Andy Crouch's recent article in CT, called "The Return of Shame" is well worth reading in full. He deals with important cultural and theological ideas about shame and salvation. Here's a couple excerpts: one cultural insight, one theological application.
The personal screen, especially with its attached and always-available camera, invites us to star in our own small spectacle. [...] But having attracted us with the promise of approval and belonging, the personal screen can just as easily herald exclusion and hostility...
---
In the pastoral letters of the New Testament, we see Paul and other church leaders reframing the traditional categories of honor and shame. The task of the early church, as Mischke puts it, was to free its members from “honor competition” and give them high “shame resilience.” This would enable them to endure low status in the Roman world while reaching out to those no one else would touch. At the same time, the apostles followed Jesus in drawing clear, if countercultural, boundaries for inclusion and exclusion, calling members of this new community to the holiness that brought honor to God.
No comments:
Post a Comment