Is Shame Something to Resist—or to Reconsider? - Lecture 2

Is it possible — or even desirable — to never experience shame again? In this second lecture of a three-part series, Dr. Shannon Parrott makes a provocative and carefully argued case: eliminating our capacity for shame would cost us something we cannot afford to lose.

Drawing on moral philosopher Krista Thomason, the book of Zephaniah, and her own biblical research in the Psalms, Dr. Parrott explores how shame is deeply connected to respect, identity, and our openness to being known by God. The lecture builds toward a close reading of Psalm 71 — a contest of perspectives between the psalmist, his enemies, and God — to show how Scripture models the path through shame rather than around it.

In this lecture, you'll explore:

· Why shamelessness is a moral and spiritual deficiency, not a goal

· How our identities are socially constructed — and why we are not the final authority on who we are

· The relationship between shame and respect in our moral psychology

· Why maintaining a capacity for shame keeps us open to the perspectives of others — including God's

· A close reading of Psalm 71 as a model for bringing shame before God as arbitrator

· Why surface-level reassurances ("God thinks you're beautiful") don't resolve deep shame — and what actually does

· How identity grounded "in Christ" points toward genuine transformation

This lecture is ideal for students of theology, biblical studies, pastoral counseling, and anyone wrestling with chronic shame or questions of identity and faith. It is the second in a three-part series, building toward a practical final lecture on moving from shame to transformation.

This recording captured one of our Friday Night Lectures on January 30, 2026.

About the Speaker:

Dr. S. J. Parrott completed her DPhil in Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford after earning two master's degrees at Regent College in Vancouver. She specialized in topics of shame, ethics, human formation, rhetoric, prophetic and poetic literature, and more.

shame and identity, shamelessness, theology of shame, Psalm 71, shame in the Psalms, respect and shame, moral philosophy of shame, Christian identity, shame and God's perspective, Upper House Commons, Dr. Shannon Parrott, Trinity Western University, biblical studies, spiritual formation, identity in Christ