A church member asked me, \u201cWhat\u2019s Asian theology?\u201d when she saw the book I was reading. For point of reference, she\u2019s a bright teacher, has served a number of years as a missionary, and she\u2019s more aware than most of cultural differences. She simply didn\u2019t know, and neither did I\u2014that the Eastern civilization needs theology created by and for its own. When we study engineering there are certain laws and principles that are universally applicable. While it must be translated into one\u2019s language, and the knowledge base might need cultural sensitivity and relevant applications, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and so on, represent static knowledge. That\u2019s likely how many of us consider theology.<\/p>\n
But theology isn\u2019t like engineering; theology seeks understanding regarding life\u2019s biggest questions: \u201cWho is God?\u201d; \u201cWhat is God up to?\u201d; \u201cWho are we\u201d; \u201cWhat\u2019s gone wrong?\u201d etc. That knowledge is communicated within the context of the cultural norms of the society for which it was developed. It\u2019s no surprise that the Christianized West has a theological knowledge attuned to its constituency. I\u2019m not saying that there are no universal truths; there most certainly are, but the way in which we hear, receive, and live out of those truths will be very different in Asia. I\u2019d also argue, along with Simon Chan in \u201cGrassroots Asian Theology,\u201d [1]<\/a> that the Asian cultural context will often have more in common with New Testament cultural norms and paradigms than ours. Authentic Asian theology will find fewer obstacles to embracing authentic New Testament faith.<\/p>\n For a Western Christian living in Asia, it won\u2019t take long for your frustration level to rise; you will become more aware of your own self-righteousness than ever before. For example, as an American evangelical I have a fairly keen sense of right and wrong. I see a failure in myself or in others and call it sin; I repent, I change. But while living in Thailand I realized most Asians don\u2019t own their mistakes or shortcomings. They call it \u201cSaving face.\u201d But then how do they improve a process or a practice if they don\u2019t own a mistake? More importantly, how do they come to Christ if they don\u2019t repent of their sin?<\/p>\n For a typical Asian, \u201csin\u201d connotes a serious crime; if you say to an Asian \u201cyou\u2019re a sinner in need of a Savior,\u201d they are likely to take offense, knowing they didn\u2019t murder anyone. Their philosophical underpinnings allows for minor mistakes. [2]<\/a> Whereas Western theology emphasizes our guilt and God\u2019s grace, Asian theology emphasizes shame and honor. Chan documents that there is actually more said in the Bible about shame and honor than guilt and innocence. [3]<\/a> Sin recast from an Asian perspective is characterized by offending the honor of another person. A person who sins brings shame to his or her family, or community; they fail to bring the honor and glory to God that He deserves.<\/p>\n One theologian, Robert Jewett, looked at Romans through an honor-shame template and found that \u201crighteousness\u201d is virtually synonymous with honor and glory. He drew out the implication that it\u2019s less about the legal act of being made right \u201cas a divine act in which the sinner\u2019s shame is removed and a new status of honor is bestowed in Christ. Salvation, then, has to do with being given a new status of honor in Christ.\u201d [4]<\/a> So salvation, in Asian theology, emphasizes the imputing of Christ\u2019s righteousness\/honor more so than the forgiveness of sins.<\/p>\n Another difference is in the Asian approach to the Trinity. The Asian would see the Monarchy of the Father; they would make much of the hierarchy between the Father and the Son, the giving and receiving of glory and honor within the Divine family, as well as the role of subordination, of obedience. From a Western mindset, we are more likely to focus on their equality, and their distinct roles\u2014ignoring the hierarchical structure.<\/p>\n I\u2019m just scratching the surface of the differences in theology, differences that can initially feel like \u201csomething must be wrong\u201d! Our initial reactions are often uninformed and na\u00efve. Asians need their own theology, they need God\u2019s word understood and applied to their context. They can honor God and his word by answering life\u2019s greatest questions from their own point of reference with God\u2019s Word as their source of truth.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Simon Chan, Grassroots Asian Theology: Thinking the Faith from the Ground Up<\/em> (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014).<\/p>\n