Face in Chinese culture: the idolatry of face
1. Fearing loss of faceThe fear of situations that would cause a loss of face, and the pressure to maintain one’s face is a massively significant factor influencing the behaviour of individuals in Eastern societies, particularly those coming form Chinese, Korean and Japanese backgrounds. And face behaviour can even come into play among Asian Christians…
Given the signifiance of face, it is particularly surprising how little theological reflection there is on the phenomenon of face. I’ve searched Chinese theological journals in vain for the merest reference to face – let alone a theological critique of face behaviour (if you know of one, let me know).
2. Face drives behaviour
Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about face is that it is such a strong driver of behaviour. The loss of face is greatly feared by individuals. People will go to great extremes to maintain their face – then will not think twice to sin in order to preserve their face. People will exert themselves to gain a position in life that will enhance their face. Ho writes that,
"It is virtually impossible to think of a facet of social life to which the question of face is irrelevant. The desire to gain face, to avoid losing face, and to save face when it is threatened is a powerful social motive."Ho, "On the Comcept of Face".
In a separate artile, Hu suggests what is at stake for the individual when face is lost:
"The consciuosness that ‘loss of lien‘ means that the confidence of society in his character is impaired, and places him in danger of being despised and isolated, usually acts as a strong deterrent on the individual."Hu, "The Chinese Concepts of ‘Face’".
How interesting is it that the concern for face can be so important for people.
3. Face is more important than life
Not only that, face is so important that loss of face can become so catastrophic for the individual, they would rather die than go on living without face. Ho again:
"In most instances, face lost can be regained. However, the loss of face may well be permanent in cases where the misconduct is serious and in direct contradiction to role-imperatives and/or taboos. Examples of such cases are a captain found guilty of cowardly abandoning his ship and crew to save his own life, a priest caught in adultery, or a family disgraced by incestuous relationships. Not infrequently, the loss of face has such serious consequences that it leads to suicide."Ho, "On the Comcept of Face".
He concludes that, "indeed, face can be more important than life itself. As Goffman puts it, one’s face is ‘a sacred thing.’"
4. The idolatry of face
How do we reflect theologically on face? Face becomes a problem when it is an idol. When what we love most of all is our reputation, our dignity and prestige in society, then face becomes an idol to us. Yes, we may be pilars of our church – but our behaviour reveals that our true love is our own face – and not God after all.
And you can see this when churchgoers know that God desires them to seek forgiveness – but they do not, because they love their face too much. We see this when churchgoers allow lies from respected leaders to spread unchecked – because they are too much in love with their own face to break the rules of face. We see this when churchgoers withold heartfelt appreciation for brothers and sisters – because they must maintain their own face.
5. A breathtaking disregard for face!
Contrast this concern for face, with the breathtaking disregard for the opinion of others that you find in the New Testament:
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.Galatians 1:10 (NIV)
Instead of needing the approval of men, the apostles concerned themselves with pleasing God alone, regardless of what it will mean for them in society:
3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed–God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.1 Thessalonians 2:3-6 (NIV)
And this freedom from pleasing men liberates Christians to do the socially inappropriate things – to brave being cast out of the synagogue. To bear chains and disgrace. To preach an unpopular message with boldness and clarity!
At this point it’s easy to dismiss all of this as western individualism. And to say, "it’s all well and good, but things are different in Eastern cultures where family and village are so important." But that argument won’t fly: this is not the West, but the Middle East. They are actually all about family and village and community! And what is breathtaking is that despite that background of collectivism, they boldly and singlemindedly follow Jesus.
This is why in Mark 10 Jesus says,
29 "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields–and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.Mark 10:29-30 (NIV)
This passage can’t make any sense unless there is a strong, deep-rooted concern for homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, children. Which the disciples willingly turn their back on, to pursue something greater and more satisfying.
When the gospel came to China in the 1900′s, we see the very same thing – Chinese people were willing to lose face, in order to follow Jesus faithfully. In her article, Hu dismisses such Chinese to be ‘rice Christians’ (that is, they converted so as to receive rice from missionaries). But notice here the characteristic disregard for face that we saw in the New Testament:
"Mei-yu lien – ‘to have no lien’ is today used almost interchangeably with pu-yao lien. This is about the most severe condemnation that can be made of a person. For example, people who turned traitors against their country in its hour of greatest need are said to ‘have no lien’ at all, meaning that they have laid aside all pretensions of being decent human beings. In a similar way, individuals who accept a religion as a step for material advantage and social advancement ‘have no lien’ in the eys of the public."Hu, "The Chinese Concepts of ‘Face’".
And at that last point, Hu has a footnote: "In particular some Chinese Christians in the early part of this century."
The first Chinese Christians saw the blinding truth of the gospel, and responded in the only way they could. Like the Thessalonians, they "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1 Thes 1:9). And as they did so they experienced, and willingly bore the hatred and loss of face from their fellow countrymen. They became people who ‘have no lien’.
It’s natural to have some concern for what people think. And in fact, you do need some of this in order to preach the gospel (Rom 15:2, 1 Cor 10:33, 1 Tim 3:7). But when our concern for what people think becomes an idol, and when it controls and stifles and commands our affections, when it mutes our message – then we have a problem…
But how awesome it would be if, among Chinese Christians today, we also had that radical disregard for the opinion of others. How completely different our churches, our fellowship and meetings would be! And how clearly would our lives reveal that it is God alone that we love and fear; God alone whose opinion we care about! It would almost be like being a totally new person, with new priorities and affections and behaviours. Why – it would almost be like being … born again!
[ PS: is your face an idol for you? is it an idol for others around you? ]
Categories: Chinese culture
How true! It is so easy for us to fall into this idolatry of face without realising it, because it is such a normal and accepted part of our culture. We need humility to listen to this and repent.