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5/31/2009 List of postings: Mar '09 to May '09 Here is an index of this quarter's postings (March '09 to May '09). Clicking on the titles will take you to that post.During this quarter the blog again clocked up over 10,000 page views - thanks everyone for reading! It's always encouraging to hear how these articles have informed ministry and stimulated reflection. This quarter featured a series of articles about the Chinese concept of 'face' (March 22, April 08 and 21, May 01, 15 and 30). These have taken a significant amount of time to process and write - which is why there have been longer gaps between posts. A number of people have already mentioned to me how helpful these have been in shedding light on Chinese culture. Also significant this quarter was a post on how to strengthen ourselves against temptation (March 13) - an area that I find most Christians have very poorly thought out answers! If you're looking for some short articles to stimulate discussion and thought for your ministry team, I recommend checking those out! March 2009 13 The affections - and fighting temptationApril 2009 08 Face in Chinese culture: what face revealsMay 2009 01 Face in Chinese culture: jealousy for God's face[ PS: during this period, which were your favourite posts? which ones did you feel strongly about? ] 5/30/2009 Face in Chinese culture: just us Chinese? We've looked at a lot of stuff about 'face' in Chinese culture. And not just Chinese - 'face' also plays a big role in Korean and Japanese societies as well!And we've seen that 'face' can be so important that it becomes an idol for us. We consider our own 'face' more important than God's. We are prepared to put the preservation of our 'face' over and above the good of other people and relationships. It overrides the concern for truth - and sometimes even of life itself! And such a preoccupation with 'face' can become ungodly. But face consciousness is not just an Asian thing... To a lesser extent, the concept of face also occurs in non-Asian cultures as well! In his article on face, David Ho notes the Western phenomenon of keeping up with the Joneses, gentlemen fighting gun duels they know they will lose, and codes of honour in elitist groups in society. How strange that such powerful factors can be at play in the Western world to make people spend unnecessarily, and even face certain death! Especially in the Western world, which is so much in the grip of individualism! And that's because cultures are never purely one thing or another... Yes, people in the East may be mostly driven by collectivism - but they aren't bees! there is still an element of individualism in the culture. And on the whole, people in the West can be characterised by individualism - but there is still a significant element of collectivisim still there. It may be unacknowledged, and even denied. Especially so since, in the West, the ideal person is the self-sufficient individual, and to admit to following others is to be less than a complete person! Yet there is an element of face consciousness in the behaviour of Western people. Consider:
This is not to say that Western cultures are face conscious in the same way, or to the same extent as Chinese cultures are. No! But there is a concern for what others think, and for one's own reputation and dignity, that cannot simply be explained by Western Individualism. It may have different names (such as pride, or common decency, or good manners) - but at its core is a kind of collectivism. It's not just a Chinese thing! In fact at the end of his article David Ho writes that, "Face is distinctively human ... While it is true that the conceptualisation of what constitutes face and the rules governing face behaviour vary considerably across cultures, the concern for face is invariant." Yes, face consciousness is a massively significant element in the workings of Chinese social groups - and instead of being ignored or protected, it must be brought under the Lordship of Christ, when Chinese people come to the gospel. But we musn't also lose sight of the fact that face consciousness also plays a role in the social behaviour of Westerners... [ PS: any last thoughts about face from you? ] 5/29/2009 GFC - not enough of a crisis? For some people, the Global Financial Crisis is exactly that - a crisis.It's a crisis for for economists who have seen the sudden collapse of financial systems and institutions they thought were very strong. And it's such a crisis that governments have been pumping billions of dollars into economies to prevent them from stalling. And it's also a crisis for retirees and those close to retirement who have suddenly seen their retirement savings disappear almost overnight, or their retirement plans placed on hold indefinitely. For these people, their whole lives - their worldview - will have changed dramatically. But for many others, it's hasn't really been very much of a crisis... Oh sure, some of us may have been fearful of losing our jobs, or have even lost jobs. It's a crisis on that level - but it's not actually been a very great crisis in the end. Because those of us who are still relatively young and marketable, we believe we still have a long time to build up our wealth - we are not really all that worried! You see, our world really hasn't changed very much. In reality, many of us will still trust in wealth! In a few years many of us will still be investing feverishly like we were before. In a few years many of us will still look eagerly for the stockmarket to again increase our wealth inexorably. Once we know our jobs are secure, many of us will get right back into looking for that next promotion to take us higher and further in our careers. In the end, the Global Financial Crisis will not have shaken our same basic trust in wealth. Yes, it will have been an inconvenience - it may have put our plans on hold for a few years, and it will definitely mean higher taxation for many years to come! But for most of us, the GFC won't really have taught us that wealth is unreliable... 10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; [ PS: how much has the GFC really affected the worldview of your friends and colleagues? ] 5/25/2009 Looking for property for a church plant? In the Sydney Morning Herald last week I read an article, titled Goodbye, deli: shops closing by the dozen. Here is part of it:Glebe Point Road has become littered with empty shopfronts since the financial crisis hit, with at least 12 businesses shutting down. Signs in empty windows reveal that many have been locked out by landlords impatient for rental arrears. In case you didn't know, this is actually an effect of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). In terms of impact of the GFC, so far you've probably seen people in certain industries lose their jobs as companies lose business. But this is what's in store in the next phase of the GFC. And what you see here is actually only the start of it, as more and more businesses find it hard to renew their business loans.
In order to lend money, banks need more than just the deposits from people's bank accounts - banks also borrow from each other. However the GFC eroded trust between lending institutions, and therefore banks became unwilling to lend to one another. This means that banks suddenly have less money available to lend to to home buyers and businesses.
So what do these banks do? They can either stop lending to home buyers - or they can stop lending to businesses. You still see ads for home loans on TV - and that's because banks are choosing to stop lending to businesses. This means that when a small business (eg. a shoe shop, or a deli) goes back to the bank to renew their business loan, they are refused - because the bank just doesn't have as much money to lend as they once did. Even if that business is doing well, they may still be unable to renew their loans - because banks just don't have the money to lend to home buyers as well as businesses. And so that shoe shop can't get the capital to buy more stock.
The result? More and more small businesses closing up. More and more empty shopfronts in your local shopping centre.
The implication of this for pastoral ministry is pretty obvious - pastoral care for those who have lost jobs, or who have seen the business they have built vanish overnight.
But there is something else as well... the flood of busines property onto the market will mean that prices to buy and lease will drop towards the end of this year. It's the simple mechanics of supply and demand - lots of supply, not enough demand. And so if your church is thinking of a church plant or a new location, then the GFC provides a rare opportunity to secure business property for a church plant at a very good price - if your church has the money. Because over the next few months you'll increasingly find that warehouse sites, shopfronts and office lots are becoming much more affordable!
[ PS: thanks to Robin for the insightful chat in the car! ] 5/15/2009 Face in Chinese culture: the good face of respectable ones 1. The foundation of a good faceIf you recall, there are two kinds of face: lien, and mien-tzu. While mien-tzu is the kind of face someone can increase in by success in life, and visible displays of position and status, lien is not the kind of face you can grow in. But more importantly while a person starts off in life with no mien-tzu, everyone starts off with the same level of lien. This is the same basic level of moral uprightness that everyone is assumed to have as honest, decent members of society. Loss of mien-tzu is embarrasing - but loss of lien is catastrophic. When someone loses lien for immoral or socially disagreeable behaviour, society loses their trust in that person, and they are no longer able to function. And so catastrophic is the loss of lien that it can even lead to suicide! Lien is important. And as a result, people will do anything to preserve their lien - they will even compound lie upon lie, they will even hurt others if it will only preserve their lien. But underlying this belief that everyone starts off with good lien is the deep-seated notion in Chinese culture that people are essentially good... The San Zi Jing (or Three Characters Classic) is a 13th century work used to teach children to read and write - and also infuse good Chinese behaviour. And the very first lines of the San Zi Jing teach this essential goodness of humans: Men at their birth,It is this view of the human being that lies beneath the Chinese ascription of a good lien to everyone (read more about it in an earlier post). And it is only when people show their nature to have deteriorated, that their lien is subsequently discounted by society. Failing that however, society is ordered as though all people have a good lien - they are treated as though they will be upright and virtuous. Which is nice. 2. The false foundation of a good face But this is important because it is the exact opposite to the Christan view of what humans are like. Consider how different the following passages are from the San Zi Jing: The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.The Christian doctrine of original sin is important in Western societies. This awareness of how deeply the problem of sin runs in humans has led to political and church structures that purposely built in checks and balances to account for the presence of sin - even in people who may be friendly and well-meaning (see very old posts here and also here). There is an inbuilt assumption that leaders may do what is wrong - even if they were popular and trusted enough to have been elected in the first place! 3. Implications for the dynamics and structure of leadership By contrast in Chinese culture there is an inherent assumption that leaders will do what is right. There is an inbuilt tendency to believe that the elderly patriarch of the family will do the right thing. That the society leader will not abuse his power. That the one in charge will look after us. And as a result, there's no need to worry about the details. What - don't you trust me? And that's because the Chinese concept of leadership assumes a good lien. The leader is seen as virtuous and 'right' - and so why not allow them to have complete control? why would you want to question their actions? what are you saying, by wanting to put in checks and balances? You can see this working itself out in the dynamics of leadership - in how relationships play out within leadership structures. Because of course, the facade does slip. The patriarch is a drunkard - the leader embezzles, or lies. And abuses his power. But even then, all those around the leader will maintain the facade. They will fight to preserve the lien of their leader - because it is too traumatic for the group to acknowledge that they have a leader who does not have a good lien. And so all through Chinese history, even though emperor after emperor is revealed to be corrupt, trust is still placed in the concept of the emperor - and yet another emperor is installed. And today even though corruption has been a newspaper issue in Asian societies for many years, it's still there. Because underlings cannot bear to damage the lien of their leader. It is too traumatic! But not only can you see this trust in the inherent goodness of leaders in the dynamics of leadership, you can also see it in leadership structures themselves. An interesting example is how committees tend to function (see earlier post).You would have thought that the collectivism of Chinese culture would lead to flat structures and equality among people in a committee - but here you're wrong! Chinese (even ABCs) tend to prefer committees with strong chairpersons and compliant members. And that's because the assumption of the lien of the chairperson brushes aside any worry that he might misuse his power, or have misconceived ideas. And even if leadership structures do have checks and balances (such as structures adopted directly from the West), it's really poor form to actually consider making use of them - if not downright dangerous to call for a vote! Or openly question the government in a newspaper! Or put forward an opposition party! Because - what are you saying? 4. Original sin and Chinese Christians Among Chinese Christians the doctrine of original sin is taught, of course. But does it actually inform the behaviour of Chinese Christians? or is it merely given lip service? is it applied unevenly? Because trust in the essential goodness of people - even if they are respected Christian leaders - is dangerously misplaced trust. The biblical doctrine of sin tells us that the problem of sin is deeper and more significant than we imagine. And so we must affirm that:
Because it's not only young people, or subordinates, or people from lower professions who are prone to sin and need to be watched over - but the honoured ones also! But not only that, the biblical doctrine of sin shows us that the 'good' face that we fight for and protect so vigorously, isn't as real as we imagine. Instead it's always been as substantial as shredded paper, as real as smoke! [ PS: it might seem as though checks and balances are the answer - but they aren't - not the complete answer, in any case. Why do you think that is? ] 5/1/2009 Face in Chinese culture: jealousy for God's face 1. The face of the clan
So far we've been talking about 'face' as it relates to an individual. However in Chinese culture it is more than that! One's face can also be linked with the face of others in your social group... Imagine a high school child, who fails to get into university. That high school child will not be the only one who loses face before his family and peers. His parents will also lose face among their peers - and this is a serious thing ("Hey Tommy, I hear your eldest didn't get in to university!" - or worse still, if everyone knows, but no one says anything)! Or imagine if a boss is humiliated in front of his employees by a stranger. The employees will go to the outsider and demand that he apologise. The employee will fight to preserve the face of their boss - they will feel compelled to uphold his honour. These two scenarios illustrate how face is not just something that affects the individual (like the son, or the boss). The rising and falling of someone's face also affects other members of one's family, friends, gang, or company. So an affront to one, can actually be felt by all. David Ho writes that, "the behaviour of closely related persons is included in the evaluation of one's prestige. Thus, the prestige of a scholar-official suffers as a result of his son's misconduct." And because of this, you sometimes have others in the company (or gang, or family) fighting to preserve the face of their boss (in the example above). You could say that they are jealous for the face of their boss. 2. The face of the 'big man' In this context of the social aspect of face, what is also significant is the face of the da ren, or 'big man'. In Chinese culture, this da ren is the acknowledged head of a group in society. Samel Ling writes that,
The social situation today is greatly different, but the concept of the da ren continues on. These da ren are in effect the important people in each society grouping - family, company, church - to which people accord respect and honour. It could be the elderly patriarch of our family, the boss of our company, even the pastor of our church. And in Chinese culture there is great concern for subordinates to preserve the face of the da ren. In his fourth year project Alistair Chiu draws attention to a widely reported news story in China, illustrative of this face behaviour.
As part of a study about face practices, Wenshan Jia (The Remaking of the Chinese Character and Identity in the 21st Century: the Chinese face practices) shared this incident with some consultants who remarekd that, ‘a superior’s face is more important than the face of subordinates.’ And ‘one should not lose face, especially in front of one’s subordinates.’ Alistair describes what is happening behind the scenes in this scenario:
Even those who participated in Wenshan Jia's study were disturbed by the behaviour that was produced by such face-consciousness, and in fact there was public uproar in China when this incident made the news. As Christians, we have even greater reason to be disturbed - after all, who is this chairman? Merely another one of God's creatures, who will also one day stand naked and trembling before the throne of God. And the unrighteousness of one of God's creatures demanding that he be exalted by another, demanding that others humiliate themselves for the sake of his face, is all the more plainer for those who have come to know their own place in God's created order. 3. God's concern for his own 'face' And indeed we saw in our last post that someone's concern for their own face can become idolatrous (see previous post). However concern for face is not always idolatrous... and you see this particularly when we come to the Bible, and consider God's own concern for his 'name'. Because God is face-conscious! Ultimately God is concerned for his own honour. This is actually God's purpose in creation (Psa 19:1-2). He works salvation not merely for our sake, but for the praise of his glory (Eph 1:11-14). Even when he exercises judgment it is so that people will know that he is the Lord (Exo 7:17). He is jealous to preserve his holy name from being defamed (Isa 42:8). He vindicates his holy name in justifying sinners, by having an atoning sacrifice bear sin (Rom 3:25-26). God's concern, in everything he does, is his 'name'. But while our preoccupation with our own 'name' is ugly and idolatrous, God's preoccupation with his 'name' is not. This is because it is eminently right for God to be concerned for his own glory and honour. But for a creature to be concerned for their own 'name' is not. Because they are giving their own small 'name' the place that only God's 'name' should have. In Desiring God, John Piper puts it like this:
This is why, all throughout the Bible, God is concerned for his own 'name'. 4. Fighting for God's 'face' As Christians then, in the same way that an employee is disturbed to see his employer lose face and works to regain honor for him, we also are disturbed to see the name of God dishonoured (Rom 2:17-24). And positively, we are people who strive, in all things, for the name / glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). We are now his people -a people who declare his praises, that others might see and join in our praise (1 Pet 2:9-10). Which is why when Christians idolise their own face, this is doubly wrong. Not only are they treasuring something that is inferior! More seriously, they are also witholding from God the honour that he alone deserves. And so when we address the world, we do so not just as dispassionate advocates for a better way of life. We are God's own people - who are jealous for the glory of God's name! We don't just disagree with unbelievers. We are disturbed when his name is slandered! We don't just have a different opinion - we are filled with sorrow when we see people choose their own face over God's! In fact we will willingly do things that make us lose face - if only God receives greater honour. Because at the centre of our universe is now the glory of God. It is his name, his honour, his 'face' that is precious - and not ours. [ PS: who are the da ren's in your social groups? When the gospel comes to the Chinese, how does it transform things? ] |
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