Reading the Word in 3-D!

Last week, our team had a cross-cultural training, most of which I'd heard several times before. However, a few things were new for me, and one of them I'd like to share with you, if I can do a complex topic justice in a few, short paragraphs - of learning to read the Word in 3-D.

There are 3 general world-views on our little planet-home, Earth: guilt/innocence (G/I), power/fear (P/F), and honor/shame (H/S). To give a small insight into what these mean w/o writing sheets and sheets, G/I is a more "black & white" view of the world where there is always right & wrong. The questions asked are "What's wrong?," "Who's at fault and needs to be punished?" and there is little room for ambiguity or lack of clarity. There is no concept of "this is different" w/o a value statement. There are many defined rules and boundaries. One is guilty, even if not caught. It is important to be right. P/F is "I'm not in control" and the questions are: "Who is powerful and how can I side with them?" What is feared is to be avoided and appeased. There is no trust in the justice system (bribery is common) and one creates one's own laws b/c the laws don't represent true justice and don't protect those who are right. It is important not to show weakness or vulnerability. H/S asks "Am I improved or not improved by society?" One maintains self-respect not by choosing what is good or liked, but what is expected of you and how it affects your family and community. There is a need to cover up, to not be exposed and failure or exposure means exclusion from the community. The question is not did something bad happen or not, but how the community sees the situation. So, shame doesn't result from doing something wrong, but from being found out. For example, most of Northern America and Europe are G/I, most of Africa is P/F, and most of the Arab world is H/S.

Of course, there is a lot more to this, but that should give you a general idea of the 3 worldviews in question. What is interesting is to read the Word and look for how it speaks to each of these worldviews (and this doesn't mean ignoring the original cultural context). For example, in looking at Adam & Eve's response to their sin in the garden? It covered all 3 worldviews: feeling guilty for doing wrong (G/I), fear of what would happen (P/F), and shame (H/S). Then, take the miracle of turning water to wine, for example. The question is not whether it's okay to drink or not (G/I), rather Jesus shows his incredible power (P/F) when he covers the shame of the host family by providing good wine when the wine ran out before the end of the wedding feast (H/S). The same can be done with many passages of scripture which answer the G/I finger-pointing of the pharisees with the power of God, bringing honor instead of shame.

In bringing the Good News to the different worldviews, different approaches are needed as well, in order for each to realize their needs and see that those needs are met in God's plan. For G/I, it's probably clear to everyone - God removes guilt and restores innocence. For P/F, God is the most powerful (examples of Jesus driving out demons, controlling the weather, etc.) - in a power battle, He always wins. With Him, one is safe and protected. For H/S, God gives a better covering - He removes shame and restores honor. God says "I lift your head up" and brings you back into community. In this worldview, it's also crucial to win a family, not just an individual.

It's hard to explain all of this so briefly, and there's a lot more to this, but hopefully that has given you a small taste of how the Word speaks to each of the 3 worldviews, not just the G/I worldview of the West. Try reading the Word in 3-D this week and see what you discover! :)