Thoughts on David Garrison’s reply to my article on CPMs

Last updated on: August 14, 2015 at 3:14 am By Brad Vaughn

Last October (2014), Global Missiology published two articles I wrote concerning Church Planting Movements (CPMs). There Are No Church Planting Movements in the Bible: Why Biblical Exegesis Missiological Methods Cannot Be Separated The Influence of Culture On the Evolution of Mission Methods: Using ‘Church Planting Movements’ As A Case Study As one might expect, I have received a lot of feedback. People tend to have strong opinions when it comes to CPMs. In this post, I will offer a few... Read more

An Emergency Landing (a joke)

Last updated on: April 2, 2015 at 8:37 am By Brad Vaughn

Here is a joke that’s been circulating on 微信 (WeChat). One of our Chinese friends sent it to us. I’ll first write the Chinese, then give a simple translation: 一架客机迫降海面上，空姐让乘客从滑梯下海，乘客不敢。于是空姐求助机长。见多识广的机长说：你要对美国人说这是冒险；对英国人说这是荣誉；对法国人说这很浪漫；对德国人说这是规定；对日本人说这是命令！空姐为难地说：可他们都是中国人。机长笑了[阴险]：那更容易啦，你告诉他们这是免费的！ An airplane needed to make a forced landing into the sea. The flight attendant wanted the passengers to slide down the emergency blow-up slide, but the passengers were unwilling. So, the flight attendant informed the captain who advised: to Americans, you... Read more

What’s the Difference Between “Contextualization” and . . . ?

Last updated on: April 1, 2015 at 8:25 am By Brad Vaughn

I sometimes get asked to distinguish a few key missiological terms. These words often appear in missiological and theological literature. Various books and articles go into more detail than I do in this post. Nevertheless, I hope this offers some clarification without getting too technical. (more…) Read more

A story from a reader in Indonesia

Last updated on: March 30, 2015 at 8:29 am By Brad Vaughn

I’m always so thankful to hear stories from people as they discover ways that honor and shame impact their ministry. I recently received the following message from one reader who lives in Indonesia. I had a fun “wow” moment this week that I wanted to share with you. I am an American recently moved to SE Asia. Today my language tutor (a believer) told me that there are two words in his language that mean “to forgive.” One of them... Read more

CRU uses honor-shame in "Jangled"

Last updated on: March 27, 2015 at 8:24 am By Brad Vaughn

Campus Crusade (Cru) has released a short 6-minute film intended to be an evangelistic conversation starter. It’s called “Jangled“ and it’s excellent. Click on the picture on the link here to check it out. They also have a few suggestion conversation questions. The questions only serve as a springboard. I look forward to hearing what you think. (Thanks to HonorShame.com for the notification about Cru’s short film) Read more

Why is Sin Considered a "Debt"?

Last updated on: August 14, 2015 at 12:03 am By Brad Vaughn

Sin is debt. That’s how the Bible describes it. Why? I’ve given a lot of attention lately to the doctrine of the atonement. One key motif that arises again and again is debt. People are accustomed to using this kind of language, such as when someone says, “Jesus paid our debt.” In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray in this way, “ . . . forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And... Read more

Reply to Doug Coleman (Part 3) — Defining "Law"

Last updated on: August 14, 2015 at 3:26 am By Brad Vaughn

This post is the third in a series replying to Doug Coleman’s thoughtful questions about the meaning of sin in view of honor and shame. Here is Doug’s first post. Then, click here for his follow-up response. For my first reply, click here. For my second post, click here. Doug is correct when he says, “If we are to honor God, we must know what that means.” Therefore, in this post, I address this question: “How do we help people... Read more

Reply to Doug Coleman (Part 2) — Defining "Dishonor"

Last updated on: August 14, 2015 at 3:27 am By Brad Vaughn

In a previous post, I responded to Doug Coleman’s question about the meaning of sin, including how “missing the mark” relates to shame and law language. In his reply, I think he really gets at the crux of the matter. Given the feedback I’ve heard from readers, I suspect having this conversation in public helps answer similar questions that other people also have. First of all, I agree when Doug says, “So, I’m not suggesting that sin is simply a... Read more

The Genesis of Contextualization

Last updated on: August 14, 2015 at 3:29 am By Brad Vaughn

It is very possible that we do not honor biblical authority precisely by forcing an overly literalistic interpretation on the text. Why? A “literal” reading (from our perspective) may in fact overlook the biblical audience’s cultural context. Accordingly, we might impose our assumptions onto the text, resulting in interpretations that ignore the writer and audience to whom God originally revealed Himself.In The Lost World of Adam and Eve, Walton clarifies what it means to affirm the Bible’s authority. (He elaborates... Read more

Reply to Doug Coleman (Part 1)

Last updated on: April 20, 2021 at 1:46 am By Brad Vaughn

Over at Doug Coleman’s blog, he raises a good question about recent discussions of honor and shame. I think others have similar concerns. This post is my response. Here is an excerpt from Doug’s blog post: At one point in the video below, Jayson Georges discusses theological issues related to honor and shame. He notes that “Western” theology tends to define sin as “missing the mark,” but Jayson goes on to suggest that Scripture views sin more in a relational... Read more