ChristianityToday’s2020BookoftheYearAwardofMerit-BiblicalStudiesBiblicalFoundationsAwardFinalistWhatdoesitmeanto“readRomanswithEasterneyes“?CombiningresearchfromAsianscholarswithhismanyyearsofexperiencelivingandworkinginEastAsia,BradVaughndirectsourattentiontoPaul’slettertotheRomans.HearguesthatsometraditionalEastAsianculturalvaluesareclosertothoseofthefirst-centurybiblicalworldthancommonWesternculturalvalues.Inaddition,headdshisvoicetothescholarshipengagingthevaluesofhonorandshameinparticularandtheirinfluenceonbiblicalinterpretation.Asreaders,webringourownculturalfluenciesandvaluestothetext.Ourbiasesandbackgroundinfluencewhatweobserve--andwhatweoverlook.Thisbookhelpsusconsiderwayswesometimesmissvaluableinsightsbecauseofwidespreadculturalblindspots.InReadingRomanswithEasternEyes,VaughndemonstrateshowpayingattentiontoEastAsiancultureprovidesahelpfullensforinterpretingPaul’smostcomplexletter.Whenreadthisway,weseehowhonorandshameshapesomuchofPaul’smessageandmission.
