One cultural way of thinking pattern that societies differ on are “Guilt vs. Shame”. Most individualistic societies like America tend to me guilt-based, whereas collectivist societies like Japan tend to be shame-based.
What does that all mean:
This dynamic not only affects the way people view themselves but how they view God, sin, Jesus and religion as a whole.
One should take the two distinct different ways of viewing and relating to things into account when presenting and explaining the Gospel and their own beliefs. The majority of unreached people groups in the world are collective and shame-based societies, in which the Western guilt-based approach of communicating the Gospel misses the mark not speaking or relating to who they are.
What is interesting is that Jewish Culture is collectivist and shame based and most of the Bible is written to the context of shame based society. It is the Western Church that has transformed the Gospel message into a guilt-based presentations, explanations and interpretations. We must be aware of this and not bring out culture but the Gospel to all nations.
