave me new respect for different cultures and for those who work in different cultures.

[Joost Nixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a candidate for my "best read in 2020." I grew up in the West, but now live in South Eastern Europe. Also most of my work is done in cultures where honor and shame are a strong emphasis. In moving to a new culture, life is a bit disorienting. One does not understand why people do the things they do, or why they react when I do "normal" things. This book explains the cultural and relational dynamics in a very engaging style. I found immediate and practicable application to my life and work.

I recommend this book not only to those living and working outside the West, but also to those who are not. It gave me an appreciation for emphases and themes in the Bible that I was previously blind to.

Worth reading twice.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This meager attempt at a book review will not do justice, but I thought I ought to at least TRY to summarize it. Really, "Ministering in Honor Shame Cultures" has just left me speechless and continually thinking, re-reading, reviewing, and speechless again.

This book has truly brought about a "paradigm shift" for me, as authors Jayson Georges and Mark Baker intended for its readers. I have sincerely been seeing God's world and Word through a new lens!

Reading it would be very good for any Christian, since most of the world thinks and lives according to the cultural values of "honor-shame" (about 80%)-Asians, Arabs, Africans, Latin Americans, etc. Christians globally are increasingly from honor-shame cultures. In 1900 it is estimated that 82% of all Christians were white, but it is projected that by 2050 about 80% of Christians will be non-white. If that all was not enough reason to convince somebody to read it, honor-shame values also serve as the default grammar of Biblical cultures.

All that to say, understanding honor-shame is vital, at the very least, for living as Christians in today's multicultural world and for simply understanding the Bible and the gospel well.

While it is important to understand honor-shame perspectives anthropologically as we do business and interact with global people, it is ALSO VERY important to understand theologically. How is Jesus good news to people mired in shame and seeking honor?

Here is a small list of topics that have been touched on in the book that have already impacted me greatly: Jesus, how shame affects humanity, how God promises to remove shame, Jesus' mission of honoring the shamed and taking shame in our place , what that vague term that we throw around "God's glory" means, how elements of honor-shame exist in every culture and how the gospel transforms that, the church's role as an alternate court of reputation- a place where we are together basking in and pursuing another kind of honor than the world's kind.....and did I mention JESUS?

Reading the Bible over the past 2 months since picking up this book has been RICH. I am discovering so many things that I never saw before.

Perhaps, in your life as you have had interactions with global people, you have found yourself having similar thought-patterns (as I have) such as...
"It seems like our basis for defining right and wrong is different.
"Why does the whole culture feel corrupt to me?"
"Everybody in this culture seems to think lying and deception are okay."
"It seems like there is no way out of continual dependency in my relationships."
"These people are so disrespectful- they do not have any respect for my time."
"Why do these people get so hung up on things being done a certain way?"
"Why are these people so haughty and seemingly 'Pharisaical'?"
"Why is food and ritual such a big deal when showing hospitality?--will we ever be 'close' friends enough to set aside all of this formality?"
"Why do teachers not mingle with their students, why must children be separated from the adults or women separated from the men?"

If you have struggled similarly, this book would really help you.

As an American missionary's wife (9 years in Africa and counting)- I have wondered if and when the good news of Jesus would break down these cultural barriers that seem so impregnable. I have always thought it necessary to posture myself first as a learner. However, I have to say that after so many years of toil, loving, giving, and confusion I honestly thought I would have understood more and, before reading this, was moving toward a state of despair. Thankfully, the insight, study, experience, and wisdom of Georges' and Barker's book has answered so many questions and explained so much for me (and continues to). THANK YOU to you both for persevering long in prayer, relationships, and study to share this book with so many of us who needed it. God bless you both and anyone else who participated in its publication.

[Caroline Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few years ago I read 3D gospel which introduces readers to the three primary cultures of the world: Guilt Innocence, Shame Honor, and Fear Power. The majority of westerners identify in the Guilt Innocence category as do I. I have been seeking to do ministry among Shame Honor Cultures. This book is invaluable for people who fall into this category with me. This book was very challenging for me. I found that every chapter asked me to consider how a particular principle affects every area of my life and especially the lives of those in the majority world. I often found myself rereading a section or chapter before I felt like I could move on to the following chapter. This book helped me grasp practically what is an honor/shame culture. It gave names and reasons for many behaviors/speech patterns I have heard/seen from my friends in this culture. I especially appreciated how the authors took the time to explain not only what the majority cultures value, but why they value them, and why we often see them as bad or undesirable behaviors. I know I will reference this book throughout my life as I seek to build relationship, evangelize, disciple, and simply honor those in the majority world.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A text which explains the differences between guilt-innocence and honor-shame cultures, outlines a biblical basis for ministry in honor-shame cultures and discusses practical implications for ministry in these cultures.

Sometimes we just don’t know what we don’t know. For those of us from guilt-innocence cultures (many from Euro-American backgrounds), our encounters with those from honor-shame cultures often leave us baffled as we fail to understand why we are unable to connect or why we have offended. Our globalized world makes this kind of cross-cultural understanding vital.

This is especially so with those engaged in mission in these cultures. Incarnational ministry means getting inside the skin of those with whom we are engaged in ministry. In this text Jayson Georges and Mark D. Baker take us inside both honor-shame cultures and the scriptures and help us understand what ministry in honor-shame cultures might look like.

First of all they help us understand how honor-shame cultures are different from guilt-innocence cultures. Fundamentally, these cultures are about who we are in relation to others rather than what we have done in relation to a set of laws or principles. Honor-shame cultures manifest themselves in terms of patronage, indirect communication, event orientation, purity, hospitality, and social roles. Unfortunately, those of us from guilt-innocence cultures often see dependence and corruption, lying and deception, tardiness, rituralism, obligation and ostentation, and oppression. Can you see where things might go wrong?

Perhaps the highlight of the book for me was where the authors show how the Bible, written in an honor-shame context provides us a basis for understanding shame and for restoring and seeking honor. They trace these ideas through both the Old and New Testaments, culminating in the work of Christ in which he bears our shame, making it possible for us to be restored to honorable relationship before God.

The last half of the book works out the implications of an understanding of honor-shame cultures and a biblical framing of honor-shame for redemptive ministry in these cultures.

They begin with a spirituality of honor and shame, noting the great reversal of the gospel where pride equates with shame and humility with honor, and how this reshapes our ideas of honor and shame. A chapter on relationships follows with “Eight Commandments” for relationships in honor-shame contexts: 1) use a cover, 2) reconcile symbolically, 3) be a client, 4) guest well, 5) share gifts, 6) be a patron, 7) be pure, and 8) give face.

The chapter on evangelism begins with building bridges of honor in relationship and then shows how the gospel is a story of status reversal. Our problem of sin is unfaithfulness–disloyalty toward God that breaks relationship. Our dilemma is shame, a disgrace that merits banishment from God’s presence. God’s solution in Christ, is that his death is a bearing of shame that restores our relationship by repairing our honor. Our response is one of allegiance–loyalty to honoring God. The result of all this is that God makes outcasts his children and exalts us to eternal glory and honor. Conversion, then is often communal and involves the transference of allegiance, not only to Christ, but a new group.

Ethics is the pursuit of honor in a different key, which often involves humbling of self to serve. While to the watching world, this may be shameful, and difficult, it is motivated by the honor that comes in faithfully serving God. It is an honor shaped by pursuing glory, purity, and love. Finally this is pursued in a community that transforms shame by reintegrating the shamed into community, where forgiveness is practiced to restore relationship, and where leadership is practiced not from a position of privilege but rather service that seeks God’s honor.

The book concludes with appendices of key honor-shame passages in scripture, key honor shame stories, and a bibliography of resources for further study. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions that may be used for personal reflection, or classroom or group discussion. The book is written at a level suitable for an academic course on cross-cultural communication, but equally can be beneficial for churches and individuals engaged cross-culturally with those from honor-shame cultures.

The authors do not argue for one or the other frames being superior, and note that all cultures have a mix of these elements with guilt-innocence dominant in many Western contexts while shame-honor is dominant in most Majority cultures. While generalizing, they note that each culture expresses these differently and to understand honor-shame in one context is not to understand all. They liberally illustrate from experiences in a variety of cultural contexts, often at their own expense in sharing their failures as well as successes.

One of the big conclusions I drew was the priority of relationship. Rightness is not legal rightness, but being in right relationship in community, and with God. To build bridges of honor that communicate how important a person is to us, to give face, to restore the shamed all are biblical ideas but so different than doing the right things and having the right ideas. I also appreciated the thoughtfulness the writers showed in redeeming honor and shame, which sin may distort, providing paths of restoration, and better ways both to live for honor and honor others. In doing so, they move beyond cross-cultural understanding to cross-cultural mission with a gospel that is redemptive in every culture.

[Cal Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Georges and Baker bring the reader with them into a deep dive of studying the shame-honor worldview present in most of the majority world by analyzing the inner workings of shame and honor in culture, looking at what the BIble has to say about shame and honor, and then lastly by looking at how to faithfully practice ministry in the context of shame and honor cultures. They write, “people trust God for one component of salvation (forgiveness of sin’s guilt) but then bypass Christ’s work for absolving sin’s shame.” Since this book is written for a western audience who the author’s assume already have a good grasp on the Gospel’s work in removing guilt, the book focuses exclusively on the Gospel’s ability to replace shame with honor. I think this book can serve the church and missionaries as they seek to make the Gospel as clear as they can to the people they are trying to reach. It is true that we have not just been forgiven of our sins but we have been clothed with righteous robes, are co-heirs with Christ, and a royal priesthood. God’s grace has clothed us with an alien righteousness, or honor, that elevated us from our lowly estate to one of dignity.
I agree that the west has generally overlooked aspects of the Gospel by exclusively viewing it from a guilt-innocence worldview which has led to the tendency of some church traditions being only concerned with people’s conversion but not their sanctification. Christians know they are saved but fail to take hold of the honorable riches that are ours in Christ today. However, the premise of this book would seem to want to change the words of John the Baptist from “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” to “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the shame of the world”. Yes, apart from Christ we stand in shame before God and Christ reconciles this, but why do we stand in shame before God? Like Adam and Eve, we have disobeyed God. Without sin, we would not have shame. The Son of Man has the authority to forgive sins which restores our honor and allows the lame to walk (Matthew 9:6). As we seek to bring the Gospel to the lost of the majority world, I think we can start with the main problem they may face, shame, and speak of the power of Christ to remove that. However, I think we also must seek to disciple them to see their root need for the forgiveness of sins which can free them from all shame. I would have liked to see the book interact with this idea of teaching shame-honor cultures the idea of sin not just being a loss of face. Overall, this was a helpful book that I think is beneficial for people working in cross-cultural contexts.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing book on what it means to be part of an honor/shame culture, how the Bible fits into that and then how honor/shame affects Christian ethics, relationships and ministry. An eye-opening read on being aware of how people understand their worldview, so we can minister incarnationally rather than imposing one into another. Also interesting is how social media has brought a shame culture into the West as well. Andy Crouch also has a good article on that in Christianity Today.

[Dennis Podryadchikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of the first harbingers on the topic of honor and shame. It lays a firm foundation preparing ministers and missionaries to deal with an elusive topic of people's behavior as it relates to their cultural norms. Georges provides different perspectives including anthropology, theology, and practical ministry. The book is filled with both academic theories and practical cases. Any minister would find the book helpful especially when dealing with people from other cultures.

[agb · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was highly informative of what honor-shake culture is. read this book for a volunteer trip to india and so grateful i did. helped me better understand the culture i would be experiencing. did not “minister” to anyone — solely read to help understand the complexity of an honor shame culture when looking into it within a guilt innocence culture. great opportunity to stretch your worldview and perspectives.

[K Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely a great book to have! The authors have extensive experiences interacting with honor-and-shame cultures that the book has sound theology as well as practicality. It is absolutely an effective tool for crossing cultures.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. I liked the practical chapters 6,7,8 the most. I shred them with some of the people I lead in cross cultural work. I resonate with many of the thoughts here as we have been overseas for 22 years. Great job of making it concise.

[Noah Probst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly insightful - though I’m not serving in a context saturated with honor-shame dynamics, Georges helped me recognize the great need to understand cultural tendencies. Doing so is a significant step in becoming vessels for God’s healing.

[Linda Lanty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful and practical! Jesus has taken on our shame & restores us with honor. A great book for missions but also for anybody wanting a different lens of looking at the gospel other than with a guilt-innocence perspective.

[Coleman Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb book that shapes your understanding of honor-shame cultures and its relevancy to scripture. Gives insightful and practical lessons and tips when dealing with honor-shame cultures.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is profound on many levels. For me personally, I can’t remember when I last read a book that made me feel like I didn’t know a thing about the subject before I read it as was the case here. It’s not that I hadn’t traveled or been in mission work in other cultures, but that I didn’t know specifically why those other cultures even seemed to think differently than my own. My culture, as is so well described in this volume, is based on guilt whereas many other cultures think more with an honor-shame mindset. Even more surprising, my Western culture is by far in the minority in our world.

The authors, Jayson Georges and Mark Baker, are well qualified to write on this subject and I particularly appreciated how they shared their own trial and error while serving in other parts of the world to gain some of their knowledge the hard way.

Though they tackled three distinct areas–deep analysis of what the honor-shame culture is, a careful explanation of how it fits in with biblical theology, and how to take this understanding and practically minister to those who view the world through an honor-shame lens–they amazingly prove themselves adept in all three disciplines.

In the first area they really helped you get into the mind of someone who thinks in terms of honor-shame and see why it makes as much sense to them as our more legal outlook does to us. In the second, while there is a forgiveness/legal/guilt outlook in Scripture, there is clear honor/shame outlooks as well. We may have been overlooking key theology here. Finally, the practical side is amazing. The chapter on evangelism is worth the price of the whole book.

This book should be required reading for every missionary or persons working with different cultures. It might make the difference in effectiveness more than you realize. For that matter, every Christian should read it both for its theology and ministry training. This book is home run all the way!

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Annah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A starter kit (definitions/discipline bridges/discussion points) for understanding how to do ministry in non-Western contexts. I would've loved a more robust discussion on the anthro literature, but the authors' approach makes sense for their purposes. The topic is far too broad and the focus groups too narrow for comprehensive cultural competency, and some chapters did worse jobs than others in acknowledging that. And the middle drags...a lot. I thought the best chapters were the first few and the last few: they seemed to do the best job of recognizing and engaging contextualized humanity.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good news for all of us racked by guilt as a result of being raised Jewish, Catholic or Protestant! There is a whole different way to feel bad about yourself, and it is called honor-shame.

As part of the individualist Western culture, we are used to feeling guilty when we break a rule even if no one knows about it. But that’s been losing its force in recent years. Don’t lose hope, however. We have another option. We can be more collective in our thinking, like most of the rest of the world. Shame can then be used to exclude us or make us feel badly about ourselves when we fail to meet group standards.

Remarkably, honor-shame groups have been hiding among us in plain sight all along. The military (think honor and code), street gangs (where to be disrespected can be cause for violence), sports teams (think awards and “respecting the game”) and small towns (which use gossip to curb certain behaviors) all embody an honor-shame culture.

Learning the language of honor-shame can help us, according to Georges and Baker, in two other ways. First, it can help those who work in other cultures. The authors offer a wide variety of fascinating stories of mistakes and successes they’ve had in navigating this way of life from Nepal to the Philippines to Fresno.

Second, it can help us read the Bible with greater understanding because it is saturated with honor-shame thinking. Words and phrases like honor, name, praise, glory, renown, put to shame, disgrace abound in Scripture. From Cain’s distress over Abel to the way issues of honor-shame permeate Jesus’ parable of the father and two sons, from the crucifixion to the resurrection—this way of thinking brings fresh light and deeper insight into stories and concepts we thought we already knew well.

Neither honor-shame nor guilt-innocence is superior to the other, like being right- or left-handed. Both can be valuable and both can be misused. But if we are able to see when they are at work and how they operate differently, we may be beneficiaries of great honor and a clear conscience.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on what can be very challenging for western missionaries to a majority world. I have experienced much of this in my ministry and believe it is a vital book for people to read who want to better serve those from Honor-Shame culture.

I may have a minor difference in opinion when it comes to there view of confession of sins but none the less this book is a great primer to ministry to honor and shame cultures.

This book is not a 10 step process on how to solve problems (which would be silly anyways) but an eye opener on how approach the culture.

It opened my eyes to shame I had been battling but never would have thought of due to my guilt-innocence background. It also opened my eyes to things I can be doing better that I never would have thought I was doing wrong.

Personally, working in an honor-shame culture has been one of the most encouraging and challenging things I have ever done.

[David Joannes · Rating 5 out of 5]

TARGET AUDIENCE
This book targets Christian individuals who seek to contextualize the Gospel in relevant ways in the Majority World. But that does not mean that one must be an overseas missionary to benefit from this book. I believe that every Christian who reads this book will gain a better understanding of the overarching context of the Bible, namely, God’s honor a central theme from Genesis to Revelation. The authors state that “from genealogies to Jesus’ confrontations with Pharisees, from the exile to the crucifixion, from Ruth to Romans and from the psalms of lament to Jesus’ parables, honor and shame are presupposed furniture in the minds of biblical authors and their original audiences.” This book enlightens the Western believer to perceive the Gospel through a fresh paradigm.

CONTENT QUALITY
This book is an essential read for anyone seeking to share the Gospel in a relevant manner among honor-shame societies. It articulated what I have long experienced but did not have words for. I have lived in honor-shame cultures for nearly two decades and could therefore easily understand the themes expressed by the authors. Over the years, I have had conversations about honor-shame cultures with certain friends and family members, and I wondered whether or not they might begin to comprehend through this book the cultural differences that they have never personally experienced. “Just as Westerners fail to adequately observe cultural underpinnings of honor and shame in today’s world, Western Christians also often overlook the prominent role of honor and shame in the Bible, though it comes from an honor-shame context.” The authors did an incredible job of clearly explaining honor-shame biblical contexts. I am confident to share this book with those whom I have discussed honor-shame themes with, knowing that the thorough explanations in this book will communicate with clarity a fuller depiction of the Gospel.

MESSAGE CLARITY
With such a narrow focus, there might have existed the tendency to be redundant in the writing of this book. I did not find this to be the case at all. Instead, each chapter broadened the perspective of the biblical themes of honor and shame, both so that the reader was encouraged to understand honor and shame and so that he/she might be able to articulate the Gospel in relevant manner to Majority World listeners. This book not only queries the validity of the one-sided guilt-innocence version of the Western Gospel message but also augments this narrative with a more holistic approach of honor and shame themes. “To articulate the gospel in guilt-innocence terms is true, and often appropriate, but it is not the only facet of God’s salvation.” The authors boldly explain the fuller realities of salvation through the honor-shame worldview.

CREATIVE STYLE
This book is filled with enlightening stories and testimonies both from the Western World and from the Majority World. I felt that these stories gave a broader picture of the Gospel’s mighty power to transform lives in every region of the globe. The use of storytelling paired with theological research was a compelling medium to reinforce such a difficult topic. The content of this book was beautifully arranged and the message came across loud and clear. Each chapter seemed to reinforce the previous one. The many references and endnotes invite one to further study the honor-shame themes in biblical texts, should the reader so desire.

LANGUAGE SELECTION
I am happy to report that the text and terminology (as I mentioned above) was not redundant. A weaker author might have been compelled to revisit such similar language that the reader might grow weary. Instead, the authors utilized fresh terminology and sophisticated vocabulary to express each point in a more poignant manner. This I appreciated greatly.

OVERALL IMPACT
Living in an honor-shame environment myself, this book has already began to enhance my understanding of holistic evangelism. I will most certainly be putting into practice the techniques and styles for sharing the Gospel to honor-shame communities. I have never before come across such a well-articulated book on the topic of honor-shame cultures. I would even state that this book should be required reading for every cross-cultural missionary serving in honor-shame contexts. I believe that this book will impact my ministry for years to come.

10 POINT RATING
I give Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures a 9/10.

[Amy Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book after moving to Europe and realizing that southern Italy has a very strong honor-shame culture. Having studied counseling, not anthropology, I wanted to understand how to better conceptualize what I was learning. Ironically, much of what I found here applies to the counselees I have worked with, who often struggle more with shame than guilt.

The book begins with an introduction to honor-shame (HS) v. guilt-innocence cultures in part one and ends with ministry implications in part three. However, the standout chapters are in part two, where Georges and Baker lay out a biblical theology of honor and shame. The authors explain that guilt, a foundational chord of gospel presentations for westerners, often does not register with people from HS backgrounds. They explore how Jesus’ atonement for sin not only forgives the guilty but restores the shamed to the honor of relationship—a need that HS culture inhabitants are keenly aware of. Georges and Baker trace HS culture throughout the Bible, showing how removing shame and bestowing honor is not a secondary purpose of the atonement, but every bit as important as forgiveness of guilt.

God’s removal of shame is an important piece that I believe is missing from most western understandings of the gospel. My southern USA evangelical subculture has significant elements of honor-shame. As a “good kid,” I didn’t have much to feel guilty about. I did, however, have significant shame over my inability to meet the strict standards of my subculture. I needed to know that Jesus freed me from impossible standards and relational exclusion, making me his chosen and loved child.

As a counselor in the US, every person I worked with was broken down by shame and needed to hear about how the cross of Christ removed their shame and restored them to full relationship with the Father. They had guilt also, but most of them knew how the gospel spoke to that. What they needed is right here in this book.

Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures should be required reading for people working cross-culturally. I think it is an incredibly important read for pastors and ministers in western settings as well. It truly widens our understanding of the gospel by engaging with those who are “not like us” and allowing us to learn from about our God from cultures very unlike our own.

[Garry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I very much appreciated but yet found myself frustrated with at the same time. This is not necessarily a bad thing. On one hand, I was introduced to a paradigm I had heard about but had not really focused on. Georges does a good job laying out the basic definition of an honor/shame culture as well as identifying some of the differences between the Western guilt/innocence paradigm. I also appreciate his efforts to apply the Gospel in honor/shame contexts. The author(s) recognized that each culture would wildly vary and thus not one size would fit all.

On the other hand it seemed to smack of the whole "when you hold a hammer, everything looks like a nail." I was uncomfortable with his approach to patronage although I understand that is a hard line to dance on.

Regardless I found this incredibly helpful, not only in considering cultures outside of the US, but also as a handbook to minister to the growing immigrant population.

[Claire Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books so change your understanding of the world that you find yourself quoting and referring to them all the time; this book is one of them for me. Georges and Baker do an incredible job of breaking down primarily honor-shame cultures, as well as showing how guilt-innocence cultures can have some of the same ideas as well.
They also break down how this could influence all aspects of faith, which I think can be best explained by just listing their chapter titles: Old testament, Jesus, spirituality, relationships, evangelism, conversion, ethics, and community. Every chapter was pure gold and took me a week to digest. I loved the story examples to give some hands and feet to the ideas they were sharing!
Thanks to this book, I feel much more equipped to go into an honor-shame culture with a good base understanding of how they might view things differently and how I can interact appropriately in such a setting.

[David Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Traditional honor-shame cultures are more embedded and dominated by honor and shame than by guilt and innocence. Though honor-shame cultures are notoriously diverse (188), some common features are frequently observed – patronage, indirect communication, event orientation, purity, hospitality, and social roles (chapter 3). Honor and shame are common themes in the Old Testament and in Jesus’ day (chapters 4-5). Properly understanding honor and shame affects our practical ministry in understanding spirituality, relationships, evangelism, conversion, ethics, and community (chapters 6-11). Especially designed for those who are serving in missional contexts of traditional honor-shame cultures, some key facets, such as spirituality, relationships, and evangelism, can be adjusted and applied within multicultural settings.

[Jillian Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated this book in so many different ways. It serves to help deepen one's understanding of honor and shame through both Biblical examples and recent real-life examples in different cultural contexts, following with questions to think about your specific context. This book also can help you to evaluate your own cultural perspective of the gospel, deepening it to a more proper understanding of the freedom and honor we have through Christ (especially helpful if you've grown up in a Western context).

Being an outsider living in an honor-shame culture can be difficult to pinpoint the ways honor and shame has been embedded into the culture, but this book has helped me to think deeply about this, as well as learn better questions to ask locals.

[Mara Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a while to read, but I so enjoyed this book! It was helpful to go through more slowly and think about the points in the context of the culture I am in with the questions at the end of each chapter. The author gives biblical examples and stories of life experiences from different cultures, which helped me have a deeper understanding of the honor we have in Christ and how to honor others. It was so interesting to see how our home culture effects the way we read scripture and for me to better understand how to see the bible from and honor-shame perspective. It challenged me to think about how I read scripture for myself, as well as share it with others, and how I can do this better by considering an honor-shame context.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very insightful book, personally. For the sake of clarity, a sense of honor-shame/innocence-guilt duality is weaved through the book. This helps in understanding the principles, augmented by plenty of excellent real-life examples. However in my experience of 'the West' and its mixing of global cultures, I see my community representing both types. It's intriguing to reflect upon the innocence-guilt presentation of the gospel I grew up with and for me, how the honour-shame model also resonates. In summary: a truly helpful and insightful guide - where the learning can be applied easily to build the body of Christ!

[Nancy DeValve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be so helpful to westerners living and working in South America, Asia, or Africa! The authors show the importance of sharing the gospel in culturally relevant ways in honor-shame cultures. They point out how the culture in Bible days was one of honor/shame. I'm already reading the Bible with a fresh perspective. I wish I had read this book much earlier in my cross cultural life, but am thankful for new insights that can be applied from this point onward. I highly recommend this for cross cultural workers!

[Carla White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important book for those who work with and/or minister to Asian and middle eastern cultures. The authors tell stories about their failures and successes while giving plenty of references to bible stories that center around honor-shame values. As westerners we read the Bible through guilt-innocence lens but this book gets us to read the Bible through honor-shame worldview. It gives a clearer understanding of how Jesus redeems human shame by bringing honor to himself and his creation.

[Debs Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible and insightful book on the dynamics of honour shame cultures. In the short term I learned a lot, including how prevalent the concepts of shame and honour are in the Bible, how they are also part of Western cultures even when the dominant narrative is guilt-innocence, and the biblical countercultural approach to shame-honour. In the long term there are lots of deep ideas and practical responses that require unpacking and implementing.

[Josh Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

🤯Wow! Talk about perspective. Understanding the differences between east/west collective/individualistic/cultures that is laid out in this book is eye opening and cleanses the lens of not only how I see the word but also how I see the scriptures. I think this book should be read by every person wanting to understand the scriptures from a proper mindset. Also a must read for anyone wanting to minister in other cultures. So helpful and insightful.