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

"Georges and Baker have taken the seeds of previous work on honor and shame in the environment of the biblical world and in modern cultures and cultivated them into fruitful insights and guidance in the areas of theology, crosscultural engagement and, especially, missions. They provide a culturally sensitive reading of Scripture and of modern non-Western situations, significantly advancing the question of how awareness of this dimension of the texts and our global community can improve our interactions with people living from a decidedly different axis of values and in our thinking about the contextualization of the gospel."

"What Georges and Baker have done in this wonderfully helpful volume is unprecedented. They have plumbed the depths of current scholarly discussions on honor and shame from multiple sources (biblical studies, theology, anthropology, and intercultural studies) and have made such information wonderfully accessible for the practitioner. Intelligent, informed, and culturally perceptive, this resource will impact the theory and practice of missionaries and local leaders in unprecedented ways. Throughout, the writing is critical yet engaging. The appendixes ("Key Scriptures on Honor-Shame" and "Biblical Stories Addressing Honor-Shame") will prove to be exceptionally helpful resources. Those working in the global world of today must read this book. To not do so would be a true shame!"

"I was so glad for this book to stretch my heart and mind. Baker and Georges gave me new tools and hope for ministry, not just in a Majority World context, but in Western contexts that are increasingly both secular and globalized. Their experiences and thoughtfulness as missionaries give particular power to their call for us to love and care for people in 'old' ways."

"An exceptional book on this timeless worldview and timely topic. The authors interweave real life stories to help us rediscover a biblical worldview and see how to apply the living Word of God today."

"Although Jayson Georges has written on the important topic of honor-shame in the past, this book, coauthored with Mark Baker, takes an understanding of honor-shame dynamics to another level. Every message bearer working in non-Western cultures needs to read and apply the insights and principles of this book if they are to avoid the typical cultural blunders too often committed by too many. Within are crucial insights for effective crosscultural ministry."

"Building responsibly on biblical and anthropological foundations for understanding honor and shame cultures, the authors offer practical reflections on how to engage honor-shame societies in the work of intercultural mission. This book will especially be of help to Christian workers from the West serving among Majority World peoples."

"We can learn so much from failure if we want to, and the authors share here their failures and successes in working among societies where honor-shame values operate rather than those of guilt-innocence. Their plea is that we read the Bible with fresh eyes, seeing how the gospel was communicated in the honor-shame cultures in which it was written, rather than using the contextualized guilt-innocence paradigm we have accepted as the only way to minister. The text is full of examples that help the reader understand how differently honor-shame codes play out in the understanding of salvation and discipleship. It is a healthy shift for Western missionaries to rethink their evangelism strategies, especially in the collectivist societies in which many of them work. Sherwood and I strongly recommend this book to people trying to understand a way of structuring the world that is very different from the one in which they grew up."

"Anyone from a guilt-innocence culture who would like to interact positively with people from an honor-shame culture would be well served to read, study, and implement many of the suggestions from Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures. This is the type of work that a cross-cultural worker will want to own and consult again and again throughout their ministries."