Ever found yourself in a foreign situation where you have no idea what is going on? Or you speak the same language but their actions still seem completely inexplicable? When we cross cultures and land in these strange situations, often the locals are coming from a completely different world-view to our own. Until we meet another culture, most of us never realize that our way of looking at the world is not the only way and our way of acting, or interpreting actions, may not be the only right way. Honor/Shame Cultures looks at the root values in many of the countries from the majority world, and offers practical advice on how to sail smoothly through foreign waters especially when missions or ministry is involved.
The book is split into 3 parts. The first part lays a foundational understanding of world views and the root value systems beneath our cultures. The second part examines the manifestations of honor/shame cultures, such as face, patron-client relationships, hierarchies, reciprocity and collectivism. The last part takes a deeper look at how we redeem honor in cross-cultural missions, including how it affects our Gospel presentations, conflict resolution strategies and discipleship methods.
Each chapter is filled with case studies of real experiences of cross-cultural workers around Asia. At the end of each chapter is a set of discussion questions as well as a recommended reading list for those who wish to investigate that topic further.
This book is aimed to equip short term mission teams, new missionaries, cross-cultural workers and anyone wanting to understand their honor/shame neighbor better.
178 Pages
Self-Published
