{"id":18744,"date":"2022-06-21T16:02:22","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T08:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/?p=18744"},"modified":"2022-04-14T05:16:07","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T21:16:07","slug":"shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/","title":{"rendered":"Shame and Status in Centered Set Churches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/p>\n

The previous posts<\/a> explained the differences between bounded-set churches, fuzzy-set churches, and center-set churches. Reviewing Mark Baker\u2019s Centered-Set Church: Discipleship and Community without Judgmentalism<\/em><\/a>, the second post<\/a> sketched why these three concepts of the church matter practically.<\/p>\n

Today, we look at how shame and status dynamics play out within these paradigms<\/strong>. I\u2019ll especially contrast bounded- and centered-set churches.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that fuzzy churches are immune to such concerns, but rather the most relevant implications are more easily seenby comparing the other church types. I will only make a brief comment about fuzzy groups. Because they show such zealous antipathy towards broader collective norms (aside from individualism, tolerance, and relativism), these churches can unwittingly desensitize people from universal moral standards.<\/p>\n

With that said, I\u2019ll state the main claim I make in this post:<\/p>\n

Boundedness breeds shame.<\/em><\/p>\n

Fuzziness fosters shamelessness.<\/em><\/p>\n

Centeredness cultivates honor<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Drawing Status Lines<\/span><\/h2>\n

The focus of a bounded church is on maintaining boundaries. An ever-growing list of essential criteria emerges to separate insiders from outsiders. Baker says,<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough not all bounded groups practice shaming, it is common in bounded churches. Drawing a line allows those on the inside to gain status and feel superior to those who do not meet the standards.\u201d (30)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Honor goes to those to satisfy group norms; those who fall short are shamed and excluded. What are the potential effects on both members and those deemed non-members? Ironically, bounded thinking fosters an atmosphere that undermines grace and feeds self-righteousness.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Baker astutely observes,<\/p>\n

\u201cIn bounded churches, those who successfully keep the rules receive affirmation and status, but there is not much emotional space to fail. Because of this, bounded churches tend to emphasize the clearly defined rules that are achievable, rather than talk about character qualities, such as patience, love, and unselfishness, which are harder to achieve or measure.\u201d (43)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We\u2019ve all seen this drive to compare and compete. It manifests in different ways both inside and outside the church. For example, missionaries and pastors like to count new baptisms and churches. The lust for status nudges people to inflate their numbers, even subconsciously.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, since status is only granted to insiders, bounded churches implicitly encourage people to publicize their good works so that they can be known to others (contra Matthew 6:1-6). Why? Baker explains,<\/p>\n

\u201cactually gaining status requires not just doing or believing the right thing\u2013\u2013 others must know about it<\/strong>\u201d (54).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s easy to see how boundedness stimulates a critical spirit rather than empathy (126).<\/p>\n

Christ Centered Conviction and Compassion<\/span><\/h2>\n

Some people might think that centered groups do not care about moral norms (since they don\u2019t emphasize boundary lines). This is a misunderstanding. Such objections confuse judgmentalism with discernment.<\/p>\n

Baker says,<\/p>\n

\u201cA centered church\u2019s discernment includes concern for how one person\u2019s actions or beliefs may impact others, \u2026 discernment is motivated and guided by love for the person who seems to be moving away from the center. Thus discernment is a centered church is not selfish, because it is not about seeking status.\u201d (50)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You see, centered churches are convicted about their members being fundamentally oriented on Christ and steadily moving toward him. One\u2019s conduct matters. Rather than having a critical, judgmental spirit (i.e., typical of boundedness), centered churches seek a spirit of discernment.<\/p>\n

In one of my favorite quotes from the book, Baker quotes one interviewee, who says,<\/p>\n

It\u2019s \u201cnot that we do not deal with behaviors, but we don\u2019t start there. We start with Jesus\u2026. If you are looking at the line and what you are allowed to do, then you are not actually looking at Jesus.\u201d (208-209)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Consider how this conversation relates to the gospel. Centered churches believe the gospel concerns the entire Christian life, not merely conversion<\/strong>. Baker says,<\/p>\n

\u201cA bounded church preaches the gospel to outsiders, and once people have responded by crossing over a line, they no longer need to keep hearing and responding to the gospel\u2026 A centered church, therefore, will continually remind us of the gospel of Jesus Christ and will orient us to the God of the center again and again.\u201d (79)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In a word, centered churches exalt Christ, the center, rather than boundary lines. Members want to honor him by being like him. This mindset undercuts compartmentalized and competitive thinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cA bounded church is saturated with status management energy. A centered church not only saves us from the wound of a bounded approach, but it liberates us from status management.\u201d (133-134)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This post only captures a portion of what Baker says in Centered-Set Church<\/em><\/a>. <\/em>How else do you see these three paradigms affecting shame and status?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The previous posts explained the differences between bounded-set churches, fuzzy-set churches, and center-set churches. Reviewing Mark Baker\u2019s Centered-Set Church: Discipleship and Community without Judgmentalism, the second post sketched why these three concepts of the church matter practically. Today, we look at how shame and status dynamics play out within these paradigms. I\u2019ll especially contrast bounded- […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2368,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2200,16],"tags":[2133,2806,2803],"class_list":["post-18744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-theology","tag-book-reviews","tag-centered-set-church","tag-mark-baker"],"yoast_head":"\nShame and Status in Centered Set Churches<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The previous posts explained the differences between bounded-set churches, fuzzy-set churches, and center-set churches. Reviewing Mark Baker\u2019s\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shame and Status in Centered Set Churches\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The previous posts explained the differences between bounded-set churches, fuzzy-set churches, and center-set churches. Reviewing Mark Baker\u2019s\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Saving God\u2019s Face\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-21T08:02:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-13T21:16:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/576\/2022\/04\/Centered-Set-e1642695933250.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brad Vaughn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@savinggodsface\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brad Vaughn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/\",\"name\":\"Shame and Status in Centered Set Churches\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-21T08:02:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-13T21:16:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c\"},\"description\":\"The previous posts explained the differences between bounded-set churches, fuzzy-set churches, and center-set churches. Reviewing Mark Baker\u2019s\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Shame and Status in Centered Set Churches\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/\",\"name\":\"Saving God\u2019s Face\",\"description\":\"Doing Theology. Thinking Mission.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c\",\"name\":\"Brad Vaughn\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brad Vaughn\"},\"description\":\"Brad Vaughn (fka \u201cJackson Wu\u201d) currently teaches Humane Letters at the Arete Preparatory Academy in Arizona, having spent many years teaching at several colleges and universities. Originally from Texas, he spent 15 years in East Asia, where he helped found an accredited seminary for Chinese students. He has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and an M.A. in Philosophy (both from Texas A&M), an M.Div (Gordon-Conwell), and a PhD in Theology from SEBTS. His research specializations include biblical contextualization, missiology, and the Bible\u2019s theology of honor and shame. In addition to various academic articles and essays, he has published 5 books, including Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, The Cross in Context, Seeking God\u2019s Face, One Gospel for All Nations, and Saving God\u2019s Face. He enjoys reading, movies, exercising, sports, and playing games with his wife and 5 children.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/savinggodsface.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/savinggodsface\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/savinggodsface\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/savinggodsface\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCgSOQ-ezU4Knk2gBdEGRikg\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/author\/jackwu\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Shame and Status in Centered Set Churches","description":"The previous posts explained the differences between bounded-set churches, fuzzy-set churches, and center-set churches. Reviewing Mark Baker\u2019s","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Shame and Status in Centered Set Churches","og_description":"The previous posts explained the differences between bounded-set churches, fuzzy-set churches, and center-set churches. Reviewing Mark Baker\u2019s","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/","og_site_name":"Saving God\u2019s Face","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface","article_published_time":"2022-06-21T08:02:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-04-13T21:16:07+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/576\/2022\/04\/Centered-Set-e1642695933250.jpeg"}],"author":"Brad Vaughn","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@savinggodsface","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brad Vaughn","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/","name":"Shame and Status in Centered Set Churches","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-06-21T08:02:22+00:00","dateModified":"2022-04-13T21:16:07+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c"},"description":"The previous posts explained the differences between bounded-set churches, fuzzy-set churches, and center-set churches. Reviewing Mark Baker\u2019s","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2022\/06\/21\/shame-and-status-in-centered-set-churches\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Shame and Status in Centered Set Churches"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/","name":"Saving God\u2019s Face","description":"Doing Theology. Thinking Mission.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c","name":"Brad Vaughn","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Brad Vaughn"},"description":"Brad Vaughn (fka \u201cJackson Wu\u201d) currently teaches Humane Letters at the Arete Preparatory Academy in Arizona, having spent many years teaching at several colleges and universities. Originally from Texas, he spent 15 years in East Asia, where he helped found an accredited seminary for Chinese students. He has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and an M.A. in Philosophy (both from Texas A&M), an M.Div (Gordon-Conwell), and a PhD in Theology from SEBTS. His research specializations include biblical contextualization, missiology, and the Bible\u2019s theology of honor and shame. In addition to various academic articles and essays, he has published 5 books, including Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, The Cross in Context, Seeking God\u2019s Face, One Gospel for All Nations, and Saving God\u2019s Face. He enjoys reading, movies, exercising, sports, and playing games with his wife and 5 children.","sameAs":["https:\/\/savinggodsface.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/savinggodsface\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/savinggodsface\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/savinggodsface","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCgSOQ-ezU4Knk2gBdEGRikg"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/author\/jackwu\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2368"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18744\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}