VARIETIES OF THE WAY PAUL USED SHAME, GUILT, ANXIETY IN PERSUADING PEOPLE FOR CHRIST
1. Innocent Shame Guilt, Anxiety - Tension felt when one’s character is slandered without justification. Someone may be guileless, harmless, and lacking any responsibility for a wrong doing, but be wrongly accused. Jesus said, "Blessed are you when you are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for yours is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:13)
2. Deserved Shame, Guilt, Anxiety - Tension experienced before others when one violates a normal cultural-social-spiritual code of ethics. Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
3. Social Shame, Guilt, Anxiety - Embarrassment felt when one makes a social error or commits a community taboo. Romans 14:13 says, "Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil."
4. Familial Shame, Guilt, Anxiety - Some families condition their children to a mechanisms that control, discipline, or punish using these devices more severely than others. Paul told the Thessalonians, "As a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children, we were well pleased to impart to you not the gospel only, but also our own lives, for you were very dear to us." (I Thes. 2:7,8)
5. Handicap Shame, Guilt, Anxiety - Embarrassment over some body, spiritual, mental, or physical defect. Paul, who suffered from an embarrassing thorn in the flesh said, "Three times, I asked the Lord to take away this stigma, but He has said to me, ’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly we I boast in my weakness, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. The less I have the more I depend on Him." (2 Cor. 12:9,10)
6. Incompetency Shame, Guilt, Anxiety - Tension over one’s inability to perform a task according to certain standards of proficiency. Paul told Timothy how to avert this when he said, "Study to show yourself approved by God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth." (I Tim. 2:15)
7. Discrimination Shame, Guilt, Anxiety - Downgrading of persons treated as socially, racially, ethically, religiously, or vocationally inferior. Paul told Timothy in I Tim. 4:12, "Let no one look down on your youthfulness (Which was a point for discrimination in Timothy’s day by the elders) but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself to be an example to believers."
8. Modesty Shame, Guilt, Anxiety - Tension related to sexual, social, or cultural norms and prescribed correct behavior. Paul told the Romans, "As far as it is possible be at peace with all men."
9. Inadequacy Shame, Guilt, Anxiety - Feelings of a low self-image or inability to perform to a certain level of acceptability. This feeling may come from repeated failures, rejection, or passivity. Gen. 3:7 we learn about the first instance of shame in the Bible, "The eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."
10. Public Shame, Guilt, Anxiety - Open ridicule in the community as punishment or group pathology. 2 Sam. 10:4 says, "The men were greatly ashamed and the king said, "Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return."
11. Anticipated Shame, Guilt, or Anxiety - The fear of exposure for any planned or desired behavior. Jer. 2:26 says, "As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets. They say to wood, ’You are my father. and to stone, You gave me birth. They have turned their backs to me and not their faces."
(Adapted from Noble and Augsburger, 1975:4-6 and 1986:117)
Shame is most effective where people relate to one another largely through face to face interactions. The offender in a shame culture who is exposed cannot hide from the painful results that follow. Shame and disgrace are extremely powerful tools of social control throughout Africa. Many people are inhibited from speaking, acting, or even thinking disrespectfully toward the elders in most African societies as this would lead to grave shame. There is a great emphasis throughout African cultures in acting to avoid offense behavior. Take for example the following Yoruba story taken from Bakarae Gbadamosi’s Not Even God is Ripe Enough, p. 46, 47)
Case Study - Everyday is for the Crook, but one day is for the deceived.
There was once a young man who was poor, because his father had a very small farm and he had not learnt any trade. Then he decided one day to leave his village, because the man who sits under a tree too long will have birds defecating on his head.
He wandered from town to town; in the end he came to a place where the king’s bell ringer was going around making an announcement: "The king of the town has lost a valuable ring and has promised a rich reward to anyone who can bring it back." It so happened that on this day the young man had finished eating the calabash of his misfortunes. And as it was not empty as last, it was he who found the ring in the dust.
Happily he went to the king’s palace, but as he tried to enter the gatekeeper said, "No one can pass this gate without giving me something." Now the youth said, "I have no money to give you at all, but I have found the king’s ring, and you must let me pass." Then the gatekeeper replied, "What use is the ring to you if the king will never know that you found it? Give me my due - or you will not enter." Then the young man said, "Truly, I have no money at all, but if you let me pass I promise you half of the reward which the king will give me." the gatekeeper was happy at that and let him in. The young man crossed the courtyard but as he arrived at the king’s house the doorkeeper barred his way again and demanded his own share. Then the youth explained that he had no money, but he promised him half of the king’s reward.
When the king saw that his ring had been found, he was most happy. He said to the young man, "What shall be your reward? Choose and it shall be yours."
The youth quickly answered, "All I want is one hundred strokes of the cane." The king was surprised at this strange request and he said, "Why should I punish you when you have done nothing wrong." But when the youth told his story the king called the gatekeeper and said to them, "Is it true that the young man has promised each of you half of his reward?" The gatekeeper and the doorkeeper were afraid, but all they were able to say was Yes sir, Yes sir!"
Then the king laughed and said, "Every day is for the crook, but one day is for the one who was deceived. The reward the young man has asked for is one hundred strokes of the cane." And he had them whipped, until they could hardly crawl home with the bleeding bottoms.
Then he turned to the young man and said, "Well, you have received your reward for finding my ring. But I have not yet rewarded you for catching out my crooked servants." And he sent him on his way with rich gifts!
Comparison of Anxiety, Shame, and Guilt
Anxiety versus Shame versus Guilt
Anxiety is a loss of calm before a perceived threat
Shame is a loss of face before significant person of authority
Guilt is a loss of integrity before one’s conscience
Anxiety is a fear of being vulnerable to a real or imagined danger Shame is failure before one’s ideals or exposure before an audience of importance
Guilt is condemnation before one’s parents or judge
Anxiety is an arousal before contextual demands Shame is embarrassment before peers
Guilt is pain before one’s conscience demands
Anxiety is a primal emotion of powerlessness or dread of loss
Shame is total emotion where one fears rejection as a person, exclusion from the group or a withdrawal of acceptance
Guilt is a specific emotion that fear the judgment of one’s behavior by the conscience
Anxiety is a paralyzing fear, dismay, or panic to freeze, flee, or fight
Shame is a humiliating exposure, dishonor, self-negation or impulse to hide, to cover, or to deny
Guilt is a humbling disclosure, discomfort over regretted acts. It is the impulse to justify, rationalize, or to excuse one’s action
Anxiety can energize, alert one’s perceptions, heighten one’s awareness, and mobilize one for greater actions
Shame enables one to be more discretionary in actions and words. It prevents harmful actions
Guilt demands that one hold to the ideals of integrity, faith, and truth
Anxiety can distract one’s attention and dissipate one’s energies. One can lose control and concentration
Shame is disgrace that can disrupt one’s social life and disorient oneself before others
Guilt is painful internal suffering that can destroy one’s inner sense of peace
Anxiety may be resolved through prayer, reframing, ventilating or relying on the securities in Christ and the scriptures
Shame leads one to more circumspect behavior. One’s repentance and reclaiming of one’s identity in Christ can resolve conflicts
Guilt can produce Godly sorrow that leads one to repentance and greater purity, righteousness, and fruitfulness
(Augsburger, 1986, p. 122)
