Honor and Shame: Unlocking the Door [Paperback]

Roland Muller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2001

In this book, Roland Muller removes the mystique from shame-based cultures. Using the Bible, he introduces us to honor, shame, and fear-based cultures, illustrating their development over the years and demonstrating their influence on our understanding of

Product Details

• Paperback: 122 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris; 1st edition (March 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738843164
• ISBN-13: 978-0738843162
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing Beyond Our Cultural Eye-Glasses, August 24, 2005

By 

Rachel O. (Des Plaines, IL United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Honor and Shame: Unlocking the Door (Paperback)

I read this book after it came highly recommended by the president of the Evangelical Missions Society, and several college professors - and I do not regret it in the least. Rolland Mueller enables us to see beyond our cultural eye-glasses by laying out the anthropological concept of guilt based, fear based and shame based societies.

As Westerners shaped by logic, philosophy, rhetoric and a theological system developed by lawyer/theologians, our views are based on guilty vs. not guilty. Our presentation of the Gospel thus is laid out in legal system terms- guilt, redemption, paying the price for iniquity, etc. However, the rest of the world thinks much differently: Asian and Middle Eastern societies tend to focus on shame and honor, African and many tribal cultures focus on fear.

The author then proceeds to demonstrate that God is not only concerned with humanity's guilt, but that salvation was meant to resolve our problems of guilt AND shame AND fear. A portion is dedicated to viewing the effects of the fall through the three cultural mindsets (sin brought guilt, shame and fear into the world), which is Biblically rooted. The book shows how Christ's death on the cross was meant to redeem mankind from their guilt, shame and fear and bring them into a correct relationship with God in each of these areas. Finally, special notes are made concerning how these truths relate to evangelism and missions. An excellent book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who knows a person from a different culture!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rings true, but could use more support for the ideas., October 27, 2006

By 

Margaret K. Smith (Littleton CO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Honor and Shame: Unlocking the Door (Paperback)

This book contains some good thinking and useful pictures and principles. Numerous times I said, "Yes, that's how it is!" I have seen these things play out in many different countries.

On the other hand the book has several limitations, most of which come from its method of publication. XLibris is what we would have once called a "Vanity Press," offering printing more than editing. Those kind of things are more mainstream than they once were, but they keep a book from being the best it could be. Having an editor is a good thing! This book would be more helpful and more influential if someone academic had held the author's feet to the fire and made him give credit to his sources through footnotes, etc. There is a good bibliography/suggested resources section, though.

For such a small volume it is rather expensive as well.

Muller has come out with a new book that combines these ideas and those from several other books he has written; I wonder if he has addressed some of these weaknesses?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Thesis, February 26, 2011

By 

T. Trowbridge (Los Altos, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Honor and Shame: Unlocking the Door (Paperback)

Honor and Shame takes a look at the way cultures base their behaviors. The theme is very interesting and helpful for anyone working with Honor/Shame styles. I wish that the book included more anecdotes and stories to support the thesis. There were a couple of good examples like the response when a lifeguard blows a whistle.