People wonder why the rest of the world gets angry at Western countries. In the early 2000s, one leader said that “they hate our freedom.” Not even close. If you want to know why the angry, one can simply observe how Westerners shame Muslims. Be aware that we can shame other people, even without knowing it. How Westerners Shame Muslims I’ve linked a number of recent articles pointing out the same phenomenon. Below, you’ll see a compilation of quotes... Read more
Disappointed. That’s how I felt recently after attending a meeting for the Society of Asian Biblical Studies (SABS). Sadly, I’m reminded that much of what passes for scholarship is sheer speculation (if not pleas for attention). The presentations came from people who actually lead seminaries, universities and churches! As I listened horrified by these presentations, I was struck by these two thoughts: If we don’t do theological education, this is what we’ll get. If we don’t learn biblical contextualization, this... Read more
What else can we learn about contextualization from the golden calf story in Exodus 32? Last time, I mentioned 3 things. Today’s post offers two more insights. 4. Feeling Threatened Like Aaron, we are more likely to compromise when sensing a threat to ourselves or our people and ministry. There are many kinds of “threats.” We might fear losing others’ respect. Or, we might lose influence or a position we have among a certain group of people. One reason why... Read more
What can we learn about contextualization from Aaron and the golden calf story (in Exodus 32)? If the term had existed back then, Aaron might have claimed that he was simply “contextualizing.” Yet, we should be clear: the Israelites were not doing contextualization; they were changing and compromising the truth. Building on previous posts (part 1, part 2), today’s post offer a few practical suggestions for applying the insights we’ve gained from Exodus 32. (I’ll give 3 today and 2... Read more
Here is the second in a series short training videos. Last time, I gave a basic explanation of contextualization. This video introduces the basic biblical framework for contextualizing the one gospel in any culture. It proposes a model that is both firm and flexible so that gospel presentations can be biblically faithful and culturally meaningful. Let me know if you find this video helpful or have other suggestions. It is based on a fuller explanation found in One Gospel for All... Read more
At its best, contextualization requires us intentionally to interpret the Bible with empathy. (For my first post on “intentional contextualization,” click here.) When ready the Bible, we have a natural tendency to villainize people when they fail. We often identify ourselves with the “good guys” and wonder how in the world those “other people” could ever have been so bone-headed or stubborn. We tell ourselves that we would never have acted like “those” people. Empathize with Idolaters? Israel’s fall in... Read more
If you’re not intentional in how you read and apply the Bible, you’ll likely compromise rather than contextualize. Embed from Getty Images Unintentional Compromise The only things that happen by accident are accidents. As we all know, not all accidents are created equal. Ask your insurance company. Is it any surprise that we tend to compromise biblical teaching when we do not deliberately take steps to contextualize in a way that is both biblically faithful and culturally meaningful? Consider a... Read more
How does the one gospel make sense for shame, guilt and fear cultures? Some people seem to feel they must argue for one against the others, as if the gospel was primarily about guilt and second about shame and fear. The truth is that we don’t have to choose. Within the gospel’s framework, we can see how it connects with people from each cultural perspective. How the Bible Always Frames the Gospel In my recent book One Gospel for All Nations, I... Read more
This is a great read on multiple levels. The article is titled “Man Digs Well in 40 Days For His Wife After She’s Denied Water, Whole Town Benefits.” Here’s how the article begins: After his wife was turned away and insulted by locals for trying to drink from a well, Bapurao Tajne was pushed to the edge hearing about the disrespect of their poorer working caste condition. Tajne put his back and tools to work for six hours every day... Read more
In the coming weeks and months, I’ll post a series of short videos explaining key ideas and introducing various tools. These videos intend to answer the most fundamental questions we discuss on this blog. In this post, I explain what is contextualization. In the future, other videos will address questions like “How do we contextualize the gospel?”, “What is honor and shame?”, “How do honor and shame influence the Bible?” and a number of others. If you look at the... Read more
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