Marc Schwab (from Germany) and his wife Ellen from Austria have been working in a language project in Mexico with Wycliffe/SIL since 1996. They have six sons; three of them still live at home. Marc has studied theology, linguistics, and intercultural studies.
The Fear Culture Background of 1 Peter
Abstract
The concepts of guilt and shame cultures are well established. The third cultural type is less known. In fear cultures, fear is the main means of controlling social behavior, and the fear of powerful authorities - whether supernatural beings or human rulers - guides the thinking and decision making of the people. Often, these cultures are mistakenly identified as shame cultures. Animistic cultures are most likely to be fear oriented.
Several authors in recent years have tried to understand 1 Peter in a shame culture context. However, upon closer examination, the epistle appears to be written for readers from a fear culture background. Main themes and typical issues of fear cultures are addressed throughout the entire book, and its interpretation within this cultural context is more convincing.
The presentation introduces a number of typical fear culture themes, and shows how 1 Peter addresses them from a Christian point of view. Understanding 1 Peter from this perspective results in a more coherent interpretation of several difficult passages, in a more appropriate translation of some key concepts, and in a better application of this biblical book.