Here it is: the single most important book I've read over the last 3 years. And if you know how much I read, that's saying something. I've been steadily preparing for my long-term ministry since 2015. This includes reading A LOT of books--some required by my agency, some required by my church, some recommended by other global workers, and some assigned as homework in various classes--but if there is one that revolutionized the way I approach ministry, it's "The 3D Gospel."
The reason I enjoyed this book so much was that it changed the narrative of salvation for me. Does that sound blasphemous? Let me explain. The narrative of salvation in the western church revolves around individual guilt: I am sinful and I will be found guilty by God at the Judgment Day. But Jesus intercedes for us and, because of His righteousness, we are found innocent. This resonates with us in the West because our culture operates under a guilt-redemption paradigm. But the differences between cultures are rooted down at the heart level; instead of guilt-redemption, most of the rest of the world operates under either the shame-honor or fear-power paradigm. This is to say, their greatest human need is not necessarily salvation from guilt, but rather, restoration of honor or freedom from fear. If this sounds intriguing, there is a whole website of resources dedicated to the subject: honorshame.com. There you can find the background of the author's anthropological research, the ebook, videos, sermons, and alternative ways to present the Gospel. Do yourself a favor and check it out!
The reason I enjoyed this book so much was that it changed the narrative of salvation for me. Does that sound blasphemous? Let me explain. The narrative of salvation in the western church revolves around individual guilt: I am sinful and I will be found guilty by God at the Judgment Day. But Jesus intercedes for us and, because of His righteousness, we are found innocent. This resonates with us in the West because our culture operates under a guilt-redemption paradigm. But the differences between cultures are rooted down at the heart level; instead of guilt-redemption, most of the rest of the world operates under either the shame-honor or fear-power paradigm. This is to say, their greatest human need is not necessarily salvation from guilt, but rather, restoration of honor or freedom from fear. If this sounds intriguing, there is a whole website of resources dedicated to the subject: honorshame.com. There you can find the background of the author's anthropological research, the ebook, videos, sermons, and alternative ways to present the Gospel. Do yourself a favor and check it out!
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