When reading John Walton’s The Lost World of Adam and Eve, a number of questions are sure to arise. Throughout this review series, we have seen Walton challenge many of the conventional assumptions people have about the Bible and how to interpret God’s word. How should culture influence our interpretation of the Bible? Well, which culture do you mean? Ancient culture? Our church culture? The culture we presently live in? One can feel tension emerge whenever these questions come up.... Read more
Check out the latest issue of Christianity Today. The feature article is all about honor and shame!! In his excellent piece, Andy Crouch illustrates very well how honor & shame (H/S) particularly influence a Western context. What is most impressive is how balanced Crouch is when discussing H/S. Andy is also very gracious to spotlight and draw upon my work, whether in Saving God’s Face and on this blog. When he and I met last year, I was very impressed... Read more
People sometimes prefer to have two nicely divided categories: good or bad, right or wrong, love or hate, . . . . Similarly, in debates or conflicts, we are prone to label others either “for us” or “against us.” The debate over human origins has been plagued with false dichotomies. Some of the ones I hear most often include: conservative/liberal, literal/allegorical, perfect/fallen. In The Lost World of Adam and Eve, John Walton breaks the traditional mold. He interjects fresh terms... Read more
Over at HonorShame.com, you’ll find two fantastic videos that will equip people very well for doing ministry in an honor-shame context. (In truth, honor and shame are “human” dynamics, so these videos are relevant everywhere.) Honor & Shame 101 In the first video, Jayson gives a summary of ways that honor-shame can influence our ministry. After watching the video, what would you add to the ideas mentioned in the above video? Honor & Shame 201 The second video... Read more
I’m in the midst of a review series on John Walton’s The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2–3 and the Human Origins Debate. (Click here for Part 1, Part 2) Today, I will specifically look at Walton’s view of Adam and Eve. What is “Adam”? Walton further reminds us that “Adam” is not actually a proper name for a single individual. It is a collective noun, which refers to humanity. On rare occasions, it points to an individual,... Read more
Imagine how mission agencies, ministry teams and churches would be different if they took to heart Brene Brown’s words in this video. Read more
Previously, I introduced my series reviewing John Walton’s new book The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2–3 and the Human Origins Debate. I set the context by explaining what Walton calls a “functional account” of creation (in contrast to a material account). Why tackle this Genesis/creation debate? I’ve been warned by a few people to stay away from this topic on the blog. It’s too much of a lightening rod issue, they say. Certainly so. The truth, however,... Read more
People can’t seem to agree about when God made the world. So, perhaps we can adapt the question a bit. When did God create China? If you stop for a moment, that’s not at all an easier question. Sure, people will say China is somewhere between 3,000–5,000 years old (depending on your source). But to what does that “age” refer? What is “China”? We should clarify what we mean by “China.” Then might we understand what the questions even means... Read more
Nik Ripken offers a rather succinct but helpful summary of the situation many Chinese Christians either presently face or have faced in recent decades. I thought some people would find it helpful. Some of the claims may only be true in certain places or in a earlier day. Overall, it gives people a good sense for the Chinese context. In The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected, Ripken writes, “What I appreciated most was their description of... Read more
As my friend put it, you know that honor and shame are important to a culture when they decide to use shame to punish tourists who behave poorly. The Washington Post recently posted an article titled, “Beijing is embarrassed about unruly Chinese tourists and plans to ‘publicly shame’ them.” The article recounts a number of incidents where Chinese tourists have behaved, well, “uncivilized” (as China’s Vice Premiere put it). The government is tired of feeling embarrassed, so they will turn... Read more
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