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

There are no "Church Planting Movements" in the Bible

Last updated on: August 14, 2015 at 3:56 am By Brad Vaughn

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 to talk about “face” in China

Last updated on: August 12, 2015 at 3:45 am By Brad Vaughn

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

Theological Education in Honor-Shame Cultures

Last updated on: August 12, 2015 at 6:11 am By Brad Vaughn

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

Explaining “Face” Using Lian and Mianzi

Last updated on: August 12, 2015 at 6:38 am By Brad Vaughn

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

Honor and Shame across Generations in China

Last updated on: September 9, 2014 at 8:35 am By Brad Vaughn

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

"Face" videos now on Youku

Last updated on: September 5, 2014 at 1:46 pm By Brad Vaughn

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

How does God seek "face"?

Last updated on: August 14, 2015 at 6:14 am By Brad Vaughn

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