The 3D Gospel: Which Dimension Do You See from the Gospel?

The Gospel for All Cultures: An Interview with Jayson Georges

When I moved to Cambodia, I realized that I viewed the Gospel from one dimension.  Understandably, I had only lived in one country and only one state, Texas.  I grew up in one culture, the South.  Furthermore, I had been raised in one religion, Christianity.  I, like most North Americans, view Christianity from what is termed a “Western” perspective.  Before moving to Asia, I emphasized the Gospel message from a cultural context that had the most meaning to me.  During my time in Asia, God has taught me how to see the Gospel from multiple cultural dimensions. He  has shown me the importance of viewing the Gospel as 3D.
 

              Did you know the Gospel is presented in 3D (meaning 3 different cultures)?  Western Christians (typically North Americans or British) view the Gospel from what is called the (1) “Guilt-Innocence” culture.  This is a culture where people who break the law are guilty and seek justice or forgiveness to rectify wrong. (2) Shame-Honor culture (common in the East like Cambodia) is where people, shamed for not fulfilling group expectations, seek to restore honor to the community.  (3) Lastly, Fear-Power cultures (typically tribal or African) refer to cultures where people, afraid of evil and harm, pursue power over the spirit through magical rituals.

A Global Map of Culture Types available @ HonorShame.com

               

God speaks to the primary heart desires of all cultures – innocence, honor, and power.  

              Now, not everyone is 100% one culture or another. Most have a combination of all three. However as Westerners, many of us predominately see the Gospel through the guilt-innocent lens.

              Did you know the Gospel message was written in 3D to capture all people in all cultures?  Paul explains the three components of salvation in Ephesians:

1)Guilt-Innocence: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins”.  God “made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions”

2)Shame-Honor: “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ”.  “You are no longer foreigner’s and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household”.

3)Fear-Power: “That power is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at this right hand…far above all rule and authority, power and dominion”

While theology from Western contexts address guilt/innocence, and emphasizes how God forgives and acquits guilty sinners, the Majority World cultures desire honor to cover shame and power to mitigate fear.  Despite the prominence of shame-honor and fear-power dynamics in global cultures, there remain conspicuous blind spots in most Christian theology.  The cultures of the Biblical world were primarily shame-based and fear-based.  The salvation story of the Bible presents a theology and missiology for all three types of cultures.  The contemporary church must also present the 3D Gospel in various cultural contexts.

            To learn more about the 3D Gospel or if you are planning to join a short-term mission team on a journey into a new country, then I would encourage you to read The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures by Jayson Georges. It is a short read just 74 pages!  I would also encourage mission pastors and ministers to ask their mission teams to read this short book so they are prepared to share the Gospel in a 3D cultural context.

TAKE THE CULTURE TEST TO FIND OUT WHICH CULTURE YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST:

 theculturetest.com

Blessings,

Tricia