Today, I’m releasing my recent conference talk “Saving Us from Me: Cultivating Honor and Shame in a Collectivist Church.”
The honor & shame conference at Wheaton was an amazing blessing. The various plenary talks and other resources will soon be released at honorshame.com. Check out the conference tweets at #honorshame.
For just the audio, click here. For the written presentation, click here.
Below are some questions to guide your listening and/or group conversation.
Introduction
How does dystopian literature reflect Western culture?
What is the false “gospel” of Western culture? What problems does it create?
The Gospel, Individuals and the Church
How does Western culture influence traditional gospel presentations?
How does Western culture influence people’s view of the church?
Collectivistic Churches
How does a robust view of the gospel create collectivist churches?
What are some practical implications of our group identity being found in the Church?
What is the relationship between collective identity, honor and shame?
The Church & Culture
Where do Christians “make culture”?
How does the Church collectively honor Christ in a shameless world?
Habits for Cultivating Honor and Shame
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We will only have a Christian perspective of honor and shame …………………
For Further Discussion
Understanding?
Why is the church (i.e. Christians’ fundamental collective identity) essential for developing and strengthening a Christian sense of honor and shame?
Problems?
How might your ministry focus to much more on individuals and “outsiders”?
Solutions?
Brainstorm ways we can foster a collective identity, as Christ’s church, among “insiders.”