Why Chelsea Clinton was named "Mother of the Year"

Last updated on: November 17, 2014 at 8:35 am By Brad Vaughn

Glamour magazine named Chelsea Clinton “Woman of the Year.” After only six weeks of being a mom, Katie Couric dubbed Clinton “Mother of the Year.” Why? The answer is actually pretty simple…. “Ascribed honor” In cultures throughout the world, honor and shame are both achieved and ascribed. Westerners tend to understand “achieved” honor/shame; however, many people are less conscious of how “ascribed” honor/shame works. One can achieve honor through good grades, athletic success, high sales, etc. Traditionally, Western theologians emphasizes... Read more

"Cheating is our birthright"

Last updated on: November 13, 2014 at 8:30 am By Brad Vaughn

You may remember the series of posts I ran last year about cheating in Chinese culture, including pastors within the Chinese church. Well, it turns out students in India and China have something in common. According to one Indian student, cheating “is our democratic right!…Cheating is our birthright.” If you want to read the rest of the article, check out the article posted by the BBC, “The students who feel they have a right to cheat.” As I read through... Read more

How NOT to Contextualize the Gospel for Animists?

Last updated on: November 11, 2014 at 8:00 pm By Brad Vaughn

How might a more biblical (rather than philosophical) view of monotheism shape evangelism among animists?What do I mean by “animism”? At a very basic level, animists believe that certain objects or things in nature have a spirit. At a more practical level, I refer to the perspective that characterizes countless unreached people groups (UPGs) around the world. This sort of animism treats certain objects with the respect one would give a god. Not surprisingly, many animistic cultures are functionally polytheistic (even... Read more

Will I see you at ETS?

Last updated on: November 10, 2014 at 3:30 pm By Brad Vaughn

Next week, I leave to attend the annual conferences of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). I will present a paper at ETS next Thursday at 8:30 AM (Pacific Salon Four) for anyone who is interested in coming. I was graciously invited to participate in the Asian/Asian-American Theology Consultation. My presentation is titled, “How Christ Saves God’s Face…and Ours: A Soteriology of Honor and Shame” Here is the abstract of the talk: Honor and shame... Read more

THE 3D GOSPEL for Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures

Last updated on: November 10, 2014 at 8:30 am By Brad Vaughn

Over at honorshame.com, my friend Jayson has announced his new E-book called “The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures.” The introduction below comes from HonorShame.com: Is your gospel 3D? Western theology emphasizes forgiveness of sins, but people in the Majority World seek honor or spiritual power. In today’s globalized world, Christians need a three-dimensional gospel. Learn how the Bible speaks to cultures of guilt, shame, and fear, and enhance your cross-cultural ministry among the nations! The 3D... Read more

Explaining the Trinity of “Divine Identity”

Last updated on: August 12, 2015 at 4:03 am By Brad Vaughn

What kind of analogy can we give to explain the Trinity? In previous posts, we considered how ancient Jews talked about the one true God (i.e. monotheism). Richard Bauckham uses the phrase “divine identity” to describe this perspective. Follow-up posts highlighted the significance of this view for the sake of our ministry. I’ll be the first to say that all analogies that attempt to explain the Trinity have limitations. That includes the ideas I’ll suggest below. Nevertheless, we have to... Read more

Talking about Biblical Monotheism — A Few Suggestions

Last updated on: August 15, 2015 at 8:14 am By Brad Vaughn

Previously, I suggested what I think is a more biblical perspective of monotheism (compared to conventional ways of thinking about the subject). In the last post, I applied these ideas to apologetics. In this post, I suggest a few specific applications. Biblical monotheism should alter the way we talk with unbelievers. We should emphasize the following points. Focus on monotheism, not theism nor atheism. Realize that the biblical writers did not directly confront modern atheism. In fact, they wanted to disprove... Read more

Proclaim God. Don't Prove Him.

Last updated on: October 22, 2014 at 8:30 am By Brad Vaughn

In the first post of this series, I suggested that many people might settle for a sub-biblical view of monotheism. My second post summarized the way that ancient Jews conceived of the one true God’s “divine identity.” Now, I want to talk about application. In an upcoming post, I’ll suggest ideas for contextualizing the gospel for animists. Today, I will address apologetics or “pre-evangelism.” What are they thinking? Some traditional ways of thinking about the doctrine of God and apologetics... Read more

“Who” is the One True God?

Last updated on: August 15, 2015 at 8:12 am By Brad Vaughn

Today, we dive into the deep end of the theological pool. At first, it would appear that monotheism is a rather straightforward doctrine: there is only one god. Period. As I suggested in the last post, this way of thinking may be a bit too simplistic for anyone’s good. In fact, contemporary scholars have demonstrated significant differences between many modern notions of monotheism and that of ancient Israel. In this post, I will attempt to summarize the ideas of one... Read more

Are We Preaching Biblical Monotheism?

Last updated on: October 8, 2014 at 8:15 am By Brad Vaughn

There are significant problems with the way we often think about and apply doctrine of monotheism. In my experience, I find many people have a sub-biblical understanding of monotheism. All the Bible has to say is rooted in this fact: there is only one true God. If we misunderstand the biblical meaning of monotheism, what else might we get wrong? (more…) Read more