Practical ministry in honour–shame cultures
Introducing a helpful book about ministry outside of Western cultures
The book that has most shaped my perception of Japanese culture as an honour–shame culture is Ministering in Honor–Shame Cultures: Biblical Foundations and Practical Essentials by Georges and Baker.1 Previously, I have mentioned the biblical theology of shame and honour they provide in the first half of the book.2 Here, I look at their thoughts on what ministering in honour–shame cultures looks like practically.
According to Georges and Baker, the first need of those seeking to minister in honour–shame cultures is to live out a spirituality deeply infused by the honour we have received from God: “Before proclaiming the gospel of God’s honor, we as Christians must receive and embody it ourselves . . . A key element of Christian spirituality is living with a biblical view of honor and shame. Only then can we minister God’s honor to other people.”3 Through the gospel, “God not only removes our shame but also transforms our shame into glory.”4
Culture should transform every aspect of ministry
But it doesn’t stop with us—an honour–shame culture transforms every aspect of ministry, including how we relate to others, how we approach evangelism, how we view conversion and ethics, and how we do community. The book has a chapter devoted to each of these five aspects.
The chapter on relationships offers three suggestions for resolving conflict honourably and five for developing and deepening relationships. These eight suggestions include expressing requests indirectly, giving gifts, reconciling symbolically, and acting as a patron or a client in a patronage. Since “honor and shame function as the grammar of most cultures, this is how we ‘speak their language’ relationally,”5 and “honoring relationships are at the heart of the gospel.”6
Evangelism
When presenting the gospel, it is important to couch it in terms that resonate with people who live and breathe honour and shame. The authors are quick to point out that this doesn’t go against the gospel presented in guilt–innocence terms, but rather it involves emphasising different aspects of the biblical gospel. They then draw out two such aspects: a reversal of status from one of shame to one of honour and a welcome into a new community.
Western cultures tend to view conversion as an individual act, whereas in collectivist cultures, it tends to involve the community much more: “Group-oriented people view conversion as transferring loyalty and identity to a new group, so they must experience the group before choosing to join it.”7 One way this works out in practice is that it can be a good idea to invite families into conversations about faith rather than just focusing on individuals.
Not surprisingly, ethics in honour–shame cultures tend to be much more concerned about issues of honour and dishonour rather than conformity to a legal code, and people will generally only change their behaviour if their code of honour is rewritten. The authors show that New Testament writers often use this approach when exhorting readers.
Finally, developing church communities that liberate people from shame and bestow honour on them is vital in honour–shame cultures. Georges and Baker state, “The church is God’s chosen instrument for bearing his glory and reflecting his honor.”8
A radically different lens
One thing I appreciate about the book are the many examples it provides from real life to illustrate concepts. While many of them don’t immediately apply to Japan (giving chocolate to a town hall official might not help much in Japan), they do drive home the radically different lens through which people in an honour–shame culture view things and how it influences every part of life and ministry. This is a book to read carefully and ponder how it applies in a Japanese context.
1. Jayson Georges and Mark D. Baker, Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures: Biblical Foundations and Practical Essentials (IVP Academic, 2016).
2. Simon Pleasants, “Viewing the Bible through Honour and Shame,” Japan Harvest, Summer 2021, 33.
3. Georges and Baker, page 30 in Scribd version.
4. Ibid, p. 164.
5. Ibid, p. 173.
6. Ibid, p. 174.
7. Ibid, p. 245.
8. Ibid, p. 328.
Book cover image from Amazon page