Are our missionary methods “biblical” or do they more reflect the values of our own cultures? One of the most influential ideas in missions over the past 15 years goes by the name “Church Planting Movements” (CPMs). In one form or another, CPM-theory has shaped the face of missions around the world.Therefore, I have just published two articles in Global Missiology that examine CPM theory. In addition, David Garrison submitted his own response to my comments. Garrison is the man... Read more
Why and how might the mianzi/lian distinction shape our conversations with Chinese Christians and non-Christians? In my previous post, I explained the difference between those two words, both of which can be translated “face.” In this post, I’ll touch on a few reasons why it can be helpful to keep in mind these two ways of talking about “face.” In addition, I will suggest a few ideas about how to talk about this verbal and conceptual distinction. Love requires mianzi... Read more
Have you ever wondered how honor and shame might influence the way we do theological education? Whether we offer formal or informal training, we cannot ignore the worldview of those we train.I just found out that my latest article has been published in the September issue of Orality Journal. It is titled, “Theological Education in Honor-Shame Cultures: Why Worldview Matters for Oral Learners.” I originally wrote it with oral cultures in mind, but I made sure that it would be... Read more
Both in Saving God’s Face and on this blog, I have highlighted a slight distinction between the two Chinese words for “face”–– lian (脸) and mianzi (面子). Do Chinese people understand this? Is this distinction important? Does is matter when it comes to evangelism and explaining theological ideas? As soon as you distinguish lian and mianzi in conversation, you will often find that Chinese listeners don’t always understand or agree with this distinction. What are we to make of this?... Read more
How are honor and shame expressed differently across generations in China? Someone recently emailed me asking this question. They wondered how “modernity” and “postmodernity” might impact honor/shame dynamics in Chinese society. This post offers just a few brief answers. (more…) Read more
For those who work with Chinese people, you can now watch, share, and download the Chinese versions of my recent videos about how we can use face to share the gospel. Click the Chinese name for the Youku link. Click the English name for the English version posted on this blog 你要脸吗？ (Do you want “face”?) 神如何追求脸? (How does God seek “face”? ) Read more
A few weeks ago, I released a video explaining how honor-shame might influence our gospel conversations. Today, the focus shifts to the Bible itself. The video below explains the biblical story in terms of honor-shame (i.e. face). On the one hand, it is intended to be a training tool. However, the video could also serve as an introduction to the gospel. Of course, like all such tools, it needs a person to explain and clarify certain ideas. Of course, much... Read more
I just signed a contract for my newest book! It is titled One Gospel for All Nations: A Practical Approach to Biblical Contextualization. The book is due out this coming winter (December 2014–January 2015). Thanks to William Carey Library for their vision and support of this book. Just as the title suggests, this book offers a practical approach for doing biblical contextualization. Why the word “biblical”? In this book, I suggest that we can see a very distinct pattern whenever... Read more
From beginning to end, the Bible primarily talks about groups, not individuals. This is another reason why we should reconsider our traditional methods of evangelism. As I’ve said throughout this series, our typical use of the Adam story breeds an individualism that may not serve those with whom we speak. Click on the following for Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five of the series. I want to focus on a particular advantage we gain by... Read more
I want to briefly illustrate the idea from my previous post. I suggested that it may be better for us to begin with the Babel story (rather than with Adam & Eve) when preaching the gospel. The Babel account is especially meaningful for collectivistic, honor-shame cultures. Previously, I interpreted Genesis 11 and discussed issues of face and collective identity. In this post, I’ll use a Chinese context simply for the sake of illustration. I encourage people to find similar explanations... Read more
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