In the last chapter, I discussed some of the ways in which Christian ideas and practices may impact upon individuals and groups to produce or amplify a sense of dysfunctional shame. It should not be inferred from this that Christian religious thinkers, pastors or communities deliberately set out to inculcate or to propagate shame. Many would be shocked if they thought that one of the consequences of their beliefs and practices was an increase in human alienation. Nonetheless, this may often be the reality, at least for some people.

There may be some Christians who would maintain that shame is an entirely appropriate state for human beings to experience. They might hold that there is not enough sense of shame in the contemporary world and that too much shame, of any kind, is better than not enough. Their hope might be that those who put their faith in God will ultimately be redeemed from sin and shame in such a way that they gain everlasting life.