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

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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

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Evaluative

Worldview: Cognitive

Honor Cog

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Collectivism RankingsV

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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

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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)