Giving Honor: A Key to Fruitful Cross-Cultural Partnerships, by Werner Mischke, Mission ONE

A Key to Fruitful  
Cross-Cultural Partnerships
Giving Honor
Werner Mischke / Mission ONE 
werner@mission1.org

Werner Mischke  
Interim President, Mission ONE 
Scottsdale, AZ / mission1.org 
werner@mission1.org
R E S O U R C E T E A M
Jayson Georges
Founder/editor, HonorShame.com
Chris Flanders, PhD  
Abilene Christian University
Werner Mischke 
Blog: wernermischke.org
Jackson Wu, PhD 
Theology & missions professor, China 
Blog: jacksonwu.org

2013 and 2014:
writing The Global Gospel
Published January 2015

©2017 Mission ONE / Created by Werner Mischke / werner@mission1.org
GIVING HONOR—A KEY TO FRUITFUL CROSS-CULTURAL PARTNERSHIPS
OVERVIEW
PROBLEMa) RIVALRY IN THE N.T. WORLD.  
Honor competition and rivalry was a
major part of the culture of the New
Testament world.
b) RIVALRY TODAY. What does rivalry and
honor competition look like in networks
or cross-cultural partnerships today?

OVERVIEW
2
SOLUTIONa) BEING LIKE JESUS—GIVING HONOR.  
Jesus and Paul teach that serving and
giving honor undermine rivalry and  
honor competition.
b) GIVING HONOR—TODAY. What does
“giving honor” look like in networks or
cross-cultural partnerships today? It looks
like empathic listening.

1a
RIVALRY IN THE  
NEW TESTAMENT
WORLD
P R O B L E M

R I VA L RY
HONOR COMPETITION

1a
RIVALRY IN THE N.T. WORLD:  
Honor competition and rivalry was  
a major cultural feature of the  
New Testament world.
P R O B L E M

DEFAULT CULTURE OF
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
HONOR COMPETITION

LOVE OF HONOR
DEFAULT CULTURE OF
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
“philotimia”

And he said to them, “What do you
want me to do for you?” And they
said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one
at your right hand and one at
your left, in your glory.’
‘‘
’’–Mark 10:36–37 ESV
LOVE OF HONOR

CHALLENGE&RIPOSTE:
“social game of push-and-shove” 
DEFAULT CULTURE OF
THE ROMAN EMPIRE

And they came to Capernaum. And when he  
was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you
discussing on the way?’ But they kept silent,  
for on the way they had argued with one
another about who was the greatest.
‘‘
–Mark 9:33–34 ESV
CHALLENGE&RIPOSTE:
“social game of push-and-shove”

IMAGEOFLIMITEDGOOD
“Win-Lose” / everything of value in short supply
DEFAULT CULTURE OF
THE ROMAN EMPIRE

“one person’s superiority means
that another is comparatively
demeaned.”
IMAGEOFLIMITEDGOOD
“Win-Lose” / anything of value in short supply

“BOASTING”
DEFAULT CULTURE OF
THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Paul lived in a face-to- 
face society where self-
advertisement [boasting],
rivalry, and public
competition were a
perpetual cause of  
tension in every day life. …
‘‘
–James M. G. Barclay: Paul and the Gift

As recent research has emphasized, almost all
social relations in Paul’s cultural context were both
ordered and threatened by the competition for
honor. In the absence of “objective” measures of
quality (such as educational qualifications), a
person’s worth was heavily dependent on his
public reputation, a “dignity” energetically
claimed and fiercely defended. …
‘‘

The pursuit or defense of honor was, many
ancient commentators claimed, the chief
motivating force for action: “by nature  
we yearn and hunger for honor, and once
we have glimpsed, as it were, some part of
its radiance, there is nothing we are not
prepared to bear and suffer in order to
secure it” (Cicero, Tusc. 2.24.58). …
‘‘

And challenge was, indeed, the very essence of this
culture. Honor was derived from comparison, from
placing oneself (or being placed by others) higher
on some hierarchical scale, in which one person’s
superiority means that another is comparatively
demeaned. This made honor ever the subject of
contest: indeed, the ordeal or test was the very
arena in which honor was proved.
‘‘

In this environment, every claim to honor
[boast] was a real or potential provocation, and
every challenge required an active riposte.
Honor was a precious but unstable commodity,
requiring active promotion [boasting] and
persistent demonstration in a court of opinion
that continually looked on with a critical eye.
’’James M. G. Barclay, PhD: Paul and the Gift, 
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015), 433–4.
‘‘

“...it is ordinarily overlooked that Rome is
the boasting champion of the ancient
world, filled with honorific monuments and
celebrations of imperial glory.”
Robert Jewett: Romans: A Commentary
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007), 295–6.

According to Strong’s Concordance, the
Greek word forms for boast (kauchaomai,
kauchéma, kauchesis) occur
• 60 times in the New Testament
• 56 times in Paul’s epistles
“boast” in the NT

‘‘
’’Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV
For by grace you have been saved
through faith. And this is not your
own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no
one may boast.

‘‘
’’Galatians 6:14 ESV
But far be it from me to
boast except in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by which the
world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.

You who boast in the
law dishonor God by
breaking the law.‘‘
’’Romans 2:23 ESV

so that, as it is written,  
‘Let the one who boasts,
boast in the Lord.’‘‘
’’1 Corinthians 1:31 ESV

D I S C U S S
In observing the prevalence of
rivalry in the New Testament world,  
what strikes you as relevant  
to your ministry?

We do NOT mean to suggest
… that our Christian networks and
partnerships around the world have  
the same degree of boasting, rivalry,  
or honor competition that plagued  
the New Testament church in  
the Roman Empire.

We DO mean to convey:
… that by bringing to the surface  
the issue of honor status and  
the problem of honor competition  
in the New Testament church— 
along with the specific solutions
provided by Jesus and Paul …

We DO mean to convey:
… we really can achieve greater unity  
in our mission teams, networks, and  
cross-cultural partnerships—for greater
fruitfulness in God’s kingdom.

1b
RIVALRY TODAY
P R O B L E M

1b
RIVALRY TODAY 
What might rivalry and honor
competition look like in networks or
cross-cultural partnerships today?
P R O B L E M

What *might* rivalry (honor competition)
look like today?
• Possible resentment or cynicism—when leaders are chosen
based on default cultural values rather than biblical
servanthood / competence.
• Voices of qualified persons may be marginalized in
decision-making.
• Doubts about fairness: Who will lead? Who is rewarded?
Whose success will be celebrated?

RIVALRY TODAY: The levels of honor status (often
unstated) in a mission team, network, or partnership
may vary according to multiple IDENTITY FACTORS:
• age — young, middle age, old
• gender — male or female
• race — Arab, East Asian, South Asian, Anglo-European,
African, Latino, native/indigenous
• tribe — minority tribe vs majority tribe
• caste — untouchables, lower, mid-level, upper

MORE IDENTITY FACTORS:
• family / kinship — orphan, ‘low’ family, well-known
family, nobility
• economic well being — poor (lower class), middle
class, upper class
• national identity — Western versus Eastern & “Global
South;”American versus any other
• education — little, some college, advanced degrees

We shouldn’t think of rivalry as a
problem that afflicts some peoples
but not others.
Rivalry is a human issue common to
all peoples, although it can certainly
vary in degree of intensity.

D I S C U S S
What do you think might
be two or three unstated
or assumed honor-status
dynamics that are present
in your ministry or
partnership?
• age
• gender
• race
• tribe
• caste
• family / kinship
• economic 
well being
• national identity
• education

What *might* rivalry (honor competition)
look like today?
• Possible resentment or cynicism—when leaders are
chosen based on default cultural values rather than
biblical servanthood / competence.
• Voices of qualified persons may be marginalized in
decision-making.
• Doubts about fairness: Who will lead? Who is rewarded?
Whose success will be celebrated?

D I S C U S S
An example of rivalry
that you have observed in
the ministry?

2a
S O L U T I O N
BEING LIKE JESUS:
GIVING HONOR

S O L U T I O N
Jesus and Paul teach that serving and giving
honor undermine rivalry and honor competition.
BEING LIKE JESUS:
GIVING HONOR

LOVE OF HONORAnd he said to them, “What do you
want me to do for you?” And they
said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one
at your right hand and one at
your left, in your glory.’
‘‘
’’–Mark 10:36–37 ESV
BEING LIKE JESUS

And Jesus called them to him and said
to them, “You know that those who are
considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it
over them, and their great ones exercise
authority over them.
‘‘
–Mark 10:36–37 ESV
LOVE OF HONORBEING LIKE JESUS

But it shall not be so among you.  
But whoever would be great  
among you must be your  
servant…
‘‘ –Mark 10:42–43 ESV
’’

For even the Son of Man came not
to be served but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for many.’‘‘ –Mark 10:45 ESV
’’

JESUS IS TEACHING…
Great honor is accessible to everyone—
regardless of honor status, gender, age,  
race or tribe or caste, family background,
economic position, nationality, or education.
Every believer can gain honor by being a
humble servant in relationship with God.

Jesus is ‘democratizing honor’— 
making accessible to everyone— 
the availability of honor in  
the kingdom of God.

By knowing Christ the King  
and gaining honor through serving, 
the problem of honor competition
and rivalry—is undermined.

What about Paul?
How does Paul address  
rivalry and honor competition  
in the body of Christ?

What about Paul?
He describes the antithesis  
of rivalry—what a unified  
body of Christ looks like.
1 Corinthians 12:21–26 / Romans 12:10

The eye cannot say to the hand,  
‘I have no need of you,’  
nor again the head to the feet,  
‘I have no need of you.’
1 CORINTHIANS 12:21-26
‘‘
’’

On the contrary, the parts of the body that
seem to be weaker are indispensable,
and on those parts of the body that we think
less honorable we bestow  
the greater honor, and our unpresentable
parts are treated with greater modesty, 
which our more presentable  
parts do not require.
‘‘

But God has so composed the body,  
giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
that there may be no division in the body,  
but that the members may have the  
same care for one another.
If one member suffers, all suffer together;  
if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
‘‘

Love one another  
with brotherly affection.  
Outdo one another in  
showing honor.
ROMANS 12:10
‘‘
’’

What principle does  
Paul put forth as a means  
for creating unity?
1 CORINTHIANS 12:21-26 / ROMANS 12:10

Unity in the body of Christ happens in
proportion to the way the so-called
strong and honorable demonstrate
honor and respect toward the  
so-called weak and less honorable.
–The Global Gospel, p. 318
P R I N C I P L E

Supernatural unity happens as  
we intentionally show honor  
to those who seem to have less
honor in the Body of Christ.
P R I N C I P L E

This is what Jesus did.
Giving honor to those who lack it:

BEING LIKE JESUS:
GIVING HONOR

D I S C U S S
What does—or what might—
“giving honor” look like  
in your partnership  
or ministry context?

“Let the elders who rule well be considered
worthy of double honor, especially
those who labor in preaching and
teaching.” (1 Tim 5:17 ESV)
A little nuance … Levels of honor status in a  
Christian community or network may vary  
according to spiritual factors:

• “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom
taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed,
respect to whom respect is owed, honor to
whom honor is owed (Rom 13:7 ESV)
• “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood.  
Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Pet 2:17 ESV)
Moreover, the Bible does not call us to withhold
honor from people who may deserve it according to
political, traditional, or cultural standards:

The only kind of honor
competition befitting Christians is
when they … ‘Outdo one another
in showing honor’ (Rom 12:10).  
–The Global Gospel, p. 111
‘‘
’’

What about the obstacles
‣ emotional
‣ spiritual
‣ cultural
?

Believers are able to more easily  
give honor to those who lack it, when
they themselves have “shame resilience.”
Shame resilience comes from a  
deep awareness of one’s own honor  
in relationship with God the Father  
through Jesus Christ.
The term “shame resilience” is from Brené Brown: Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable
Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (New York: Gotham, 2012).

–Romans 8:14–16 ESV
‘‘
’’
For all who are led by the Spirit of God
are sons of God. … you have received
the Spirit of adoption as sons,  
by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’  
The Spirit himself bears witness with
our spirit that we are children of God.

–John 1:12 ESV
‘‘But to all who did receive him,  
who believed in his name,  
he gave the right to become  
children of God.
’’

If we take seriously the claims of  
Scripture, we must conclude that God  
offers us a surplus of regal honor  
in relationship to our Lord Jesus Christ  
which is nothing short of astounding.
“Honor surplus”

S O L U T I O N
What does “giving honor” look like today  
in networks or cross-cultural partnerships?
GIVING HONOR

On the one hand, it looks
different in every culture.
“giving honor”

On the other hand, there  
is a good way to show
honor that’s common to  
all cultures.
“giving honor”

Levels of listening
I only appear to be listening.  
I’m thinking about something else.
My mind and heart are elsewhere.
And the person I’m talking to  
knows it.
1

Levels of listening
I listen in order to be heard. I’m
thinking about what I will say next.  
I want to make a good impression
by what I say. I may gain
something valuable as a result.
2

Levels of listening
I listen for the information.  
I need the knowledge to be
effective in my job, family,
relationships, or ministry.3

Levels of listening
I listen to understand. I repeat
using many of the same words  
I have heard—so that the person
knows I understand him or her.  
I want to reflect what the person
is thinking.
4

Levels of listening
I listen to understand with
feeling. I interpret what I have
heard using my own words, and  
I try to use the appropriate
emotion. I want to reflect what
the person both thinks and feels.
5

Empathic listening
I listen to understand with
feeling.
Listening with
your heart
5

1 2 3 4 5
I only appear  
to be listening
I listen in order  
to be heard
I listen for
information
I listen to  
understand
I listen
empathically
I’m thinking about
something else.
My mind and
heart are
elsewhere;  
and usually  
the person 
I’m talking to  
knows it.
I’m thinking  
about what I will
say next. I want  
to make a good
impression by
what I say. I may
gain something
valuable as a
result.
I need the
knowledge to  
be effective in  
my work, family,
relationships,
ministry.
I repeat using
many of the  
same words  
I have heard— 
so that the  
person knows I
understand him  
or her. I want  
to reflect what the
person is thinking.
I interpret what  
I have heard using
my own words,
plus I try to use
the appropriate
emotion.
I want to reflect
what the person
both thinks  
and feels.
Five levels of listening

… let every person be quick to hear,  
slow to speak …
‘‘
’’ –James 1:19 ESV

Empathic 
listening
Giving 
honor

LET’S EXAMINE ONE MORE THING:
What if we listen empathically  
with an honor-shame filter?

GIVING HONOR:  
A listening guide  
through honor-shame… 
to understand rivalry
and defuse conflict
The Honor/Shame Wheel
The Global Gospel, p.80

KEY QUESTION: 
What honor-shame
issue may be
involved in the
particular rivalry
or conflict?
GIVING HONOR:  
and defuse conflict

GIVING HONOR:  
and defuse conflict
Love of honor
• Has someone been insulted?  
Is there a loss of honor?
• Does their shame need to be
covered? Their honor restored?
• Is the community gaining or
losing honor?

GIVING HONOR:  
and defuse conflict
Two sources of honor:
ascribed and achieved
Is there a default cultural
standard of ascribed honor
(based on age, family, title, etc)
that conflicts with a standard
solely based on achieved honor?

GIVING HONOR:  
and defuse conflict
Image of limited good
• Has someone in the group
gained honor, making another
person feel demeaned?
• Is recognition given fairly?
• Is the person aggrieved
somehow excluded?

To what extent do you have a  
culture of giving honor  
in your ministry team, network,  
or partnership?

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GIVING HONOR: A Key to Fruitful
Cross-Cultural Partnerships
Thank you
werner@mission1.org

Giving Honor: A Key to Fruitful Cross-Cultural Partnerships, by Werner Mischke, Mission ONE

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