I previously announced that my book has been published! It is called . . .
Saving God’s Face: A Chinese Contextualization of Salvation through Honor and Shame .
For a sample, check out Chapter One for free. Click here.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Theologically, the book seeks to understand the doctrine of salvation from the perspective of honor and shame.
In missiological terms, the book suggests an approach to theological contextualization in which Chinese culture helps us to interpret Scripture better. I am not suggesting “eisegesis,” by which we force some contemporary ideas into the Bible. Not at all. As an evangelical, I affirm that there is one gospel and the author’s original meaning does not change because of the reader.
Instead, I explore what happens when we cross disciplines, bringing together missions, theology, and biblical studies in addition to both Chinese culture and the Ancient Near East.
We all have a worldview that shapes the way we read Scripture.
Because we are all sinners who come from cultures that are limited, we have to be intentional in the way we interpret Scripture. People generally recognize that their personal theology is not necessarily equivalent to what the Bible may say on a matter.
If this is the case, this what are the implications for the way we understand Scripture and preach the gospel?
I hope the book helps people both in the West and the East. There has been a lot of talk about the importance of honor and shame but I have found most of the studies are introductions. In addition, there are countless books and articles that discuss the meaning of the gospel and contextualization. Again, there is agreement at the broadest levels, but we still need to develop more practical approaches to contextualizing the gospel.
WHO? WHEN? WHERE?
It is being published as a part of the Evangelical Missiological Society’s Dissertation Series, published by WCIU Press.
Other titles in the series have included:
Doug Coleman’s “A Theological Analysis of the Insider Movement Paradigm from Four Perspectives: Theology of Religions, Revelation, Soteriology and Ecclesiology” and
Ant Greenham’s “Muslim Conversions to Christ: An Investigation of Palestinian Converts Living in the Holy Land.”
In the coming weeks, I’ll be doing a blog series introducing the various parts of the book. I’ll am also making the introduction available so that people can get a better look at it.
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