Foundations for Contextualized Discipleship Learning the “Honor Game”
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Transcript of Foundations for Contextualized Discipleship Learning the “Honor Game”
Foundations for Contextualized Discipleship
Learning the “Honor Game”
What Is Discipleship?
• Providing an environment in which people can be connected to Christ so as to grow to be more like him.
• Enabling people to connect – More deeply to Christ and– More deeply to other members of Christ’s
body for the purposes of building each other up.
Connecting to Christ?
Connecting to Christ?
How Do People Connect?• To understand this, we need to know the
social “game” that people play: HONOR• Their value of connecting is understood
through the local worldview• Their rules for connecting are embedded
in the local cultural values• Their means of connecting are through
bonding practices seen in rituals that lead to meaningful encounters with Christ
Honor
Map of the Honor Game
Cog
nitiv
e
Affective
Evaluative
Bonding practices
Honor
Shame
Core Theme: Honor• Honor (or face) is a claim to positive
worth along with the social acknowledgement of that worth:– The positive value of a person in his or
her own eyes (= self-respect) – Plus the positive appreciation of that
person in the eyes of his or her in-group (= esteem).
– People honor their in-group by doing and saying what the in-group members expect (they fulfill their in-group obligations).
Core Theme: Honor• Honor serves as a type of social
rating which entitles a person to interact in specified ways with equals, superiors and subordinates, according to the honor rules of the society.– It is parallel in some respects to credit
ratings in the US. – Honor ties the in-group together; it
creates and maintains unity.
How Is Honor Gained?• Ascribed honor:
– A person is born with a certain amount of honor as a result of family status;
– A person may also be given honor as a gift/grant by a more powerful person.
• Achieved honor: – A person (and that person’s in-group) can
gain honor or lose it (shame) through accomplishments and/or public challenges by individuals or the in-group
Biblical Examples• Ascribed
– Birthright (Psalms 89:27; Jeremiah 31:9; Colossians 1:15)
– Elevation by God as a gift (Romans 8:29; Eph. 2:8-9)
• Achieved– Through diligence (Proverbs 12:24; 22:29)– By obedience to God rather than men (Acts 4:18-22)– Winning public challenges (Matt. 12:1-14)– By dying an honorable death (Acts 7:54-60)– Acknowledging shame over sin (2 Cor. 2:5-11)
Shame: Honor’s Contrast and Protector• Shame—loss of face—accrues when one has
behaved in ways that run contrary to the values of the group. – John Mark abandoned Paul and Barnabas on their
missionary journey and was deemed by Paul not fit to go again. Barnabas—related to John Mark—had to defend his honor (Acts 13:13 and 15:36-40).
• Shame can also be a positive reinforcer when it is a sensitivity to the opinion of the group such that one avoids actions that bring disgrace. – The Corinthians should have been ashamed that one
of their own was sleeping with his father’s wife (1 Cor. 5:2)
Sources of Bad Shame• Ascribed
– Birthright (sons of the devil; John 8:44) – Declared by Jesus (Mark 8:38) or the Church
(1 Cor. 5:1-5)
• Achieved– Through shameful actions (Acts 5:1-11; 1
Cor. 5:9-11; Phil. 3:19)– Loss of face in a public challenge (a typical
method to gain face over an opponent; Mark 7:1-16)
Shame as Bad and Good1 Samuel 20:30-34: Saul's anger flared up at
Jonathan and he said to him, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he must die!"
"Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father. But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.
Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the month he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father's shameful treatment of David.
The Honor “Game”• The social game for “honor” is played using
social rules which the players know and follow.
• There are three main components of this struggle to gain or retain honor: action, perception, and reaction.
1. The action is usually in the form of a challenge: positive, such as a gift, a word of praise, a request for help; or negative, such as an insult, threat, or physical affront.
2. How a challenge is perceived, both by the individual challenged and the witnessing public, is also important.
3. The reaction to the challenge, seen in three ways.
The Honor “Game”: Three reactions to the challenge:
1. Positive rejection, usually found in the form of disdain or contempt (Mark 8:11-13);
2. Acceptance, which brings about a counter-challenge (Mark 7:5-6); and
3. Negative refusal, which is no response and therefore is dishonor (Mark 15:3-5).
The Honor Game: Jesus Honors God in the Temple 1
The Honor Game: Jesus Honor God in the Temple 2
Honor Honor is at the core; how is it worked
out?
Connecting in Cultural Settings
• To understand this, we need to know the social “games” that people play
• Their value of connecting is understood through the local worldview
• Their rules for connecting are embedded in the local cultural values
• Their means of connecting are through bonding practices seen in rituals that lead to meaningful encounters with Christ
Worldview Components
•Cognitive: knowledge about honor—the rules and regulations for maintaining and increasing it
•Affective: emotional attachment and stability in relation to honor and shame
•Evaluative: ability to make wise decisions in light of defending and increasing honor (and avoiding loss of honor)
Honor Embedded in Worldview
Honor Cog
nitiv
eAffective
Evaluative
Worldview: Cognitive
Honor Cog
nitiv
eAffective
Evaluative
Cognitive: Honor versus JusticeJusticeHonor
Individual is center of focusTreat all equally; show no
favoritism
Compete with all equally
Both genders equally involved
In-group (or patron) is primary focus
Favor in-group members; treat rest as fits the status of their in-group in relation to yours
Compete with in-group without demeaning members
Compete with out-group members without restraint
More of a male-oriented game than a female one
Cognitive: Honor and Justice Orientations
Justice (Guilt) Orientation
Focus: what you have done is wrong: all have sinned.
Goal: Search for how to pay the punishment and correct the wrong.
Honor (Shame) Orientation
Focus: what you are is impure: all are defiled; OR what you are is disconnected; all are isolated and without faceGoal: Search for how you can be restored to a pure state.
Example: An Honorable Childhood?
Worldview: Affective
Honor Cog
nitiv
eAffective
Evaluative
Affective: Honor versus JusticeJusticeHonor
GUILT (of self) controls behavior
Conformity centered on rules that apply to everyone—rules can be abstracted from context
SHAME (of self or in-group) controls behavior
Conformity centered on relationships and behaving in ways acceptable to the in-group or patron; actions are embedded in contexts
Affective: Shame as a Mechanism for Honor• Shame is a reaction to other people's criticism
of self or in-group, an acute personal chagrin at our failure to live up to our obligations and the expectations others have of us. It is not limited to our actions, but affects our person.
• In true shame-oriented cultures, every person has a place and a duty in the society. One maintains self-respect not by choosing what is good rather than what is evil, but by choosing what is expected of one. Personal desires are sunk in the collective expectation.
Paul Hiebert, 1985, 212-213.
Affective in Stories
• Heroes in literature live out rules of honor and shame (whether they live or die is immaterial—as long as they live or die honorably).
• “Jesus Is my Boss”
Affective: Proverbs of Honor and Shame• A foolish man lets his trouble be openly seen,
but a sharp man keeps shame secret. (Proverbs 12:16)
• A courageous foe is better than a cowardly friend. (China)
• When the tree falls, any child can climb it. (Vietnam)
• Better to die than to live on with a bad reputation. (Vietnam)
• A thousand people bear one's fault. (Uighur)• The voice of a poor man does not carry very
far. (Laos)
Example: Illustrating His Birth an Honorable One
Worldview: Evaluative
Honor Cog
nitiv
eAffective
Evaluative
Evaluative: Restoring Honor and JusticeJustice (Guilt) Orientation
Search for how to you as the guilty individual pay the punishment and correct the wrong.
The restoration of guilt comes about through punishment and forgiveness.
Honor (Shame) Orientation
Search for how you (and/or your in-group) can be restored to an honorable state.
The restoration to purity comes through ritual to erase defilement or ritual that restores relationship.
Justice (Guilt) Orientation
Justification (Rom. 5:18) is the theological answer for guilt.
Atonement view that makes sense: – Christ paid the penalty in our
place (penal substitution)
Honor (Shame) Orientation
Cleansing (Heb. 9:14) and restoration of relationship (John 1:12-13) are the theological answers to shame.
Atonement views that make sense: – Christ won a moral
(honorable) victory over Satan,
– Christ set an example for us, – Christ was victorious over
the powers of evil.
Adapted in part from Glen R. Francis, "The Gospel for a Sin/Shame -Based Society." Taiwan Mission Quarterly (1992).
Evaluative: Restoring Honor and Justice
Example: Christ the Victor in the Temptation
Evaluative: Dealing with Shame• Those who fail will often turn their aggression
against themselves instead of using violence against others. By punishing themselves they maintain their self-respect before others, for shame cannot be relieved, as guilt can be, by confession and atonement.
• Shame is removed and honor restored only when a person does what the society expects of him or her in the situation, including committing suicide if necessary.
Paul Hiebert, 1985, 212-213.
Connecting in Cultural Settings• To understand this, we need to know the
social “games” that people play• Their value of connecting is understood
through the local worldview• Their rules for connecting are
embedded in the local cultural values• Their means of connecting are through
bonding practices seen in rituals that lead to meaningful encounters with Christ
The “Rules” of the Honor Game
• Found in cultural values:– Collectivism– Indirect
Communication– Social Power
Honor Cog
nitiv
e
Affective
Evaluative
Abstract, PrinciplesDistant
Verbal SkillsGuilt
Self Respect
Concrete, Real EventsClose/TouchNon-Verbal SkillsShameFace
IndividualismCollectivism
SelfSelfIntimate Social and
Cultural Environment
Self SelfSelf
Collectivism and Honor
6 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 91
IndividualisticCollectivistic
Unit
ed
Sta
tes
Average
Collectivism RankingsV
ietn
am
Chin
a/
Thaila
nd
Connecting
Example: Sermon on the Mount (notice the groups)
Collectivist Proverbs• Union is source of success (Mongolia)• The bird that stands out will be shot first
(China)• Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and
feet. (Vietnam)• However sharp it is, the knife will never cut its
own handle. (Vietnam)• The separated one is the prey of bear, the split
is the food for wolf. (Uighur)• One piece of wood will not make a fire. (Laos)• The tiger depends on the forest; the forest
depends on the tiger. (Cambodia)
Transmitted (Verbal)
Information
Mean
ing
Stored (Non- verbal and Contextual) Information
• Non-verbal skills• Expression limited• Slow to change• Long to learn • Fast to use once learned• Information is in context
Indirect Communication and HonorStored (Non- verbal and Contextual) Information
Mean
ingTransmitted
(Verbal) Information
• Verbal skills• Self-expression• Easily changed• Quickly learned • Slower to use• Detailed, exacting information
desired
Opinion
Handling of Problems
Anger
Proverbs of Indirect Communication• A wise person is one who hears one word and
understands two. (Yiddish)• An elder is like a bathtub. (Akan)• If you are wrestling with a monk, why be afraid
of touching his head? (Cambodia)• A horse released can be caught, a word
released never. (Mongolian)• When you eat, check the pots and pans. (don’t
speak about your favorite foods before you see what is being cooked; Vietnam)
Example: Indirect Status Reversal with the Disciples
Small Power DistanceLarge Power Distance
EqualityIndependence
(Impersonal) TruthNegotiationDiscussion
Respect/AuthorityDependence
(Personal) WisdomDecreeLecture
Social Power and Honor
Social Power Scale
11 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Large Power DistanceSmall Power Distance
Vie
tnam
Chin
a
Average
Unit
ed S
tate
s
Thaila
nd
The Boss
Proverbs of Social Power• When walking under the sun, make sure it is at your
back; when going near the fire, approach from your front; when going near your boss, use the appropriate channels; you may go to heaven by refuting feelings of anger. (Cambodia)
• What is joke for a cat will be death for a mouse. (Mongolia)
• When a cat steals a piece of meat, we chase it. But when a tiger takes a pig we stare wide-eyed and say nothing. (Vietnam)
• Before you beat a dog, find out who its master is. (China)
• When a dog bites you, look for its master; when a cow pokes you, look for its overseer. (Cambodia)
• The egg cannot fight the stone. (China)
Example: Christ Turns the Honor Game Upside Down
Patron/Client Values• Patron–client systems are organized by people
of power, both men and women, who build and keep the loyalty of people of more humble position.
• Both patrons and clients regard the link between them as a (voluntary) personal attachment similar to the bond of affection holding members of a family or kin group together.
• However, unlike families, where the linkage is regarded as permanent and often is taken for granted, a patron–client relationship [is voluntary and] must be renewed constantly and renegotiated continuously.
http://www.enotes.com/political-encyclopedia/patron-client-systems
The Dance of Patron-Client• To become a client, a series of discrete steps
are usually followed (unless one is born into this relationship):– The potential client asks for an appointment or
simply visits the patron to establish a the opportunity to become a client
– The potential client brings a small gift to the patron to indicate an interest of a relationship
– The patron accepts the gift and eventually gives back a bigger gift (can be a position of status, secret knowledge, money, an item needed by the client, etc)
– The client receives the patron’s gift and the relationship is established (though it is always under negotiation).
ResponsibilitiesPatron provides:
• Protection • Access to resources
or information, • Group identity• Opportunities for
social/political or other advancement
• Gifts/favors
Client provides:
• Labor• Income• Public acclaim
(increases patron’s status)
• Votes and other political allegiance
• Support against patron’s enemies
Example: Zacchaeus Becomes a Client
Patron/Client Proverbs• To him who is larger than you, say "I am a
dwarf." (Africa)• I hold on to the back of an elephant:
(therefore) I shall not be drowned in the lake. (Africa)
• If you must be a servant, serve the rich; if you must be a dog, let it be a temple dog. (Laos)
• When the boss has merit, the assistant moves up in rank; when the boss experiences misfortune, the assistant falls into the well. (Cambodia)
Patron/Client in the Bible• Paul’s concept of being a bond-servant of
Christ (Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 4:1; Phil 1:1) who does not need to win the approval of people (Gal. 1:10)
• Kingdom principle: the servant-leader turns the patron/client system upside-down:– Christ as servant of the Jews on God’s behalf
(Rom. 15:8) and – Paul as a servant of God’s people for Christ’s
sake (2 Cor. 4:5)
Patron/Client in the Bible• Paul used the patron/client system in
making his appeal to Philemon over Onesimus – Onesimus was “Paul’s son” (v. 10) and his
“very heart” (v. 12; both are patron/client language)
– Philemon was in one sense Paul’s equal, HOWEVER, • Paul was an old man in prison for the Gospel (v.
9)• He owed Paul his very self (v. 19).
Example: They left their nets for a new patron (Jesus)
Foreign Experts in Asia• Foreign experts have significant social power in many
cultures– Social capital (spiritual and linking)– Access to economic capital
• They may not be aware of social power ideals in the culture where they work
• They may be unaware of or uncomfortable with the realities of their own social power and of being possible patrons
• They are be seen as possible patrons by people of the culture, and knowing this can help the foreign experts better interpret actions of those people (inquiries, visits, gift giving, requests, etc).
Example: Jesus the Good Patron (Shepherd)