Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, Brad Vaughn
Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, Brad Vaughn
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Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes
Honor and Shame in Paul's Message and Mission

Author: Brad Vaughn, E. Randolph Richards

Narrator: P.J. Ochlan

Unabridged: 10 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/23/2020


Synopsis

What does it mean to "read Romans with Eastern eyes"?

Combining research from Asian scholars with his many years of experience living and working in East Asia, Jackson directs our attention to Paul's letter to the Romans. He argues that some traditional East Asian cultural values are closer to those of the first-century biblical world than common Western cultural values. In addition, he adds his voice to the scholarship engaging the values of honor and shame in particular and their influence on biblical interpretation.

As readers, we bring our own cultural fluencies and values to the text. Our biases and backgrounds influence what we observe—and what we overlook. This book helps us consider ways we sometimes miss valuable insights because of widespread cultural blind spots.

In Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, Jackson demonstrates how paying attention to East Asian culture provides a helpful lens for interpreting Paul's most complex letter. When read this way, we see how honor and shame shape so much of Paul's message and mission.

About Brad Vaughn

Brad Vaughn (formerly published under the pseudonym Jackson W.; PhD, Southeastern Baptist) is theologian in residence with Global Training Network. He previously lived and worked in East Asia for almost two decades, teaching theology and missiology for Chinese pastors. He serves on the Asian/Asian-American Theology steering committee of the Evangelical Theological Society and is the author of Saving God's Face, One Gospel for All Nations, Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, and Seeking God's Face.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Eusebiu

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 th......more

Goodreads review by 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, humiliatio......more

Goodreads review by 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......more

Goodreads review by 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 interpretatio......more

Goodreads review by 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......more