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Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes: Patronage, Honor, and Shame in the Biblical World
The Bible was written within collectivist cultures. When Westerners, immersed in individualism, read the Bible, it's easy to misinterpret important elements―or miss them altogether. In any culture, the most important things usually go without being said. So to read Scripture well we benefit when we uncover the unspoken social structures and values of its world. We need to recalibrate our vision. Combining the expertise of a biblical scholar and a missionary practitioner, Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes is an essential guidebook to the cultural background of the Bible and how it should inform our reading. E. Randolph Richards and Richard James explore deep social structures of the ancient Mediterranean―kinship, patronage, and brokerage―along with their key social tools―honor, shame, and boundaries―that the biblical authors lived in and lie below the surface of each text. From Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar to Peter's instructions to elders, the authors strip away individualist assumptions and bring the world of the biblical writers to life. Expanding on the popular Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes , this book makes clear how understanding collectivism will help us better understand the Bible, which in turn will help us live more faithfully in an increasingly globalized world.
304 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2020
183 people are currently reading
1934 people want to read
About the author
E. Randolph Richards
17 books81 followersErnest Randolph Richards (M.Div. and Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is dean of the School of Ministry and professor of biblical studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is coauthor of "Discovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters and Theology" and "The Story of Israel: A Biblical Theology." He is the author of "Paul and First-Century Letter Writing" and "The Secretary in the Letters of Paul."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
May 27, 2024
This is a fantastic book, packed with insights into the biblical text (as well as the global scene). It would work well as a textbook for a class on biblical backgrounds, as it has examples from both Old and New Testaments.
I appreciated the stories from collectivist cultures today. The authors were also very helpful in showing how the gospel interacts with both individualist and collectivist contexts--how neither culture is superior and how the gospel has radical claims to make for both contexts.
Highly recommended.
I appreciated the stories from collectivist cultures today. The authors were also very helpful in showing how the gospel interacts with both individualist and collectivist contexts--how neither culture is superior and how the gospel has radical claims to make for both contexts.
Highly recommended.
December 31, 2020
Excellent! It makes a big difference knowing the original context, which was written to collectivist societies. If we place our individualist view over the text, it is possible to miss key themes that the original readers would have taken for granted and miss out on comfort and deeper encouragement. I commend the authors for not elevating one culture over another but raising awareness about these specific contextual themes. I also highly recommend this book because it made me want to dive into the Word.
March 24, 2021
Summary: Shows how we may misread scripture if we do not reckon with the collectivist context in which it is written, and in which many cultures still live.
It was an eyeopener for me when I discovered that the “you” in many of the New Testament letters is often a plural you–“you all” or “y’all” if you are from the American South. It turns out that this was just the tip of the iceberg. So many of the narratives in scripture are understood very differently when understood in collectivist rather than individualist frameworks.
E. Randolph Richards and Richard James have lived in such cultures, and while each culture, including those of scripture, have their own nuances, the authors draw upon these experiences to help us read scripture through a new lens, a collectivist lens. They consider the social structures of kinship, patronage, and brokerage, and the social tools of honor, shame, and boundaries. Finally, they draw conclusions about why it matters, even in an individualist context.
In collective structures, our kinship group tells us who we are–and who we marry. Remember Jacob and Laban? He wants Rachel, but he is given Leah first. That’s the way it is done in family. Then there is patronage. When Paul speaks of being saved by grace through faith, he describes a good patronage situation. God extends grace through Christ, literally charis or gift, and we both trust and are loyal to our patron, God. Finally, there is brokerage, where a third party mediates between two others. What else is Jesus but a broker or mediator between God and humans?
Then there are the social tools that enforce values in collective cultures. One’s honor is one’s greatest asset. Many of the challenges to Jesus are challenges to his honor, and thus his authority to teach. David gained honor in the conflict with Saul, not merely for being a good shot, but for trusting God in the conflict. In the West we consider one who sins guilty. In other cultures, the issue is shame. We have come to think that shame is always bad, but in collectivist societies shame comes with a path to remove it. Confronting a person with whom you have a grievance minimizes shame–allowing the person to remove shame without others knowing about it. Then there are boundaries, ones that define groups, ones that define how men and women relate, or don’t. When we choose a group, we accept their boundaries.
The authors show how each of these collectivist elements function at their best and worst, and explore how they may be engaged redemptively. While there are important insights individualists see in scripture, there is much we learn when we read with collectivist eyes. More than that, we discover dimensions of our collective life in Christ. Our salvation isn’t just about me but we. We are part of a people, a family, with new boundaries and new values. Sometimes our individualist outlook not only leads us to misread the Bible, but also misleads us in our participation in Christian community. At very least, we misunderstand Christians in other cultures. At most, we miss out on dimensions of life in Christ and others miss out on what we bring to the family.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
It was an eyeopener for me when I discovered that the “you” in many of the New Testament letters is often a plural you–“you all” or “y’all” if you are from the American South. It turns out that this was just the tip of the iceberg. So many of the narratives in scripture are understood very differently when understood in collectivist rather than individualist frameworks.
E. Randolph Richards and Richard James have lived in such cultures, and while each culture, including those of scripture, have their own nuances, the authors draw upon these experiences to help us read scripture through a new lens, a collectivist lens. They consider the social structures of kinship, patronage, and brokerage, and the social tools of honor, shame, and boundaries. Finally, they draw conclusions about why it matters, even in an individualist context.
In collective structures, our kinship group tells us who we are–and who we marry. Remember Jacob and Laban? He wants Rachel, but he is given Leah first. That’s the way it is done in family. Then there is patronage. When Paul speaks of being saved by grace through faith, he describes a good patronage situation. God extends grace through Christ, literally charis or gift, and we both trust and are loyal to our patron, God. Finally, there is brokerage, where a third party mediates between two others. What else is Jesus but a broker or mediator between God and humans?
Then there are the social tools that enforce values in collective cultures. One’s honor is one’s greatest asset. Many of the challenges to Jesus are challenges to his honor, and thus his authority to teach. David gained honor in the conflict with Saul, not merely for being a good shot, but for trusting God in the conflict. In the West we consider one who sins guilty. In other cultures, the issue is shame. We have come to think that shame is always bad, but in collectivist societies shame comes with a path to remove it. Confronting a person with whom you have a grievance minimizes shame–allowing the person to remove shame without others knowing about it. Then there are boundaries, ones that define groups, ones that define how men and women relate, or don’t. When we choose a group, we accept their boundaries.
The authors show how each of these collectivist elements function at their best and worst, and explore how they may be engaged redemptively. While there are important insights individualists see in scripture, there is much we learn when we read with collectivist eyes. More than that, we discover dimensions of our collective life in Christ. Our salvation isn’t just about me but we. We are part of a people, a family, with new boundaries and new values. Sometimes our individualist outlook not only leads us to misread the Bible, but also misleads us in our participation in Christian community. At very least, we misunderstand Christians in other cultures. At most, we miss out on dimensions of life in Christ and others miss out on what we bring to the family.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
July 14, 2022
This was a helpful book for understanding the context surrounding a lot of the narratives in both Ancient Near East (OT) and Second Temple Judaic (NT) cultures.
The social structures - part 1 of the book - was a good refresher on how my Western cultural values differ from those held by the people throughout the biblical narrative.
Part 2 of the book evaluating the social tools was really helpful for seeing how the concepts of Honor, Shame, and Boundaries really defined the different people groups and how they would interact with each and within themselves. The passages used as examples really helped to solidify the concepts in practice in the biblical world. And although on a few occasions the authors might have gone a bit far to explain the text through the collectivistic cultural lens (e.g., explaining the concept of gift giving as it relates to grace which was really a fundamental shift away from the idea of reciprocal giving, at least according to John Barclay), it is very clear how collectivism as a whole influenced the writers of the Bible in a way that is often lost in the Western cultural context which is the emphasis of part 3.
All that to say, it’s a very good and helpful book. Give it a read if you want to go deeper in your understanding of cultural lenses and the Bible.
The social structures - part 1 of the book - was a good refresher on how my Western cultural values differ from those held by the people throughout the biblical narrative.
Part 2 of the book evaluating the social tools was really helpful for seeing how the concepts of Honor, Shame, and Boundaries really defined the different people groups and how they would interact with each and within themselves. The passages used as examples really helped to solidify the concepts in practice in the biblical world. And although on a few occasions the authors might have gone a bit far to explain the text through the collectivistic cultural lens (e.g., explaining the concept of gift giving as it relates to grace which was really a fundamental shift away from the idea of reciprocal giving, at least according to John Barclay), it is very clear how collectivism as a whole influenced the writers of the Bible in a way that is often lost in the Western cultural context which is the emphasis of part 3.
All that to say, it’s a very good and helpful book. Give it a read if you want to go deeper in your understanding of cultural lenses and the Bible.
December 14, 2021
I've done numerous courses from a undergraduate, and graduate level on biblical interpretation, New Testament background, and Ancient Near Eastern backgrounds. However, none expanded my understanding of the New Testament world (and current Eastern systems of thinking) more than this book. It explains concepts such as patronage, benefactors, shame/honor, and reciprocal relationships while contrasting western (individualist) and eastern (collectivist) mindsets.
The authors do defend these Eastern concepts (like Patronage) against Western disparaging. However, they make clear to not hold one system up as measuring up to the biblical standard. Instead, they argue that both systems fall short of the biblical model in certain aspects.
I've had my eyes opened and now I can see clearly that many of the failings of the Western church comes from our cultural mindset of individualism. As as example, many western believers believe the church is optional and they can live the Christian life apart from other believers. That is the flaws of individualism applied to the Christian life. Whereas a strength of collectivism applied to the Christian life would say as a new Christian, I become part of a community who I help and who helps me. An individualist sharing the gospel might say, "go home and read your Bible" and expect the person to gain faith and then grow by themselves. A biblical mindset (more closer to a collective mindset) would say, let me come alongside you (discipleship) and teach/show you how to live the Christian life with our Bibles in hand. On the other side, a strength of individualism would be the emphasis on personal faith and trust in Jesus rather than resting in collective belonging for salvation. As you can see, it's not one or the other.
This book can help open your eyes to where you might be more influenced by individualism rather than the Bible. It can also help you to understand what's happening in biblical stories that might have been confusing before. Strong recommended read for all Western Christians.
The authors do defend these Eastern concepts (like Patronage) against Western disparaging. However, they make clear to not hold one system up as measuring up to the biblical standard. Instead, they argue that both systems fall short of the biblical model in certain aspects.
I've had my eyes opened and now I can see clearly that many of the failings of the Western church comes from our cultural mindset of individualism. As as example, many western believers believe the church is optional and they can live the Christian life apart from other believers. That is the flaws of individualism applied to the Christian life. Whereas a strength of collectivism applied to the Christian life would say as a new Christian, I become part of a community who I help and who helps me. An individualist sharing the gospel might say, "go home and read your Bible" and expect the person to gain faith and then grow by themselves. A biblical mindset (more closer to a collective mindset) would say, let me come alongside you (discipleship) and teach/show you how to live the Christian life with our Bibles in hand. On the other side, a strength of individualism would be the emphasis on personal faith and trust in Jesus rather than resting in collective belonging for salvation. As you can see, it's not one or the other.
This book can help open your eyes to where you might be more influenced by individualism rather than the Bible. It can also help you to understand what's happening in biblical stories that might have been confusing before. Strong recommended read for all Western Christians.
October 6, 2023
Summary: An exploration of individualist culture (like the modern US) and collectivist cultures (like the biblical era) and how that leads us to misread scripture and misunderstand biblical concepts.
One of the most important passages in my reading is this one.
This review was originally posted on my blog at https://bookwi.se/individualist-eyes/
There is no way for me to adequately capture Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes in a simple review. There is no question it is among the best books I have read this year. I looked back at the pre-release PDF copy that I read, and I made notes or highlights on over 100 pages of a 300-page book. I also have recommended the book dozens of times since I started it.
Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes is a follow-up book to Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, which I also recommend, and have read twice. Both books are pointing out how our presuppositions and the (often unwritten) assumptions of the authors and original readers impact how we understand scripture. While the Western Eyes book looked at 9 areas briefly, Individualist Eyes spends more time focusing just on three inter-related concepts, Individualist vs. Collectivist cultures, honor/shame vs guilt/innocence, and patronage.
One of the problems of reading scripture is how we have been shaped to understand the culture of the Ancient Near East by modern authors. It is common to hear that the Greek and Roman world did not value life or participate in charity. But Individualist Eyes complicates that picture because patronage, which is a type of community care, and charity, was common. Collectivist cultures do care for their community, but patronage systems thrive when there is a large wealth disparity and a low level of governance. The wealthy use their wealth for others to illustrate virtue. Those who are helped give gratitude, loyalty, and service to the patron. The Father and Jesus are both compared to patrons. Jesus' comment, 'if you love me you will follow my commands' was a reference to a requirement for his patronage. Jesus feeding people was likened to patronage in the benefits it gave the people.
Where Jesus and Paul and other early Christians were radical was not in care for the poor and disenfranchised, it was in removing the boundaries between who you cared for. Patrons would care for the poor and desperate of their own family, social group, or ethnic or religious community. But the early Christians put social obligations to care for others as a family across those boundaries. NT Wright's biography of Paul talks well about how the early church crossed boundaries. In addition, our modern sensibilities emphasize the importance of 'no-strings' gifts or charity. But communal cultures view the strings as part of the reason for gifts or charity. Those strings bind people together in relationships. There can be a misuse of that binding, and so Proverbs and other places give warnings at times, but part of covenant thinking, expressed clearly in the Old Testament and the New is that there is an 'if...then...' thinking in how our relationship with God works, a patronage relationship.
At the same time, Jesus (and later the early Christians) redefined the reciprocity of relationships. In Matt 5 when Jesus if someone wants to sue you for your shirt, give them your coat as well. I have heard that explained as a form of shame, which could be true, but it was more likely to be about trying to turn an "adversary into a friend." (p 82)
Our cultural toolbox has limitations. In Western Christianity, there is an emphasis on sin and guilt. The Holy Spirit does use guilt to produce repentance, which should produce change. But many modern "Asian cultures don't even have a word for guilt." (p130) Instead, collectivist cultures tend to use shame as a boundary for appropriate behavior in order to draw people into the right relationship with the group. On the other side, honor functions as one of the tools to reinforce a group's values and identity, also creating inclusionary boundaries.
One of the strengths of Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes is that it not just illustrates the concepts, but then uses those concepts in scriptural interpretation, highlighting areas where we modern individualists misread scripture. It is common that we 'honor' David for being a good shot in killing Goliath. But ancients would have honored David for trust God to fight for him. "We are not supposed to say 'David killed Goliath.' We are supposed to say 'God killed Goliath.'" (p 149). Or in 1 Cor 13:4 and many other places:
Paul is indicating his achieved honor. In my individualist culture, boasting has negative overtones. "Don't boast," my grandmother warned. "Boasting is wrong." That's our values at work. So we quote Paul when he says love does not boast (1 Cor 13:4)...We fill in the gaps about why they are condemned: they are condemned for boasting, because boasting is wrong. Yet, if we look closely at these verses, Paul is not actually condemning boasting but boasting for the wrong reasons...Boasting in Paul's culture...was to indicate achieved honor. Furthermore, since honor is collective, everyone else in Paul's group also benefited from his boarsting. For individualists, boasting is a way to put yourself ahead of your peers. For colelctivists, boasting is a way to put you and all of your peers (group) ahead. (p 150-151)
Part of what is being pointed out is the nuance that we miss because we are in a different culture. We have all heard about the many different words for snow that Eskimos have. The point isn't that our concept of snow (one English word) is just expressed by many different words, or that our concept of love was expressed by four different words in Greek, but that in modern English, we compress those four different Greek concepts or the number of different Eskimo words for snow into a single word/concept. Said another way, we have less nuance for love and snow than Greek or Eskimo languages do. So in Hebrew, there were at least ten distinct terms for what we commonly translate as shame in English (p 180). The concept of shame/guilt has been written about widely, often frame through Brene Brown's work. Her work is helpful, but her distinctions and work are about modern concepts and usages of guilt and shame, not ancient concepts of guilt and shame. And so we cannot simply listen to Brene Brown and use her work to influence how we read Proverbs 3:35.
The main concept (and there is too much I am skipping over) is that shame used rightly in ancient collectivist cultures was an attempt to bring about the restoration of relationships. The misuse of shame in modern culture (as illustrated through Brene Brown) tends to push people out of relationships. The right use of shame in a modern or ancient collectivist culture is restoration. But shame can be misused in either collectivist or individualist cultures. Matthew 18 never uses the words shame, but the concept of quietly going to someone to gently correct and then slowly enlarging the circle to apply more pressure is using the concept of shame in a way that we likely miss.
Boundaries are one of the areas where I think Misreading with Individualist Eyes is particularly helpful. We individualists tend to think of all boundaries as negative. But within collectivist cultures, boundaries show shared values and group identity. In the New Testament, the importance of boundaries is that:
"God doesn't want to save me as an individual. God saves us into something: a community...It is true that God loves us, each and every one of us. Salvation is a deeply personal matter, and I as an individual am restored to God. He does love me. At the same time, it is also about we...God sent Jesus as a broker to reconnect us to him and to one another. The Bible teaches I'm saved--into a community. (p238, italic in the origial)
That saved into a 'we' isn't just about eschatological reality, but current reality as well. Acts 2 isn't about a failed communism.
"The believers were acting like family...If we call God Abba, then we cannot think of one another as brothers and sisters merely with empty words, as John notes. We must treat one another as brothers and sisters because we are a family under a new heavenly father." (p244)
One of the most important passages in my reading is this one.
The challenge of building a Christian community is not an individualist or collectivist problem. It is a problem of living as God's family in a fallen world. It can be hard to form a deep community from individualists because individualists often do not understand the importance of community. At the same time, it can be hard to form a deep community from collectivists because collectivists understand the importance of community--the ones they are already apart of. (p245)
Right now we, our society has significant boundary issues. We are ideologically, relationally, and geographically divided. Those divides do not magically disappear because of Christ. But because of Christ, we have tools (ones that we may not recognize, but they are there) to do the hard work of breaking down inappropriate boundaries and maintaining appropriate ones. We have tools to see other Christians as a family under the same patron. And we have the ability to love in a way that illustrates God's care for us to show God's love to others.
This review was originally posted on my blog at https://bookwi.se/individualist-eyes/
June 15, 2025
“It is so easy for me to read salvation as being an individual matter. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (Jn 3:16). More than once, growing up in church, I was taught to read my name into this verse: ‘God so loved RICH that he gave his one and only Son, that RICH shall not perish but have eternal life.’ It is true that God loves us, each and every one of us. Salvation is a deeply personal matter, and I as an individual am restored to God. He does love me. At the same time, it is also about we.
The lost son is restored into a family. The shepherd brings the lone lost sheep back into the flock. God sent Jesus as a broker to reconnect us to him and to one another. The Bible teaches I'm saved—into a community.”
This was excellent. Would highly recommend also the very similar “Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes.”
A lot of this information was completely new to me, especially the ideas of “patronage” and “brokerage.” These ideas make some confusing passages (in the Old & New Testaments) make a lot more sense. They also seem so much more rich and beautiful now!
I am really grateful for the hard work Richards & James put in to this. This was very helpful.
The lost son is restored into a family. The shepherd brings the lone lost sheep back into the flock. God sent Jesus as a broker to reconnect us to him and to one another. The Bible teaches I'm saved—into a community.”
This was excellent. Would highly recommend also the very similar “Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes.”
A lot of this information was completely new to me, especially the ideas of “patronage” and “brokerage.” These ideas make some confusing passages (in the Old & New Testaments) make a lot more sense. They also seem so much more rich and beautiful now!
I am really grateful for the hard work Richards & James put in to this. This was very helpful.
May 16, 2021
Highly recommended.
This book is an important reminder that our individualist culture is very different than the collectivist culture that the writers of scripture were immersed in, and if we are not careful, these differences can cause us to misunderstand some of the Bible’s teachings. Imbedded within much of the biblical accounts are foundational undercurrents that just “go without saying” because they are simply understood within the collectivist mindset as just the way things are—such as the concepts of shame and honor, kinship and boundaries, and the notion of patronage. We modern westerners are unlikely to adequately appreciate these essential concepts. This book provides some much-needed insight to reveal the surprising message in many otherwise familiar biblical passages.
Bob and Adam both wrote valuable and helpful reviews. Check them out:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This book is an important reminder that our individualist culture is very different than the collectivist culture that the writers of scripture were immersed in, and if we are not careful, these differences can cause us to misunderstand some of the Bible’s teachings. Imbedded within much of the biblical accounts are foundational undercurrents that just “go without saying” because they are simply understood within the collectivist mindset as just the way things are—such as the concepts of shame and honor, kinship and boundaries, and the notion of patronage. We modern westerners are unlikely to adequately appreciate these essential concepts. This book provides some much-needed insight to reveal the surprising message in many otherwise familiar biblical passages.
Bob and Adam both wrote valuable and helpful reviews. Check them out:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 12, 2020
"Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes" looks at the cultural background of the Bible in order to better understand what's happening in the Bible. The authors focused on the differences between individualist and collectivist cultures, specifically on kinship, patronage, brokerage, honor, shaming, and boundaries. They used modern examples to help explain a concept then showed how this shows up in the Bible. They showed how understanding these cultural differences can change how we view what's going on in some biblical accounts or even what the main point being made is. I've read a lot of these cultural background books yet I still learned a lot. I felt that the authors explained the concepts well. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a deeper understanding of the Bible.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
August 21, 2022
Like its predecessor (Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes), this book should be required reading for anyone who plans to preach or even just read the Bible. The importance of understanding the culture and context of scripture before you try to understand or explain it cannot be overstated and this book will help you learn and think about these areas in a new way, especially if you (like most of us) have been raised in Western or Western-style culture.
Get this. Read it. You'll be glad you did.
Don't worry - it's completely layperson accessible, but it includes dozens of academic references in the footnotes, if you are inclined to such things.
Get this. Read it. You'll be glad you did.
Don't worry - it's completely layperson accessible, but it includes dozens of academic references in the footnotes, if you are inclined to such things.
March 20, 2021
I finished this book a couple months ago but procrastinated on marking it read because I wanted to write a review that can do it justice but. . .
IT'S SO GOOD. READ IT.
That's all I've got.
Honestly though, I think understanding these things in the Bible are antidotes to a lot of the nonsense that North American church has gotten itself into these days. 10/10, would recommend for any person who likes the Bible or reads the Bible.
IT'S SO GOOD. READ IT.
That's all I've got.
Honestly though, I think understanding these things in the Bible are antidotes to a lot of the nonsense that North American church has gotten itself into these days. 10/10, would recommend for any person who likes the Bible or reads the Bible.
April 24, 2025
This book does well in painting a clearer picture of the world of the Bible. At times, it gets repetitive, though I think this is intentional since Westerners will have such a hard time with collectivist frameworks. The use of modern and biblical examples to describe patronage, brokerage, and kinship are very helpful. This serves as a good introduction to understanding the cultural background of the Bible.
June 27, 2024
Great book. There’s some real insights here that help me (4.5 years into living in a more collectivist culture) make sense of some things I observe. Being it was audio book I was a little more in and out towards the second half so it may get a re-read at some point. Highly recommend and will read the Bible differently as a result.
April 17, 2024
Another great book that helps understand the Bible more deeply. I appreciate the effort made by the authors to help readers appreciate the gospel more fully by explaining collective cultural concepts that go without being said.
September 18, 2020
I have a one-question survey that will reveal with near perfect accuracy whether or not you are an individualist. Set? Here it is: Would you readily consider allowing your parents to arrange a marriage for you?
Those of us from a Western culture would never give this the slightest bit of serious consideration. But in collectivist cultures (which make up the majority of the world), people answer yes to this all the time.
Or perhaps slightly less dramatically, what about this? Would you expect your extended family to decide where you go to college? Maybe your nuclear family but definitely not your extended family. Right? Yet this is common in Latino/a and Asian societies.
For individualists, a collective culture is, well, like being in a foreign country. And that’s why, as the authors contend, we so often misunderstand the Bible which comes out of collective cultures. Yet we persistently read it through the lens of our own individualistic mindset.
With many stories of their own experiences in the Middle East, Asia, and elsewhere, the authors unpack how kinship, patronage, brokering, honor, shame, and boundaries are all hidden in plain sight in the Bible. A few examples.
Why does Matthew spend all that time laying out Jesus’ genealogy? Because honor often comes from your family, your family’s history, who you are related to. To be descended from Abraham and David brings great honor (Mt 1:1).
Why does Nicodemus come alone at night to talk with Jesus? Not because he feared the other Pharisees. Rather he didn’t want to inadvertently shame Jesus publicly by asking a question that might be seen as a challenge to a teacher he clearly respected (Jn 3:2).
When Jacob gives Rachel’s son, Joseph, the multicolored coat, the other sons aren’t jealous because he got a better Christmas gift. No. It was much more serious. They realized this meant Joseph was going to be treated as the first-born and get their father’s inheritance. They were angry that their side of the family (all being sons of Leah) would be dependent on Joseph’s generosity, which seemed unlikely from this arrogant kid.
The discussion on shame is especially illuminating because we often only have one definition of shame, and it’s bad—something to always be avoided. But in Scripture and much of the world, there is also a good kind of shame that seeks to nudge people in the community back into proper behavior. It’s kind of like our conscience. Having a sense of shame beforehand can keep us from acting wrongly, not just feel bad after acting wrongly. The book offers multiple examples of when shame creates a path for restoration—which is good shame. When it seeks to exclude and cut others off, that is bad shame.
From a Western perspective, we might see patronage as creating unhealthy dependence, even being oppressive. But those inside see it as providing protection, meeting needs, giving security. Yes, it can be abused, but the problem then is not the system but the people in it.
Our lack of a corporate sense can minimize our commitment to the church and even to family that the Old and New Testaments assume. I am not just saved, you see. The Bible says I am saved into a community.
The point of the book is not to expunge our individualism. That wouldn’t be possible in any case. Rather, we have much to learn about what the Bible is really saying by putting on collectivist glasses. And we have much to learn about living biblically from our brothers and sisters in the faith who come from such backgrounds.
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I received a prepublication complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions here are my own.
Those of us from a Western culture would never give this the slightest bit of serious consideration. But in collectivist cultures (which make up the majority of the world), people answer yes to this all the time.
Or perhaps slightly less dramatically, what about this? Would you expect your extended family to decide where you go to college? Maybe your nuclear family but definitely not your extended family. Right? Yet this is common in Latino/a and Asian societies.
For individualists, a collective culture is, well, like being in a foreign country. And that’s why, as the authors contend, we so often misunderstand the Bible which comes out of collective cultures. Yet we persistently read it through the lens of our own individualistic mindset.
With many stories of their own experiences in the Middle East, Asia, and elsewhere, the authors unpack how kinship, patronage, brokering, honor, shame, and boundaries are all hidden in plain sight in the Bible. A few examples.
Why does Matthew spend all that time laying out Jesus’ genealogy? Because honor often comes from your family, your family’s history, who you are related to. To be descended from Abraham and David brings great honor (Mt 1:1).
Why does Nicodemus come alone at night to talk with Jesus? Not because he feared the other Pharisees. Rather he didn’t want to inadvertently shame Jesus publicly by asking a question that might be seen as a challenge to a teacher he clearly respected (Jn 3:2).
When Jacob gives Rachel’s son, Joseph, the multicolored coat, the other sons aren’t jealous because he got a better Christmas gift. No. It was much more serious. They realized this meant Joseph was going to be treated as the first-born and get their father’s inheritance. They were angry that their side of the family (all being sons of Leah) would be dependent on Joseph’s generosity, which seemed unlikely from this arrogant kid.
The discussion on shame is especially illuminating because we often only have one definition of shame, and it’s bad—something to always be avoided. But in Scripture and much of the world, there is also a good kind of shame that seeks to nudge people in the community back into proper behavior. It’s kind of like our conscience. Having a sense of shame beforehand can keep us from acting wrongly, not just feel bad after acting wrongly. The book offers multiple examples of when shame creates a path for restoration—which is good shame. When it seeks to exclude and cut others off, that is bad shame.
From a Western perspective, we might see patronage as creating unhealthy dependence, even being oppressive. But those inside see it as providing protection, meeting needs, giving security. Yes, it can be abused, but the problem then is not the system but the people in it.
Our lack of a corporate sense can minimize our commitment to the church and even to family that the Old and New Testaments assume. I am not just saved, you see. The Bible says I am saved into a community.
The point of the book is not to expunge our individualism. That wouldn’t be possible in any case. Rather, we have much to learn about what the Bible is really saying by putting on collectivist glasses. And we have much to learn about living biblically from our brothers and sisters in the faith who come from such backgrounds.
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I received a prepublication complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions here are my own.
March 3, 2021
Disclaimer: I spent several years as a student of one of the authors, and I read a copy of this book while it was in pre-pub.
Now that it is published, I can gladly recommend it to any who wish to understand the Bible better. The premise of the book is simple. In the West, we read the Bible as individualists. The Bible, however, was written by collectivists. In other words, we are trained to think in terms of “me,” but the Bible is usually talking about “us.” This misreading has caused Christians to misread beloved Bible stories for generations; this book will help you to see the social tools at work in the Bible (and even in your own life), which will in turn allow you to understand the text better.
Now that it is published, I can gladly recommend it to any who wish to understand the Bible better. The premise of the book is simple. In the West, we read the Bible as individualists. The Bible, however, was written by collectivists. In other words, we are trained to think in terms of “me,” but the Bible is usually talking about “us.” This misreading has caused Christians to misread beloved Bible stories for generations; this book will help you to see the social tools at work in the Bible (and even in your own life), which will in turn allow you to understand the text better.
July 31, 2021
I just finished "Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes: Patronage, Honor, and Shame in the Biblical World," By E. Randolph Richards and Richard James (pseudonym).
Suggested in the preface is that often when reading scripture we in the West we miss out on important details because of things which were assumed in the ancient near East; Collectivism (this is not pro Collectivism/anti individualism as a political philosophy or lifestyle but a book by and for individualists about the rest of the world and the culture of all scripture) is a major one.
Some high spots: families would include slaves. Many families made up clans and clans made up tribes (twelve of which God wants united into a People, a People of God, but possibly I get ahead of myself). Entry into a tribe was by birth, marriage, or adoption (I think this will be important so don't forget it). Adoption was usually of an adult due to the high child mortality rate. The aging head of a family wanted to make sure that the estate was entrusted to someone before they died. This was called adoption to sonship. And "Allegiance" rather than "Faith" for pistis (Salvation by Allegiance Alone, by Matthew Bates) makes even more sense in light of adoption: Allegiance to Christ makes us adopted sons in the family of the Father with our big Brother, Jesus; we are not a subculture.
The writers bring out some very interesting things when speaking about the woman at the well. There is no historical reason to believe she was the village outcast because she was drawing water at noon, though possibly she was thirsty. There is no reason to believe she was the town vixen because she had five husbands; she probably married in her early teens as was the norm allowing for more time for older husbands to die on her as well as divorce. Barrenness was a common reason for divorce (remember Rabbi Hillel allowed divorce for burned dinner and his was the common thought in the first century). If she were guilty of immorality to a previous spouse who would have married her again? We read a lot of modernity into this event. We read modernity into all of scripture.
The chapters on Patronage were fantastic. In the ANE (and much of the modern non western cultures) this would be an asymmetrical relationship between a wealthy person and a poorer person. For instance: a bakers bakery burns down. The baker goes to a wealthy person in town and pleads his case. The wealthy person accommodates the requests and has a new bakery built (maybe by using others he is a patron to). The baker will now provide bread daily for the patron and maybe his extended family but the patron of much influence also hustles the bakery to his friends. This can be seen in Paul and possibly Lydia, with her as a good patron and Paul and some in Corinth who would have been bad patrons. The gift has strings attached the question is can one live with the strings? If "I follow Apolos" are the strings then no.
It should be remembered that the patron and client relationship was often referred to in the ANE as shepherd and sheep.
When a patron gave gifts to a client these gifts were called CHARIS in the Greco-Roman world, aka Grace. Now go reread how this pateon/client relationship went: it was synergistic with the patron giving more than can be repaid. The patron/client relationship was one in PISTIS in the Greco-Roman world: loyalty or fidelity (faith). Both grace and faith were reciprocal from patron to client and client to patron. Excellent stuff here.
All of that is just the first section before Honor and Shame are approached (where we learn that becoming like a child doesn't mean "simple, childlike faith" but not seeking honor over others, precisely what James and John were just asking to do).
I still liked the previous "Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes" more. "...Individualist Eyes" is like a finely focused book on a few chapters from "...Western Eyes."
#MisreadingScriptureWithIndividualistEyes #ERandolphRichards #RandolphRichards #Missiology #BiblicalScholarship #Exegesis
Suggested in the preface is that often when reading scripture we in the West we miss out on important details because of things which were assumed in the ancient near East; Collectivism (this is not pro Collectivism/anti individualism as a political philosophy or lifestyle but a book by and for individualists about the rest of the world and the culture of all scripture) is a major one.
Some high spots: families would include slaves. Many families made up clans and clans made up tribes (twelve of which God wants united into a People, a People of God, but possibly I get ahead of myself). Entry into a tribe was by birth, marriage, or adoption (I think this will be important so don't forget it). Adoption was usually of an adult due to the high child mortality rate. The aging head of a family wanted to make sure that the estate was entrusted to someone before they died. This was called adoption to sonship. And "Allegiance" rather than "Faith" for pistis (Salvation by Allegiance Alone, by Matthew Bates) makes even more sense in light of adoption: Allegiance to Christ makes us adopted sons in the family of the Father with our big Brother, Jesus; we are not a subculture.
The writers bring out some very interesting things when speaking about the woman at the well. There is no historical reason to believe she was the village outcast because she was drawing water at noon, though possibly she was thirsty. There is no reason to believe she was the town vixen because she had five husbands; she probably married in her early teens as was the norm allowing for more time for older husbands to die on her as well as divorce. Barrenness was a common reason for divorce (remember Rabbi Hillel allowed divorce for burned dinner and his was the common thought in the first century). If she were guilty of immorality to a previous spouse who would have married her again? We read a lot of modernity into this event. We read modernity into all of scripture.
The chapters on Patronage were fantastic. In the ANE (and much of the modern non western cultures) this would be an asymmetrical relationship between a wealthy person and a poorer person. For instance: a bakers bakery burns down. The baker goes to a wealthy person in town and pleads his case. The wealthy person accommodates the requests and has a new bakery built (maybe by using others he is a patron to). The baker will now provide bread daily for the patron and maybe his extended family but the patron of much influence also hustles the bakery to his friends. This can be seen in Paul and possibly Lydia, with her as a good patron and Paul and some in Corinth who would have been bad patrons. The gift has strings attached the question is can one live with the strings? If "I follow Apolos" are the strings then no.
It should be remembered that the patron and client relationship was often referred to in the ANE as shepherd and sheep.
When a patron gave gifts to a client these gifts were called CHARIS in the Greco-Roman world, aka Grace. Now go reread how this pateon/client relationship went: it was synergistic with the patron giving more than can be repaid. The patron/client relationship was one in PISTIS in the Greco-Roman world: loyalty or fidelity (faith). Both grace and faith were reciprocal from patron to client and client to patron. Excellent stuff here.
All of that is just the first section before Honor and Shame are approached (where we learn that becoming like a child doesn't mean "simple, childlike faith" but not seeking honor over others, precisely what James and John were just asking to do).
I still liked the previous "Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes" more. "...Individualist Eyes" is like a finely focused book on a few chapters from "...Western Eyes."
#MisreadingScriptureWithIndividualistEyes #ERandolphRichards #RandolphRichards #Missiology #BiblicalScholarship #Exegesis
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January 22, 2021I loved all the stories the authors told! I’d love a book of just all their stories of their time in collectivist culture (still laughing at the story of one of the authors waking up to discover all of his furniture was gone and he asked his wife about it and she said yeah I noticed it was all gone too 🤣 spoiler alert: he got all of his furniture back and it was a great example about how siblings share things). I also enjoyed their fictional stories that pieced together ancient culture. They made details really come to life and connect geography and families by giving those examples!
There were a lot of things that were new to me (it was common in Jesus’ time to adopt, not small children that you take care of, but to adopt grown men so that they take care of you. This was called adoption into sonship (which then made everything click into place when I’ve seen that phrase in the New Testament). Also the whole concept of patronage was really informative and fascinating to read about.
I will say they sometimes drove home some points just too much for me but I think that’s because I’ve been very lucky to not have grown up in bad churches and I’ve listened to a lot of Tim Keller who does a great job of explaining the Bible and not a western view (ex: the prodigal son story is not a story about how one son was bad but look at how he repented and came back. But that it’s actually a story of how both sons fail yet the father still accepts both).
There were a lot of things that were new to me (it was common in Jesus’ time to adopt, not small children that you take care of, but to adopt grown men so that they take care of you. This was called adoption into sonship (which then made everything click into place when I’ve seen that phrase in the New Testament). Also the whole concept of patronage was really informative and fascinating to read about.
I will say they sometimes drove home some points just too much for me but I think that’s because I’ve been very lucky to not have grown up in bad churches and I’ve listened to a lot of Tim Keller who does a great job of explaining the Bible and not a western view (ex: the prodigal son story is not a story about how one son was bad but look at how he repented and came back. But that it’s actually a story of how both sons fail yet the father still accepts both).
April 11, 2024
Having lived in a collectivist society for a short time, the collectivist ideas weren't completely unfamiliar to me, yet I never realized just how deep that foundation was in the culture of the Biblical writers. Viewing the Scriptures through that lens is essential to understanding the writer's intent.
At my church, we often talk about reading the Bible with the question, "What did this mean to the original audience?" A very good question to ask. But to truly be able to answer the question, we must understand their mindset: what is their perspective on politics, relationships and culture? Those perspectives influenced the author - the metaphors used, the illustrations given, the concepts unspoken because he expects his audience to already know them, etc. Without having some understanding those perspectives, we might misunderstand what the author is trying to communicate.
This book was very helpful to me for understanding that perspective and therefore better understanding the text of Scripture. I expect that I will come back to this book again and again for reference. I highly recommend it for any serious student of the Bible from an individualistic background.
At my church, we often talk about reading the Bible with the question, "What did this mean to the original audience?" A very good question to ask. But to truly be able to answer the question, we must understand their mindset: what is their perspective on politics, relationships and culture? Those perspectives influenced the author - the metaphors used, the illustrations given, the concepts unspoken because he expects his audience to already know them, etc. Without having some understanding those perspectives, we might misunderstand what the author is trying to communicate.
This book was very helpful to me for understanding that perspective and therefore better understanding the text of Scripture. I expect that I will come back to this book again and again for reference. I highly recommend it for any serious student of the Bible from an individualistic background.
October 24, 2024
A solid book, popular-level, and very helpful in places, especially the patron-client relationship. Everyone needs to have these concepts as part of their tools for interpreting the Bible. The book also contains insights about how to do foreign aid. Some key concepts:
Patronage - a relationship between two parties of unequal status, formed when a patron (higher status) gives some gift to a client (lower status). The patron uses his influence or wealth to help the client, if he so chooses, and the client reciprocates with gratitude, loyalty, and any required service.
Brokerage - the mediation between two opposing parties, in which a mediator who is on good terms with both parties reconciles them.
So now I’m starting to see patron-client relationships all over my life. They form automatically whenever someone gives you something that you can’t repay. It’s true that all gifts have strings attached.
Patronage - a relationship between two parties of unequal status, formed when a patron (higher status) gives some gift to a client (lower status). The patron uses his influence or wealth to help the client, if he so chooses, and the client reciprocates with gratitude, loyalty, and any required service.
Brokerage - the mediation between two opposing parties, in which a mediator who is on good terms with both parties reconciles them.
So now I’m starting to see patron-client relationships all over my life. They form automatically whenever someone gives you something that you can’t repay. It’s true that all gifts have strings attached.
July 20, 2023
Much of the material in the first half of the book is a rehashing of deSilva’s Honor, Kinship, Patronage, and Purity. This book was helpful in giving real-world illustrations of the differences between collectivist experience and individualist experience, especially in the reading of scripture. The honor section was weak, but the treatment of shame is the best I’ve read anywhere and finally made sense of the western sense that shame is universally bad despite the Bible’s use of it.
I found the entire book to be useful in exposing my individualist bias. Just thought it was not as good as the first book.
I found the entire book to be useful in exposing my individualist bias. Just thought it was not as good as the first book.
January 28, 2022
Such a fantastic book and a great follow up to “Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes”. Books like these two really help to put the reader in the mindset of the original biblical audience and clue us in to things that aren’t explicit in the text; but would have been to the original readers. Things like shame, collectivism and patronage have negative connotations in the western world but we’re seen as radically different (and positive) in the ANE and the early Greco-Roman world.
I will definitely be reading this books again in the future.
I will definitely be reading this books again in the future.
April 11, 2022
I highly recommend this read!
Not being an expert in middle eastern and collectivist cultures myself, I cannot vouch for his accuracy - but this was certainly a very thought provoking and eye opening read.
One of the points that has really stuck with me is this: Christianity is a religion being spread by a culture other than the one from which it came.
And this book has really helped me to better understand the cultural context of what is written in the Bible. : )
Not being an expert in middle eastern and collectivist cultures myself, I cannot vouch for his accuracy - but this was certainly a very thought provoking and eye opening read.
One of the points that has really stuck with me is this: Christianity is a religion being spread by a culture other than the one from which it came.
And this book has really helped me to better understand the cultural context of what is written in the Bible. : )
June 14, 2023
I liked this even better than the other one. It's clear, concise, has strong examples (both from the authors' lives and biblical passages) and is really insightful. I'd heard some of this before, but it was great to have it all bundled together so neatly. It's also an easy book to recommend to others.
January 21, 2023
A fantastic book describing the Collectivist culture of the Bible and how we as an individualistic culture miss so many important details that to the eastern culture "Goes without being said." A definite must read.
December 28, 2024
I appreciated the fascinating insights into Scripture based on the cultural background and knowledge. It made Scripture passages feel more robust and well rounded. While I didn't always agree with every point made, it was still very good
May 18, 2025
(5/5) I read this for a seminary class but really enjoyed it! It was super eye opening and will help me better contextualize as I read scripture. It’s also a good book since I live in a more collectivist culture.
October 19, 2022
Does it count if it’s for class? I hope so.
This was an eye opener and an easy read. Grateful for the discussions with classmates that helped me process all the aspects.
This was an eye opener and an easy read. Grateful for the discussions with classmates that helped me process all the aspects.
October 18, 2023
A phenomenal and accessible look into non-individualist societies, how they differ from individually societies, and the implications on scriptural studies and intercultural relationships.
February 8, 2025
This book is very insightful yet readable to someone who has little to no knowledge on the collective mentality of other parts of the world-specifically where the scriptures originate. If and when I become a teacher/professor, this will be another addition to my required or recommended reading lists for students. Bravo.
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