Lei Yu

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The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures - By Jayson Georges

A good introduction to the idea of Guilt-Innocent, Shame-honour, and Fear-Power cultures. The book is quick and easy to read.

My Notes

  • Guild-innocent, individualistic culture
  • Shame-honour, most collective culture
  • Fear-Power, animalistic culture
  • Every culture is on a spectrum of these 3 dimensions, and individuals within a culture also differ in these 3 dimensions

Guilt-Innocent Culture

  • Knowing right and wrong
  • Doing right even when no one is watching → individualistic culture
  • Wrongs requires justice to be served
  • Problem is wrong actions, Remedy is right actions
  • Identity of individual comes from “doing” (work, job) instead of what group they are a part of

Shame-Honour Cultures

“Honour is the good opinion of good people,”
– Seneca, Roman Philosopher

  • Honour is other’s good opinion of you, shame is other’s negative opinion of

  • Psalm 44:13, 15 uses the language of shame

  • The idea of “Social Credit”

  • Individual actions affects the group (Mal. 1:6, Rom 2:24)

  • Importance of maintaining balance in obligation and reciprocate

  • Individual have a purpose, a role within the group. Often determined by age, gender, and position

  • What is best for relationships (honourable) is right, based on context and not rules

  • When guilt says “I made a mistake”, shame says “I am a mistake”

  • Usually a person of higher status must publicly restore honour to the shamed

  • Reminds me of Zuko from Avatar The Last Air Bender

  • Different culture manage shame differently as well

    • In Middle Eastern they’re more aggressive, they compete for honour → honour killing, terrorism to avoid shame and restore honour
    • In East Asia they’re more harmonious, so the shamed often are exiled or commits suicide

Fear Power Cultures

  • What appeases the “spirit” is right

  • People live in constant fear of the spiritual

    • Relies on actions in the seen world to manipulate the unseen world

  • Example: Washington politician consulting an astrologer

  • Believe that the spiritual forces can be manipulated

  • Animalism

    • 3 Dimension of reality
      • Seen world (objects and people)
      • Unseen world (spiritual being)
      • Other world (heaven, God, hell)

How These Cultural Types Arise

  • Cultural types emerge from social economic factors.
  • For a person to live they need access to resources and these can come from:
    1. Formal institution
      • Formal institution provide resource depending if you have kept the rules and regulations.
    2. Human communities
      • Human communities provide resource based on if you’re honourable or not
    3. Unseen spirits
      • Unseen spirit is provide resource based on if you have angered or appeased them

Theology Though the Lens of Guilt Shame Fear

Honour and Shame

  • Sin dishonours God. And God removed us from His presence (When we sin, God lose face)
  • Adam and Eve shamed the whole group of humankind
  • God’s plan of redemption plans to bless/honour Abraham by giving him a great name, and through him honour all mankind
  • Jesus brought in a greater code of honour. Accepting and loving all, no matter what their reputation is.
  • The religious leader felt threatened so they dishonoured and shamed Jesus.

Guilt and Innocent

  • The fall in Gen 3 introduced guilt (right and wrong), shame (they felt naked), and fear (they hide from God)

Fear and Power

  • Ransom theory (fear). Christ paid the price to win us back from the bondage of Satan and Sin.
  • Satisfaction (shame). Jesus’ life and death satisfied our shame debt. And honours God.
  • Penal substitution (Guilt)

Plan of Salvation Through the Lens of Guilt-Shame-Fear

Guilt-Innocence Plan of Salvation

  1. God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for our life. Jesus came so that we would have eternal life and not perish. Jesus offers us an abundant life.
  2. People are sinful and condemned by God. Our transgressions create a barrier between us and a holy God. Good works fail to reach God’s standard.
  3. Jesus Christ is the perfect sacrifice for your sins. Jesus died on the cross in our place to pay the penalty of sins. Jesus bore the wrath of God’s punishment for us.
  4. You must receive Jesus as your personal Savior. Receive Christ as personal Savior and turn from human morality to have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Shame-Honour Plan of Salvation

  1. God values you and wants to honour you as His child. God created us with glory and honour, to live with harmony in his family.
  2. People are shameful and dishonoured God. Our rebellion disgraces the glorious God and produces shame. Our attempts to restore honour fall short of covering the shame of our spiritual orphanage.
  3. Jesus Christ bore all your shame and restores honour. Jesus’ disgraceful death removes our shame and restores honour. By honouring God, Jesus allows you to rejoin God’s family.
  4. You must give allegiance to Jesus to enter God’s family. Receive God’s gracious welcome into his family and live under His name. Turn from false cultural face to receive honour from God.

Fear-Power Plan of Salvation

  1. God is sovereign and offers you spiritual authority. God created us to rule his entire creation (seen and unseen) and experience his spiritual blessings.
  2. People fearfully live under the authority of Satan. Our idolatry separates us from divine power. The powers of darkness rule overall people, causing sin, death, and harm.
  3. Jesus is the warrior who restores our power. Jesus conquered evil powers and death to bring God’s power and blessings. His death disarmed powers and provides spiritual authority to us.
  4. You must know Jesus to access divine power. Relationally trust Jesus Christ alone for protection and power. Turn from magical rituals and occultism for authority and blessings.

Contextualized Delivery of the Gospel

Truth Encounter

  • Guilt-Innocent: truth, apologetic

Power Encounter

  • miracles, power as proof
    • dreams
    • signs and wonders
    • prophecy
    • Confrontation with the power of evil
  • God’s word and prayer

Community Encounter

  • Bringing people into true community though genuine relationships
  • the Trinity
    • Replaces false shame and false honour with true honour from God
  • The Church
  • The Family
    • Whole family converted vs individual converted