Abraham: A Model for Patronage

ABRAHAM:AModelofPatronage?
PATRONAGE SYMPOSIUM
Arab Baptist Theological Seminary
October 3--5, 2018
Werner Mischke, Mission ONE
werner@mission1.org

“The desire for recognition  
is the motor of history.”
—This is an idea from philosopher Friedrich Hegel—as quoted by  
Francis Fukuyama whose work expounds on this idea. Two of
Fukuyama’s books that explore this idea are:
The End of History and the Last Man (1992)
Identity: The Demand for Dignity  
and the Politics of Resentment (2018)

“The motor is still running.”
–Steve Hawthorne 
19 September 2018

Is it anachronistic to understand Abraham  
through the dynamic of patronage?
“Hesed” • Blessing • Story 1: The Call of Abram1Exploring five more stories of Abraham  
through the dynamic of patronage
The “patronage lens” for insights and questions2Does the patronage lens help us toward  
an “Abrahamic gospel”?
Implications, applications, questions3

P A T R O N A G E
Patronage is recognized by  
scholars as a formal,  
institutionalized feature  
of the Roman Empire

ABRAHAM
P A T R O N A G E
ROMAN EMPIRE
Is it anachronistic to
understand the story
of Abraham (about
2000 years before
Christ) through the
lens of patronage?
No.
Here’s why…

© 2018 Mission ONE / Presentation by Werner Mischke / werner@mission1.org
‣ ‫ֶד‬‫ס‬ֶ‫ח‬ (hesed) —  
“steadfast love”/“mercy”/“kindness”
‣ reciprocity of “blessing”
PATRONAGE in the story of Abraham

In the Psalms, Israel’s God is an
honorable benefactor par excellence.
Yahweh is a faithful and trustworthy
patron. The Hebrew word hesed [‫ֶד‬‫ס‬ֶ‫ח‬] 
(“steadfast love”) refers to God’s
covenant loyalty and constant patronage
—virtues that define his character.
—Jayson Georges, Psalms: An Honor-Shame Paraphrase of  
15 Psalms (The Honor-Shame Paraphrase), 15. Timē Press.
Kindle Edition.
PATRONAGE
”
“
in the story of Abraham
hesed
‫ֶד‬‫ס‬ֶ‫ח‬

‣ hesed ‫ֶד‬‫ס‬ֶ‫ח‬
PATRONAGE
• The deal between Abraham and
Abimelech (Gen 21)
• Abraham’s servant searching for  
a wife for Isaac (Gen 24)

PATRONAGE
22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the
commander of his army said to Abraham,
“God is with you in all that you do.
23 Now therefore swear to me here by God
that you will not deal falsely with me or with
my descendants or with my posterity, 
but as I have dealt kindly [‫ֶד‬‫ס‬ֶ‫ח‬] with you,  
so you will deal with me and with the land
where you have sojourned.”
hesed
RECIPROCITY
ABRAHAM & ABIMELECH / GEN 21:22–23 ESV

PATRONAGE
12 And he said, “O LORD, God of my
master Abraham, please grant me
success today and show steadfast love
[‫ֶד‬‫ס‬ֶ‫ח‬] to my master Abraham.
13 Behold, I am standing by the spring
of water, and the daughters of the men
of the city are coming out to draw
water. …
hesed
ABRAHAM’S SERVANT SEARCHES 
FOR A WIFE FOR ISAAC / GEN 24:12–14 ESV

PATRONAGE
14 Let the young woman to whom I shall
say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may
drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and  
I will water your camels’—let her be the
one whom you have appointed for your
servant Isaac. By this I shall know that
you have shown steadfast love [‫ֶד‬‫ס‬ֶ‫ח‬]
to my master.”
hesed
ABRAHAM’S SERVANT SEARCHES 
FOR A WIFE FOR ISAAC / GEN 24:12–14 ESV

in the story of AbrahamPATRONAGE
• In Gen 21:22–23, hesed is the word used in
describing the reciprocal relationship
between Abraham and Abimelech.
• In Gen 24:12–14, hesed is the word used  
by Abraham’s servant to describe the
relationship of Yahweh to Abraham,
implying Yahweh is Abraham’s Patron,  
and Abraham is Yahweh’s special client.
hesed

• hesed ‫ֶד‬‫ס‬ֶ‫ח‬
• reciprocity of
“blessing”
PATRONAGE

The Call of Abraham / Genesis 12:1–3
The practice of patronage  
in the Roman Empire is rooted  
in a more ancient practice
of reciprocity:
PATRONAGE
BLESSING
PROPOSAL

The Call of Abraham
1 Now the LORD said to Abram,  
“Go from your country and your kindred  
and your father’s house 
to the land that I will show you.
2 And I will make of you a great nation,  
and I will bless you and make your name
great, so that you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and him
who dishonors you I will curse, and in you
all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

blessing
GOD GOD
humanity humanity
And God blessed them, saying,  
“Be fruitful and multiply…”
–Genesis 1:22
“Then I bowed my head and worshiped
the LORD and blessed the LORD”
–Genesis 24:48 
RECIPROCITY

human human
blessing
“And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim,
who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing
his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). And he blessed Joseph …” 
–Genesis 48:14–15

blessing
humanity to God to humanity
Blessed 191 59 43
Bless 64 35 32
Blessing 64 6 17
Total 319 100 92
God to
humanity
62%
Humanity
to humanity
18%
Humanity
to God
20%
God to
humanity
Humanity
to God
Humanity
to humanity
Blessed 191 59 43
Bless 64 35 32
Blessing 64 6 17
Total 319 100 92
Humanity

Genesis 12:1–3
The Call of Abraham
PATRONAGE

1
PATRONAGE IN THE CALL OF ABRAM / GEN 12:1–3 ESV
Yahweh as Patron
calls Abram to
physically leave,
to “go from,” his
traditional source
of land-based
honor and  
kinship honor.

Yahweh as Patron
will give Abram  
a new land,  
a new source  
of land-based
honor.
2

3
Yahweh as Patron
will make of Abram
“a great nation,”
promising Abram
he will be the father
of a people with
countless
descendants.

4
Yahweh as Patron
promises that
Abram will enjoy
God’s divine favor.

5
Yahweh as Patron
promises to “make”
Abram’s renown
and recognition  
“great” in the
larger community:
Abram will have
great honor!

6
Yahweh as Patron
commands Abram,  
“you will be a
blessing”—
promising him  
that he will...  

6
... gain the
magnificent honor
of essentially being
a patron who will,
in turn, “be a
blessing.”
(RECIPROCITY)

7
Yahweh as Patron
calls for reciprocity
in the mission  
of blessing.
RECIPROCITY

Yahweh as Patron will
“bless those who bless”
Abram, ensuring
Abram’s favor in his  
community.
8

Yahweh as
Patron will
protect
Abraham’s
honor.
9

10
Yahweh as Patron
promises Abram the
honor of being a  
global co-patron:
through Abram all
the kinship groups  
of the earth will  
be blessed!

HONOR
BLESSING

HONOR
BLESSING
OVERLAP 
BETWEEN BLESSING 
AND HONOR
The Call of Abraham  
(Genesis 12:1–3)  
correlates HONOR
significantly with  
BLESSING, and
PATRONAGE

• Hesed (‫ֶד‬‫ס‬ֶ‫ח‬) is part of the character of God and
considered a feature of the social dynamic of patronage.
• In Gen 21:22–23 the author of Genesis uses hesed  
(“dealt kindly” ESV) to describe a relationship of
reciprocity between Abraham and Abimelech.
• In Gen 24:12–14 the author of Genesis uses hesed twice
(“steadfast love” ESV) when Abraham’s servant appeals to
God; this is the first time that hesed refers to Yahweh.
• Yahweh may be considered the Patron of Abraham.
PATRONAGE & “HESED”

• Reciprocity is inherent to the practice of patronage.
• Throughout the Bible, “blessing” is reciprocal.
‣ God blesses humanity.
‣ In response, humanity blesses God  
and other humans.
• The dynamics of blessing and reciprocity are
prominent in The Call of Abraham.
• Yahweh may be considered the Patron of Abraham.
PATRONAGE & BLESSING

PATRONAGE
We conclude: the honor-shame
dynamic of patronage is a
significant feature of The Call of
Abraham, Genesis 12:1–3.

PATRONAGE
It is not anachronistic to
understand God’s dealings with
Abraham through the social
dynamic of patronage.

The Call of Abram constitutes a “global
blessed-to-be-a-blessing framework”  
for the world Christian movement.
Historically, this “blessed to be a blessing”
dynamic has often been seen through a
Western legal, guilt-based theological lens.
Question: What changes—what shifts—when
wevsee “blessed to be a blessing” through
the honor-shame dynamic of patronage?
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
The Call of Abram
PATRONAGE

The honor-shame dynamic of patronage
shifts the overall framework of the Great
Commission, the missio Dei:
•FROM: obligation as moral duty.  
Primarily a guilt framework: ‘you better
share your blessings’
•TO: obligation as dignification.  
Primarily an honor framework: relational
and familial, reciprocal and rewarding
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
The Call of Abram
PATRONAGE Proposal:

Proposal
•FROM: a mammoth task commanded  
by God which we must dutifully obey—
whether we like it or not.
•TO: co-patronage with God—
unfathomable honor and reward,
ultimately resulting in maximum glory
for Yahweh the Patron, and an immense
rise in sacred honor status for Abraham
and all of his by-faith-descendants.
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
The Call of Abram
PATRONAGE

Questions
Is ‘dignification through participation’ in the
global mission of God a part of the good news,  
a part of the gospel?
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
PATRONAGE
Galatians 3:7–9
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are
the sons of Abraham.
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God
would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached
the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying,
“In you shall all the nations be blessed.”
9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed
along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Questions
If “blessing” in The Call of Abraham is plainly
honorific—with God himself as the new and eternal
source of honor…
• Does The Call of Abraham offer a “co-patronage
model of mission”—drawing us toward honor
and glory in Abraham's offspring, Christ— 
contra a moral obligation?
• Might this constitute an interpretive lens for all
the ‘blessing verses’ in the Bible, including, for
example, the Beatitudes?
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
The Call of Abram
PATRONAGE

A ‘patronage lens’ for insights and questions2Does the ‘patronage lens’ help us toward  

1.The Call of Abram
2. Melchizedek Blesses Abram
3. God’s Covenant with Abram
4. The Birth of Isaac
5. Blessing of Ishmael
6. The Sacrifice of Isaac
14
GENESIS
15
21
16, 17, 21
22
12
PATRONAGE

Melchizedek blesses Abram 
G E N E S I S 1 4 : 1 7 – 2 4
PATRONAGE
STORY 2 OF 6

17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings
who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the
Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out  
bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)
19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram  
by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies
into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
ABRAHAM / MELCHIZEDEK BLESSES ABRAM / GEN 14:17–24 ESV
Melchizedek 
BROKER
Yahweh 
PATRON
Abram 
CLIENT

Yahweh 
PATRON
Melchizedek 
BROKER
Abraham 
CLIENT

21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons,
but take the goods for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand
to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,
23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything
that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’
24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and
the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and
Mamre take their share.”
“I have taken a solemn oath” (ESV footnote)

• Abram avoids getting into a
relationship of reciprocity and
obligation to the king of Sodom.
• Abram voluntarily eschews
allegiance to the King of Sodom;
he maintains his loyalty to God.
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
Melchizedek blesses Abram
PATRONAGE

GOD 
PATRON
Jesus Christ 
BROKER
Believers 
CLIENT
“who has become a priest,  
not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning  
bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible
life. For it is witnessed of him, ‘You are a priest
forever, after the order of Melchizedek.’” 
–Hebrews 7:16–17
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”  
–1 Timothy 2:5

It is biblically faithful to
communicate Jesus Christ as
the “broker” who gives us
access to the divine Patron.
For whom might this be a
relevant contextualization of
the gospel?
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
PATRONAGE

What might Abraham’s
loyalty to his Patron Yahweh
signify concerning grace and
discipleship for Abraham’s
descendants-by-faith— 
for believers today?
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
PATRONAGE

God’s covenant with Abram 
G E N E S I S 1 5
PATRONAGE
STORY 3 OF 6

ABR AHAM / GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAM / GEN 15:1–6 ESV
1 After these things the word of the LORD came
to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am
your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you
give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of
my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me
no offspring, and a member of my household  
will be my heir.”
Yahweh 
PATRON
Abram 
CLIENT

4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to
him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very
own son shall be your heir.”
5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look
toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are
able to number them.” Then he said to him,  
“So shall your offspring be.”
6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it
to him as righteousness.
Yahweh 
PATRON
Abram 
CLIENT

18 On that day the LORD made a covenant  
with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give  
this land, from the river of Egypt to the great
river, the river Euphrates,
19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the
Kadmonites,
20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites
and the Jebusites.”
Yahweh 
PATRON

What insights do we gain by
seeing Yahweh’s covenant with
Abraham through the honor-
shame dynamic of patronage?
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
God’s Covenant with Abram
PATRONAGE
• loyalty & allegiance
• reciprocity

The Birth of Isaac 
G E N E S I S 2 1
PATRONAGE
STORY 4 OF 6

ABRAHAM / THE BIRTH OF ISAAC / GEN 21:6–7 ESV
15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your
wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah
shall be her name.
16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you  
a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall
become nations; kings of peoples shall
come from her.”
Yahweh 
PATRON
Sarai and Sarah mean princess

1 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and  
the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.
2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son  
in his old age at the time of which God had spoken
to him.
3 Abraham called the name of his son who was
born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.
4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he
was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
Yahweh 
PATRON
Abraham 
CLIENT

6 And Sarah said, “God has made
laughter for me; everyone who
hears will laugh over me.”
7 And she said, “Who would have
said to Abraham that Sarah would
nurse children? Yet I have borne him
a son in his old age.”
Yahweh 
PATRON

ABRAHAM / THE BIRTH OF ISAAC / RE: SARAH
From  
barrenness 
(Gen 11:30)
to laughter  
of childbearing  
in old age 
(Gen 21:6)
to the 
promise of kings
as future
descendants  
(Gen 17:16)
Yahweh as PATRON
Honor-status reversal

Yahweh as Patron is himself the
source of immense, global,
covenantal, eternal honor— 
for Abraham and Sarah and
their descendants.
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
The birth of Isaac
PATRONAGE

When we see the story of Abraham
and Sarah as one of honor-status
reversal inside of a divine Patron-
client relationship, how does this
impact our view of:
• loyalty/allegiance in discipleship
• obligation and grace
• justification by faith
•
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
The birth of Isaac
PATRONAGE

And considering how much space
Paul devotes to Abraham in clarifying
the gospel—both in Romans 4 and in
Galatians 3–4:
• How might the story of Abraham
help us contextualize the gospel
for ministry today?
• Is there an “Abrahamic gospel”?
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
The birth of Isaac
PATRONAGE

Blessing of Ishmael 
GENESIS 16, 17, 21
PATRONAGE
STORY 5 OF 6

ABRAHAM / BLESSING OF ISHMAEL / GEN 16:9–10 ESV
9 The angel of the LORD said to her,
[Hagar] “Return to your mistress and
submit to her.”
10 The angel of the LORD also said  
to her, “I will surely multiply your
offspring so that they cannot be
numbered for multitude.”
Yahweh 
PATRON

ABRAHAM / BLESSING OF ISHMAEL / GEN 17:20 ESV
20 “As for Ishmael, I have heard you
[Abraham]; behold,
I have blessed him and will make
him fruitful and multiply him
greatly. He shall father twelve
princes, and I will make him into a
great nation.”
Yahweh 
PATRON
Abraham 
CLIENT

23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and
all those born in his house or bought with
his money, every male among the men of
Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the
flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God
had said to him.
24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old
when he was circumcised in the flesh of his
foreskin.
Abraham 
CLIENT

25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years
old when he was circumcised in the flesh of
his foreskin.
26 That very day Abraham and his son
Ishmael were circumcised.
Abraham 
CLIENT
CIRCUMCISION BLESSING

17 And God heard the voice of the boy,
and the angel of God called to Hagar from
heaven and said to her, “What troubles
you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard
the voice of the boy where he is.
18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast
with your hand, for I will make him
into a great nation.”
Yahweh 
PATRON

ABRAHAM / BLESSING OF ISHMAEL / GEN 17:20 ESV
Yahweh the Patron repeatedly pronounces great
blessing on Hagar and her son by Abraham, Ishmael.
However, God’s blessing of Ishmael is not the
covenantal blessing for the world that is granted
through Isaac (Gen 17:20–21, Gal 4:21–31).
In this sense God’s blessing on Ishmael is significantly
relativized compared to the blessing on Isaac.

ABRAHAM / BLESSING OF ISHMAEL / ROM 4:16 ESV
16 That is why it depends on faith,  
in order that the promise may rest
on grace and be guaranteed to all his
offspring—not only to the adherent
of the law but also to the one who
shares the faith of Abraham, who is
the father of us all.
Yahweh 
PATRON

ABRAHAM / BLESSING OF ISHMAEL
In the grand narrative of the missio Dei,  
the superior blessing on Israel is relativized.
Ironically, it is by the very faith of Abraham! Why?
So that God’s promise will be fulfilled and  
the longing for honor by every people  
will be satisfied—including those peoples  
who are descendant from Ishmael.

ABRAHAM / BLESSING OF ISHMAEL
God is in the business of relativizing
humanity’s traditional sources of honor by
becoming himself the superior and eternal
source of honor (“Christ in you, the hope  
of glory,” Col 1:27)—for human beings and  
their kindred peoples and nations.

Yahweh as Patron blesses
Abraham’s son Ishmael.
What might this mean for
the gospel in the Arab and
Muslim world?
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
The Blessing of Ishmael
PATRONAGE

The Sacrifice of Isaac 
GENESIS 22
PATRONAGE
STORY 6 OF 6

ABRAHAM / SACRIFICE OF ISAAC / GEN 22:1–3 ESV
1 After these things God tested Abraham
and said to him, “Abraham!” And he
said, “Here I am.”
2 He said, “Take your son, your only son
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land
of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt
offering on one of the mountains of
which I shall tell you.”
Yahweh 
PATRON

3 So Abraham rose early in the
morning, saddled his donkey, and took
two of his young men with him, and his
son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the
burnt offering and arose and went to the
place of which God had told him.
Abraham 
CLIENT
LOYALTY

15 And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a
second time from heaven
16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the
LORD, because you have done this and have not
withheld your son, your only son,
17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply
your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand
that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall
possess the gate of his enemies,
18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Yahweh 
PATRON
IMMENSE
• honor
• loyalty
• sacrifice
RECIPROCITY

Patron Yahweh tests the loyalty of Abraham by
calling for an immense sacrifice: the giving of
the very life of his son Isaac.
• Is Abraham’s loyalty in the face of possible
immense loss—a link to Yahweh’s gift of
immense honor to Abraham?
• How might the sacrifice of Isaac portray  
the exalted dignification—both of Abraham,
and Abraham’s by-faith-descendants?
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
The Sacriﬁce of Isaac
PATRONAGE

Does the patronage lens
help us toward an
“Abrahamic gospel”?
?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
PATRONAGE
And if there is an  
“Abrahamic gospel”  
what does it look like?

?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
PATRONAGE
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer
under a guardian,
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God,
through faith.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is no male and female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are
Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
GALATIANS 3:25–26 ESV

?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
PATRONAGE
The question Is there an
Abrahamic gospel? is in one
sense, absurd.
Considering the prominent role of
Abraham in clarifying and framing
the gospel in Romans 4 and
Galatians 3–4, there obviously is
an “Abrahamic gospel.”

?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
PATRONAGE But could it be that the exploration of
patronage offers us a clarifying paradigm
through which to see God’s dealings with
Abraham, and thus, more importantly, the  
very gospel itself?
• A paradigm which gets us closer to the
original meaning the authors of Scripture?
• A paradigm which complements and
challenges the West’s default
individualistic-guilt-innocence framework
for the gospel?

?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
PATRONAGE But could it be that exploration of
patronage offers us a better paradigm
through which to see God’s dealings with
Abraham?
• A paradigm which clarifies facets of
the gospel—so that exceedingly
difficult problems in our world and
in the church can be addressed more
directly and effectively?

refugeecrisis
Whoismyneighbor?
RACISM
TRIBALISM
NATIONALISM
core 
identity
the“other”

refugeecrisis
Whoismyneighbor?
RACISM
TRIBALISM
NATIONALISM
core 
identity
the“other”
RECOGNITION
INCLUSION&EXCLUSION
HONOR&SHAME

An “Abrahamic gospel”—what might it look like?
F R O M TO
TIME
ORIENTATION
Primarily future: 
(saved from future
punishment—hell)
Past, present,  
and future:  
Ancestor Abraham  
is our exemplar of
faith; his story offers
a narrative origin for
the ultimate source of
honor for believers—
regardless of current
honor status

F R O M TO
COMPLEXITY Simple:  
reductionistic,
propositional,  
easy “5-minute  
elevator speech”
Complex:  
a long nuanced
narrative;  
mysterious, poetic
and slow, requiring
time to describe
and communicate
in relationship

F R O M TO
SALVATION
ACT
Propositional- 
Western-cognitive:  
Believe and you  
will be saved
Narrative-dramatic and
Eastern familial-ancient:  
By faith called to enter
into an ancient honorific
story assuming allegiance
to Christ as Lord—with
grandfather Abraham as
progenitor-ancestor

F R O M TO
SALVATION
CURE
For sin-and-guilt problem:  
what I have done.  
Forgiveness of sin through
Christ, back to innocence,  
“slate wiped clean”
For sin-and-shame
problem: who I am.  
New identity and source
of honor in Christ; we  
gain elevated sacred
relational honor as our  
sin is forgiven

Figure 4.1 and 4.2 in: Jayson Georges and Mark Baker, Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures:
Biblical Foundations and Practical Essentials (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2016), 81.
Guilt-innocence Shame-honor

F R O M TO
VERTICAL &
HORIZONTAL?
Vertical-personal  
primarily.  
Provides for the
forgiveness of the
individual’s sins.
Vertical-personal  
and horizontal-social.
Provides individual
forgiveness plus
corporate reconciliation
through an honorific
core identity:  
To whom and with
whom do I belong?

F R O M TO
STATUS ISSUE
FOR ISHMAEL
& GENTILES  
VIS Á VIS
ISRAEL AND
THE JEWS
Ishmael always  
relativized and Israel
always prioritized; 
recognition of Patron
Yahweh’s blessing on
Ishmael is ignored;  
identity of Ishmael as  
son of the “slave
woman” maximized
Recognition of blessing  
on Ishmael; while 
Israel both prioritized  
and relativized— 
in order that all peoples
including descendants of
Ishmael, are included and
honored in the one family of
God, and have their longing  
for honor satisfied in Christ—
offspring of Abraham

F R O M TO
STATUS OF  
GOD’S GLOBAL  
“BLESSING MISSION”  
RELATIVE TO THE
GOSPEL
The blessing mission
is secondary;  
global mission is
derivative of  
the gospel;  
involvement as  
duty-obligation
The blessing mission  
is primary;  
global mission  
is part of the gospel;
involvement is good
news; it as an honorific
obligation—to be a  
co-patron with God to
bless the nations

F R O M TO
DISCIPLESHIP
IMPLICATIONS
Loyalty-allegiance  
to God as Patron:  
largely a non-issue;  
or, understood  
as desirable but
ultimately  
optional
Loyalty-allegiance  
to God as Patron: 
understood as a
normative honorific
obligation—while
relativizing other  
honor sources,  
rival patrons,  
identity factors

A ‘patronage lens’ for insights and questions2Does the ‘patronage lens’ help us toward  
No.
Yes.

May God give us grace and wisdom to
steward the gospel of Jesus Christ for the
glory of God and the honor of all peoples.

©2018 Mission ONE / Created by Werner Mischke / werner@mission1.org
Primary website, blog, resource site  
for all things honor-shame for  
Christian theology and missions: 
HonorShame.com.
Note: HonorShame.com is a ministry  
separate from Mission ONE. 
Great blog on honor-shame,  
theology, missiology: 
JacksonWu.org
Learnmoreabout“Honor,Shame,andtheGospel”
• mission1.org/eguip 
Training resources from Mission ONE
• wernermischke.org 
Werner Mischke’s blog, with free resources
on “Honor, Shame, and the Gospel”
• globalgospelbook.org 
Website for Werner’s book, The Global Gospel
• thefatherslovebooklet.org 
Evangelism booklet in the language of honor
and shame—the story of the Prodigal Son
.com
Honor-shame resources from Mission ONE

Abraham: A Model for Patronage

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