In this series, we’ve considered the fact that ancient Jews thought of monotheism in terms of “divine identity,” here’s a question worth mulling over. Might traditional theological perspectives of God be implicitly deistic? Let’s not forget that deism argues that God started the world but has since left it to run on its own. God does not involve himself in human affairs.Why would I ask the question? When we think of deity has mainly to do with “what” God is,... Read more
Wish theologians would sum up their ideas in just 140 characters? Well, this and next week, I am doing a theology series over on Twitter. I offer a concise summary of many Christian doctrines using an honor-shame lens. Each day, I’ll suggest a simple explanation of 1–2 Christian themes while sprinkling in various passages that illustrate a theology in terms of honor and shame. Look me up on Twitter: jacksonwu4china Follow the hashtag: #honortheology Related articles Is Our Theology Enslaved... Read more
How do we contextualize the gospel among animists? In the last post, I highlighted a possible danger to be aware of when presenting the gospel among many unreached people groups. In this post, I will suggest a more constructive approach. Credit: CC 2.0/wikipedia How does the Bible confront other “gods”? How did people like the OT prophets contend with polytheistic beliefs in their own contexts? I think we see a pattern in their approach. I offer the following suggestion when... Read more
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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