Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Paul's Message and Mission by Jackson W.

Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Paul's Message and Mission Reviews

• 
  Eusebiu Florescu

  The mission of the book is very interesting, yet it's execution was a bit dull. Some ideas have been repeated endlessly in virtually every chapter.
  
  The book even started on the premise that it won't be an exhaustive commentary, nor just plain ideas thrown over the texts. I feel the author did just that, but did not deliver.
  
  I even skipped some chapters, since I could not bear to read the same ideas stated in no different words and linked to different passages of the Romans letter.
  
  All in all, it is still interesting to gain the perspective of honor and shame culture applied on the letter to Rome's church and I wished it to have been more engaging.
• 
  Andrew

  For those like me who are steeped in Western individualism, the honor-shame dynamics of the Bible are hiding in plain sight.
  
  Honor abounds in the Bible as seen in words like glory, name, blessing, praise, clean, renown, glorify, beloved. Shame words are equally plentiful—ashamed, accursed, humiliation, wretched, forgotten, reproach, despised, mocking, crushed, reviled, cursed.
  
  The dynamic of corporate identity comes to the fore in Scripture far more than many of us imagine. This book (a series of essays that move through the letter chapter by chapter rather than a verse-by-verse commentary) does not seek to undo centuries of analysis in the Western tradition that emphasizes sin and guilt. Rather the author seeks to place alongside that viewpoint another dimension that deepens our understanding of Paul’s most theological letter.
  
  The author defines honor as “one’s perceived worth according to the agreed standards of a particular social context” (14) As such, honor can be achieved or ascribed. In the West we lay greater emphasis on the first. The East emphasizes the second. But we still see a number of honor/shame-oriented subgroups still thriving in Western culture—the military, street gangs, teenagers, sports teams, and rural communities. The fear of shame can effectively control the behavior of these members.
  
  God’s glory gets particular emphasis in this book. As the author says in his discussion of Romans 4:20-21, “Genuine faith in God magnifies his worth. By faith, we honor him” (48). In this vein Romans often focuses on how God deals with Jews and non-Jews, bringing them both into his family, to glorify him. A Jewish sense of superiority relegates God to a tribal deity. Therefore, “Romans contradicts the idea that ethnic conflict is a second-tier concern for the church” (65).
  
  Just a couple other highlights. The author’s analysis of Romans 7 (famous for Paul’s use of first person—“What I want to do I do not do,” etc.) is of particular interest. He makes a strong case that this seemingly quintessential discussion of the individual instead “refers collectively to Israel during the exodus” (132).
  
  Later the author critiques ancestor worship but also helps us sympathize with it by quoting Chesterton: “Tradition means giving a vote to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who happen to be walking around.” Tradition can be good, but it does not eclipse God. He is the “Lord both of the living and the dead” (Rom 14:9).
  
  This book does not dismantle everything we ever thought we knew about Romans. Rather it enriches our understanding of the letter by getting behind the honor-shame culture that infused the Bible’s world.
• 
  DeAnna

  This book is not a commentary on Romans but an exegetical study on Romans through an Eastern lens. It doesn’t go verse by verse but more chapter by chapter. Because of this, I would highly recommend reading Romans alongside this book. It just so happens we are going verse by verse through Romans in church right now and this book was especially helpful as I studied.
  
  Jackson W.(the author uses a pseudonym for security purposes as he does work in Eastern Asia) does not add or take away from God’s Word in this book and he doesn’t force cultural assumptions into the Bible. What this book does is offer a perspective that brings to light observations that one with a Western perspective may not have seen otherwise. Interestingly, Eastern cultures have more similarities to ancient Biblical culture than Western cultures do and I felt that this book, in some ways, brought me closer to the perspective of Paul and the people he was speaking to at that moment in time.
  
  Since reading the Bible in its entirety in 2019 I’ve been studying translation and how my own American cultural background affects the way I read Scripture. I think it’s so important not to take Scripture out of context and I’ve found it useful to strip away some personal obstacles in order to read Scripture with the clearest lens possible. The author here strips away individualistic perspective and brings to light context in the collectivistic perspective of Paul’s writing in Romans. We are, after all, a group/family of God’s people striving to follow Christ regardless of where we come from, what we do for a living, what our names are and what we look like.
  
  I wouldn’t say this book is “easy reading” but I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading it. It’s eye opening and I think its purpose is important. There are a lot of Greek terms explained and I enjoyed expanding my knowledge there.
• 
  Ruth

  As the author reminds us in his introduction, any monocultural lens is myopic. A reading of Romans from an East Asian perspective teases out elements of collective identity, honor/shame, and other aspects sometimes overlooked by Western readers. There are implications here for biblical interpretation and practical theology. Though the tone pitches more academic, it's still quite accessible. Strongly recommended.
• 
  Aaron

  As a third-generation Asian American, I have learned to see how my family values have shaped who I am today. I do not speak any Chinese and I never practiced any Eastern religion, but the concepts of honor and shame are still strong in my mind. Undoubtedly, this mindset has influenced how I read the Bible.
  
  Reading Romans
  
  In Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes – Christianity Today’s 2020 Book of the Year Award of Merit - Biblical Studies – we are shown how honor and shame play an integral role in Paul’s message and mission. The author of this book, using the pseudonym “Jackson W.,” lives and works in East Asia and must write under a pseudonym for security reasons as he teaches theology and missiology for Chinese pastors at a seminary in Asia. Although Jackson W. is not Chinese, I resonated deeply with the way he explained Chinese culture.
  
  The book begins with the claim that an honor-shame perspective has at least three distinguishing emphases: tradition, relationship, and hierarchy. This is how a person’s social status or “face” is shaped.
  
  Eastern Eyes
  
  In an interesting example, we are shown the way people seek attention is how honor-shame can work in the West. For instance, people seek face/honor on social media by receiving likes on their Facebook posts or by posting videos on YouTube. Making good grades or wearing stylish clothing are other examples.
  
  This book is not a cultural study or commentary. It is an exegetical book that looks closely at key texts in the book of Romans while tracing the themes of honor and shame. And it is not always the same way we think of honor and shame as Westerners. The theological terms of sin, works, and glory are not redefined, but reexamined. Other topics include loyalty, honor, and insiders versus outsiders. At just over 200 pages, there is a lot to cover and explore.
  
  Honor and Shame
  
  This book will reward a slow, careful read for those who want to look closely at the Biblical text. To help, the author often uses Western examples to show how we perpetuate the same Eastern values in our own context. Kapernick, Obama, and even the movie Inception are mentioned as illustrations. And examples that hit closer to home include the culture of honor/shame in middle school and our need to be validated via social media.
  
  In many ways, I am still steeped in Eastern values. I attend a church of predominantly Asian Americans. I work with a ministry that platforms Asian Americans. So this book was a warning and exhortation to remember that I belong to a global and historical church, yet I can still value the uniqueness of my culture.
  
  Message and Mission
  
  With our adopted son Linus, I am still learning how we need to look at our different cultures and celebrate their beauty. As a husband and father, I am encouraged to not cling to our culture too closely, but to help my family stay close to Christ and his kingdom. And as a member of the body of Christ, I am thankful for Jesus’ global reign.
  
  I was provided a free copy of Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes but was not required to write a positive review.
• 
  Michael Brooks

  An exceptional book that challenges every presumption you have of Romans--but in a good way. At times intensely dense but that is because as a Westerner your whole paradigm is challenged. Thus, not only rigorous argumentation and exegesis need to be wrestled with, but also a a turning on its head of your cultural values.
  
  The author does draw from much of the new scholarship regarding Paul bringing to light many new observations but is quick to integrate rather than disregard more traditional readings. All in all, excellent, challenging, enriching, and rigorous. Praise God for his rigteous saving actions toward us in Christ to vindicate His name, and bring us glory out of shame, by brining us into His glory.
• 
  Heather

  Would not recommend the audiobook. Would be better to read a hard copy with Romans open to reference.
• 
  Tim

  A very interesting look at interpreting Romans. A must for any student of Romans, but primarily for cross-cultural workers. A very valuable tool.
• 
  Michael Philliber

  Since we live in our own social and communal fishbowls we can't often see the glass surrounding us. We may bump into the hard, transparent walls, but because we have grown up in that bowl with others, then it all feels normal, typical, even catholic/universal. Sometimes it is helpful to hear from someone who has been in different cultural aquariums, to come back to try and tell us how others have experienced life. Jackson W. (pseudonym), has lived and worked in East Asia for almost two decades as well as serving on the Asian/Asian-American Theology steering committee of the Evangelical Theological Society, has "jumped back" into our bowl to guide us in reading Romans with the eyes, experience, and imagery from another vivarium. "Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Paul's Message and Mission" is a 208 page education on one aspect of Asian perspectives. And it is a scholarly paperback that functions like a mini-commentary on a momentous biblical book!
  
  Jackson W. wants to aid readers so that by "reading Romans with Eastern eyes, we can discern key ideas and applications often overlooked or underemphasized by Western interpreters" and especially the significance of honor and shame in Paul's writing, as well as his mission and message (2). The author explains what an "Eastern" perspective is, generally, and especially the roles of tradition, relations, hierarchy, and the varied dimensions of honor and shame. He further examines honor and shame in Scripture, and how the word "glory" plays into this; "Paul in Romans demonstrates how humanity's honor is inextricably interwoven with God's glory" (22). For those who have read her work, the author draws extensively from Haley Goranson Jacob's "Conformed to the Image of His Son".
  
  "Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes" wades into every chapter of Romans, and almost verse-by-verse. The author teases out nuances and differences such as the pairings of Jews and Greeks, Greeks and Barbarians, and what Paul was up to by this. He gives insight into the social and cultural notions that divided people around ethnicity, and how in Paul's Gospel-schema, the "church's missional ambition is undermined when believers use culture to define insiders and outsiders" (36). The author paddles through the deeps of justification, sanctification, creation, and re-creation. And he regularly comes back around to this kind of thinking, "Justification concerns social identity just as much it does salvation. If believers' fundamental group identity centers on anything other than those who have faith in Christ's resurrection, they effectively divide his kingdom" (95). This leads him to rightly break out Romans in this way, "Romans 1-11 largely focus on historical and theological convictions uniting Christ's followers. Beginning in Romans 12, Paul shifts his attention to how God transforms the church's practice" (161).
  
  Page after Page in "Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes" honor and shame bob and weave their way through. Shame has to do with losing face before another - especially God; whereas justification "in Romans is a way of recognizing a person's honorable status, that is, one's identity as Abraham's offspring...Justification by faith creates a new community whose ascribed honor does not stem from standard social distinctions" (85). The author goes on to affirms that justification is the gracious ascription of Christ's honor to Christ's people. This book gave me much to reflect on, especially in the ways shame and honor play out in Romans and the rest of Scripture. It is well worth a second and third read! I highly recommend this volume, and would encourage pastors, seminary professors, and theology students to grab a copy quickly and pour over it keenly!
  
  My thanks to IVP Academic for responding to my request for a review copy of this book, which I used to make my assessments. They neither demurred, nor demanded anything of me other than that I complete a written examination. Forthwith I have accomplished my task, and freely.
• 
  Joel Wentz

  An extremely valuable addition to the post-Reformation, Western-dominated literature on Paul's most influential letter. Jackson W amplifies themes that are too-quickly glossed over in the "Romans Road" interpretation many of us were raised on. The idea of "saving face" (ie. honor) is a really helpful lens for understanding the nuances in Paul's arguments, especially as it relates to concepts like sin and the history of Israel - how will God preserve God's own honor, given the promises made to Israel in the past, and now that Gentiles have free access to God's family? This alone puts chapters 9-11 back into their proper place, rather than the interminable debates about election and predestination. Jackson also puts forward one of the best interpretations of Romans 7 I've ever encountered, which is worth the price of the book alone.
  
  This book has academic rigor, but is never difficult to read. Jackson utilizes pastoral illustrations and analogies throughout, some of which I found extremely thought-provoking (esp. in the discussion on Romans 13). I will certainly be returning to this book, and I highly commend it to ministry leaders in Western-Reformed contexts.
• 
  Christian Orton

  I don't know how many people have "shelves of honor" (pun intended) in their homes, but if you do, this book deserves a place next to the C.S. Lewis, N.T. Wright and Ken Bailey books you likely have there.
  
  You do not have to know much about eastern culture, and China specifically, to understand everything in this book. Wu does a fantastic job explaining cultural differences and leading you to a good understanding between western/eastern.
  
  As someone who has really struggled with many parts of Romans, this book is a revelation. You really get the flavor of the book and the reason for Paul's writing it. As I've studied Scripture more and more, I've come to realize how much an understanding of honor/shame is critical to understanding a lot of Scripture and you'll definitely come away with a better understanding of honor/shame. This is one of the clearest teachings I've ever read on it.
  
  Seriously, buy it. It's absolutely worth the price. And you'll want to read it twice to see what you missed the first time.
• 
  Tim

  A fairly unique book that sheds some new light on this important book of the Bible.
  
  If you have read "Misreading scripture with Western eyes," you would find this one to be based on similar ideas, but much more focused on exegesis. While not an exhaustive commentary, it covers every section of the book and offers insight through the lens of honor, shame, and the Eastern worldview.
  
  As a result, it highlights areas of the book that a Westerner might overlook. Similar to John Barclay's "Paul and the Gift," this book shows how the gospel of grace was meant to establish a reciprocal relationship between God and us. The gospel also provides people with a new identity, and a new basis for unity with one another. This adds a lot of importance to the latter chapters of romans, which are really the application of the earlier chapters. Unity is a gospel issue: it is the practical out working of the gospel, and provides honor to God.
  
  The author offers many cultural insights from his life in China, and overall adds a lot of new color to some familiar pages of scripture.
• 
  Rick

  Jackson W. leads you deftly through Paul’s letter to the Romans and draws out the very important dynamics of honor and shame that are too easy to miss coming from a 21st century individualist background. He guides us through Paul’s intent in writing this letter, how sin is best described as dishonoring God, how Christ vindicates God’s righteousness, and how the gospel changes our fundamental identity into God’s family. This book is scholarly yet quite practical. I am most challenged to grow in the areas of unity and where do I seek approval. The call to church unity drawn from this letter must not be missed. This book really helps us read Romans with a clearer mind more in tune to Paul’s message.
  P.S. it’s also been great to get to study the book with the author himself!
• 
  Thomas

  Wu (a pseudonym) provides a fascinating look at the book of Romans from a shame/honor perspective, which pushes against the common approach to Romans from a Western legal perspective. While not a commentary, Wu walks through key sections in Romans and draws out the collectivist orientation that accompanies shame/honor culture. He draws from eastern shame/honor stories to illustrate his points and draw the reader in. Wu is careful to not prioritize shame/honor over other perspectives, but rather he is attempting to offer something more modest by utilizing a shame/honor lens. Given the amount of insight found in its pages, this is essential reading for any serious student of Romans.
• 
  James Wallace

  What a great concise read! Wu does an excellent job distilling for the reader what honor/shame culture is and looks like and then applies that to the Epistle to the Romans. For those in ministry with anyone outside the West, this book is immensely helpful and for the individualist church in America, this book should be considered a helpful tool for walking in Christ together
• 
  Dan Bouchelle

  This book provides a perspective that is badly needed in the American church during an era of outraged polarization. It helps recover the adaptive side of honor-shame perspectives and protects against the distortions of western individualism. While it does occasionally get lost in the weeds, it is not a long read, and the insights are well worth the occasional slog.
• 
  Erin Henry

  3.5 I couldn’t tell if the author wanted us to understand the eastern context of the Bible or understand how to not offend Eastern thinkers when talking about the Bible. Maybe he wanted to do both but it was unclear. That said I do have a better understanding of honor and shame. The book drags in the middle but the last three chapters are very interesting.
• 
  Susan

  Ended up taking over a year to get through this book. It was good to pick up when was ready to do some deep reflection on my own journey and points of view.
  Some advice - Keep the letter to the Romans beside you as you read this, and stop whenever a comment or insight prompts further exploring or reflection. Taken this way, it is a meandering but very worthwhile journey to take.
• 
  Aeromama

  Entertaining: 3/10
  Transformational: 5/10
  
  A decent take at examining Romans through an Eastern lens.
  
  What I loved:
  * reminder of God's specific heart for the nations
  * honor-shame culture and healthy collectivism
  * use of gifts in antiquity
  * creed, reverence, commitment
  * How vs. Who is justified
  
  What I didn't love:
  * pacing and balance
  * forced inductive reasoning can feel deductive
• 
  Sarah

  I enjoyed parts of this book very much, especially towards the end. Overall, though, the book lacked a clear focus, which frequently proved frustrating as I wasn’t quite sure what the point of certain arguments was, or how they connected to eastern or honor/shame perspectives.
• 
  Perry Siddons

  Helpful resource for seeing the honour/shame elements in Romans, which thus, I believe, contributes toward understanding how the church actually functions as a community rather than nebulous individuals.
• 
  Amberinhonduras

  This was important and good information but dry and packed with info. I didn't love the narrator so it was a bit of a struggle to get through. I think if I had it to do over I would read the actual book and just take small coins at a time.
• 
  Randy Mccracken

  Excellent in helping the student appreciate the ancient background on Romans and how that helps with interpreting Romans.
• 
  Sunni | vanreads

  Review to come
• 
  Andrew K

  good stuff
• 
  Asher Witmer

  Helpful resource for understanding how an easterner would understand Romans.