• Directories
    • Business Directory
    • Church Directory
    • Organization Directory
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Help
  • Log In

MENUMENU
  • Learning
        • Leader’s Edge
          • Author Interviews
          • Book Summaries
        • Book Reviews
          • Book Look
          • EMQ Book Reviews
        • Publications
          • Anthology
          • Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ)
          • Missiographics
        • Podcasts
          • The Mission Matters
          • Members Only Feed
          • Missions Podcast DirectoryNew
        • Topics
          • COVID-19 Resources
          • Diaspora Missions
          • Global Issues Updates
          • Member Highlights
          • Mobilization
          • Muslim Missions
          • Support Raising
          • UkraineNew
        • Media Library
          • Conferences
          • Global Issue Updates
          • On Mission
          • Thought Leader Briefings
          • Webinars
          • Workshop
          • View All
  • Programs
    • Accreditation
    • Bible Certificate
    • Church Missions Coaching
    • Cohorts
    • Cybersecurity
    • ImproveNew
    • Mission Jobs
    • Missions DataNew
    • Publish
    • RightNow Media
    • The Mission App
    • Women’s Development
  • Events
          • Calendar
          • In-Person Events
          • Virtual Events
          • Event Recordings
          • Awards
        • Premier Events
          • Mission Leaders Conference
          • On Mission
        • Upcoming Events

          • Pocket Guide to Being a Missions Pastor: 5 Things Every Missions Pastor Needs to Know
            Wed Jun 1 2022, 01:00pm EDT
          • From Harlem to the World - the Local Church Mobilized for Global Missions
            Wed Aug 3 2022, 01:00pm EDT
          • Innovation Leaders Discussion
            Mon Aug 8 2022, 01:00pm EDT
        • View All Events
  • Research
          • Missions DataNew
          • Missiographics
          • Research Reports
        • Popular Research
          • Compensation Reports
          • COVID-19 Resources
          • Field Attrition Report
          • View All Reports
        • Contribute
          • Current Research Projects
          • Volunteer
  • About Us
        • Who We Are
          • Our Contribution
          • Meet the Team
          • Board Members
          • History (1917–present)
        • Our Beliefs
          • Statement of Faith
          • Community Standards
        • Awards
        • Partner with Us
          • Advertise
          • Donate
          • Sponsorships
          • Volunteer
        • Help
          • Contact Us
          • Advertising Specs
          • Branding Guidelines
  • Join
        • Learn
        • Learn what you cannot learn anywhere else.

        • Meet
        • Meet people you otherwise won’t meet.

        • Engage
        • Engage in a community like none other.

          • Benefits
          • Benefits for Churches
          • Pricing

Sponsored Content

Upcoming Events

  • Pocket Guide to Being a Missions Pastor: 5 Things Every Missions Pastor Needs to Know
    Wed Jun 1 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • From Harlem to the World - the Local Church Mobilized for Global Missions
    Wed Aug 3 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • Innovation Leaders Discussion
    Mon Aug 8 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • Peer 2 Peer for Communications and Marketing Staff: Communications and the Mission of God: Aligning organizational communications with God's purposes
    Thu Aug 18 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • Women's Development Weeks
    Thu Sep 8 2022

View all events »

Topics

author interview CEO Church Church Missions Church Mission Team Church Planting COVID-19 Cross Cultural Skills Diaspora Disciple Making Discipleship Focus Future Innovation Islam Justin Long Leadership Management Member Care Missiology Missionaries Mission Finance and Administration MLC2019 MLC2020 MLC2021 Mobilization muslim Muslim Diaspora Networks Partnership Podcast Presenter Pursuing Partnerships Series Research Risk Short-Term Missions Spirituality support raising Training Trends Unengaged Unreached Weekly Roundup Women Women in Leadership

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame and Fear Cultures

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Ted EslerJuly 1, 2016

Jayson Georges. Self-published, 2014.

—Reviewed by Rick Kronk, scholar-practitioner, Christar, Inc.; adjunct professor of Missions, University of Northwestern, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Just as people assume the cultural orientation of their context, (so) Christians often assume forms of Christian ministry in which they learn the gospel” (p. 55)  are the only correct or valid forms of Christian ministry. For Jayson Georges, these forms of Christian ministry which inevitably limit gospel effectiveness are related to a failure to understand how cultures differ in their worldview orientation and in particular, cultural differences as manifested by guilt-innocence, honor-shame, and fear-power worldview orientations.

In the first couple of chapters, Georges sets out the basic understanding of what he refers to as the “guilt-shame-fear trichotomy” (p. 16), which is generally exhibited in a given culture by the dominance of one worldview orientation over the others. He then argues how this conceptual model serves to simplify the complexities of differing cultures and, when understood correctly, can be exploited for the sake of gospel witness. 

In the following chapters, he argues that this tripartite model provides a framework for interpreting scripture and contextualizing theology. Georges’ primary contribution to the discussion of these worldview categories, which was initiated by Eugene Nida (Customs and Cultures, 1986) and later popularized by Roland Muller (Honor and Shame, 2001), lies in the multiple comparative charts which he uses throughout the book to assist the reader in envisioning global realities (p. 32), systematic theology (p. 53), and evangelism (p. 57) in light of honor-shame, fear-power, and guilt-innocence categories. In so doing, he suggests a helpful culture-based framework (a new ‘set of glasses,’ if you will) which one can use to look at scripture, theology, and ministry.

As a critique of The 3D Gospel, I suggest that the book’s brevity is both its main strength as well as its main weakness. On the one hand, Georges provides a fairly clear summary of the salient issues related to cultural and biblical aspects of honor-shame, fear-power, and guilt-innocence worldview contexts. In response, he offers some helpful, if brief and generalized, suggestions for improved gospel witness. But on the other hand, he is unable to give adequate treatment to some very complex issues that he introduces (i.e., culture, worldview, and contextualization), which leaves the reader with the impression that these issues are less complex than they really are. 

In this book, Georges makes clear that his intent is to assist the Church (and especially the Church in the West) in its gospel task by clarifying certain cultural differences which stand in the way of successful gospel ministry. Despite the overly simplistic treatment of some complex topics, I believe this book can serve as a starting place to explore the dynamics of these very real issues which, if taken seriously, will indeed enhance gospel witness to those embedded in a different worldview.

GoToOlder PostNewer PostAll PostsBook ReviewsEMQSectionVolume 52 - Issue 3

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Our Mailing List

Keep up to date with our community.

Menu

  • Home
  • Directories
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Join

  • Join
  • Benefits
  • Learn
  • Meet
  • Engage

Help

  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Cookies Policy

About Us

  • Who We Are
  • Statement of Faith
  • Awards
  • Resources
Missio Nexus Logo

© Missio Nexus. All rights reserved.
As an Amazon Associate Missio Nexus earns from qualifying purchases.


PO Box 398
Wheaton, IL 60187-0398

Phone: 770.457.6677
678.392.4577

Annual Sponsors

ECFA Logo Brotherhood Mutual Logo

Subscribe to our Mailing List

Membership website powered by MembershipWorks