Searching For Japanese Christianity

by Sean W. Anthony

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The constant striving for knowledge that must be an everyday effort accompanying an encounter with a new cultural can at times be frustrating, yet it also invigorates he who strives. Such gained knowledge gives freedom and adaptability for functioning and interacting with the living forces that shape his surroundings. The person tries to discover the language, behavior, etc. to live life fully. For the foreigner, this must be a conscious act at first, which contrasts to the subconscious level of thought of the nationals he is trying to understand and emulate. How does one know that his knowledge is, therefore, accurate?

There is a Chinese proverb, “If you want to know what water is, don’t ask a fish.” As an outsider to this culture, I have a privileged vantage point of observation despite the limitations that it necessarily brings as well. However, one must listen—understanding in order to be understood. This must not be done in a way that projects a form or stereotype upon a culture for the sake of classification and categorical assertions. What are the Japanese saying to me and what do they have to express? What can I see that perhaps the mundanity of everyday life obscures to the majority of Japanese? Lastly, there is the question that I must ask as a Christian. How does God’s Gospel encounter and challenge the assumptions and foundations that this culture is built upon, and how am I to minister God’s Gospel therein? There are many pitfalls that will encounter one on the way as the lines dividing ethnocentrism and valid criticism blur and escape my understanding. The process must be constantly self-corrective and self-critical, employing a dialectic approach to find the nature of Japanese culture- if there even exists such a static entity.

This report will be different from previous reflection in that I want to concentrate slightly more on Japanese Christianity. First I will examine some attitudes that I have unearthed as existing among secular Japanese towards religious people and religion, and then expound upon the multi-faceted differences between Japanese and American versions of Christianity, which though are intimately related to each other are vastly different. Lastly, I would like to take a look at some of the challenges that I see before churches of Japan.

It is hardly possible to underestimate the effect of the Second World War upon this culture. After the Imperialist forces in control were decimated, MacArthur’s subsequent restructuring under American occupation would change Japan radically. After World War II, two giants of world power awoke from their slumber–America as a giant of military strength, and Japan as a giant of economic dominance. Seventy years have passed since then, and I have experienced a radically different Japan.

Before and during World War II, Japanese were radically religious. This would take the form of two religions in each individual’s life, Shintoism and Buddhism. Shintoism had strong connections to the emperorship of Japan, and under the warlords, homage was required to be given at the shrines as an act of worship towards the emperor. The emperor was to be considered god. Never mind how capricious and self-serving he would ever appear, one must give their life to the emperor unquestioningly. These perversities lead to the deaths of thousands and thousands of souls for an empty and brutal cause that victimized nations and innocent families.

During the reforms after the war, the emperor cult was officially made illegal and could no longer be practiced and enforced in Japan. This huge step lead to the secularization of the Japanese people, who now have abandoned religious devotion in any dynamic form in general. Obviously though, religion does exist here, and it is practiced. How do Japanese now see religion in general and in what way has this past formed this vision?

Not so long ago, an atrocity was committed in a subway station in a section of Tokyo called Shinjuku. Shinjuku is perhaps the busiest and most influential area of Tokyo. Strict-nine gas was released in the station killing many people. The culprits were members of a religious cult here in Japan. Many small bands of new religious cults exist here, though none ever really amass enough followers to effect Japanese society unless they commit an outrageous act. I would say that many Japanese people view religious people as belonging to those type of people. Maybe if they belong to a world religion like Christianity, they would not be so harshly stereotyped; however, they are looked upon with suspicion. Religious people are stigmatized in this culture as either being weak or mentally volatile.

Some persons who I have tried to evangelize have sought to avoid this stigmatization by keeping their faith individual and bypassing the church. Yet this is impossible in Christianity, for true Christians experience a holistic sanctification which revolutionizes how they interact with people and God. Never can it be satisfied as existing as a nebulous intellectual ascent, but it must find an authentic existence in this world that is tangible and observable. That is why Jesus has established His church as the very bulwark of truth on this planet (1 Tim. 3.15), to make evident the immanence of God’s Reign and the urgency of repentance and action. When in touch with power of God’s Spirit and truly demonstrating the love of Christ in our obedience to him, this stigmatization is easily dispelled. However, what is required of Christians in this context [as in every other context] is that we be genuine and relevant. Our message must not be clouded by pseudo-spiritual jargon and a gospel that preaches a plastic Christianity.

I believe that all humans desire to be reconciled to God, although this desire often takes the form of indignant rebellion and defiance. Often struggles against God may often in the end prove to be the search for Him (e.g. Dostoevsky!). Japanese have sought to repudiate their past full of insane, mindless devotion to exploitive emperors who often are themselves mere puppets to warlords and political machines. While the Japanese have succeeded in doing so in regards to emperor-worship, many appear oblivious that in the space which once was occupied by the emperor, another new idol stands. Money has become god here in Japan. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” (1 Tim. 6.10a) as the oft misquoted verse goes. The ghastly truth of this statement can be observed here in Japan.

One may wonder why I said money rather than the company, especially in light of what I said in my previous report. That issue I would like to expound upon here, and I hope to make clear my reasons for saying that money has filled this vacuum and not dedication to the company. I write this because of what I perceive to be the nourishing drive that keeps such a strenuously stressful system of living operating. Companies merely exploit the greed of its workers to get them to bow under their demands; thereby, they make themselves appear to be the source of money meaning that they have a chokehold on the personal spheres and life of the workers. They serve money, destroy themselves for it, neglect their loved ones for it, and in the process they lose hold of the life that is truly life (1 Tim. 6.19).

Japan is experiencing a recession. The country that could do no wrong economically is struggling, and unemployment is on the rise. Never have I once heard a plea for people to return to the past, or any other reform as such. Many have just seemed to be losing faith in the system itself-the enterprise in its entirety. This anti-God has also failed the Japanese people, leaving many broken as they were previously at then end of World War II. People commit suicide in record numbers here. Less people die of car accidents than of suicides. Historically, this is a suicide culture, but God has sent his Son to give abundant life and end the works of the thief who is the Evil One (John 10.10). Not yet has this become a national phenomenon of the level of World War II, nor is it likely to become one in my opinion. Relatively speaking, Japan knows very little of poverty in material possessions, but the people are suffering from a poverty of soul. Jesus says,

“For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I am in need of nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see!”

Revelation 3.17-18

And here is where I want to interject the mission of the Church here. Japanese are oblivious to the truth of Jesus Christ and its power to change even the most desperate situations. A desperate Japanese man or woman may know of Christianity as a historical movement or religion, but never would they even consider in their mind to cry out to Him. Who is Jesus? That they don’t know and most people here never ask. God has placed believers here with a mission to fulfill.

Contemporary Protestant Christianity in Japan was birthed during and largely shaped by the years following the Second World War. After 1945, MacArthur commissioned thousands of missionaries from the United States and Canada to help implement the cultural revolution which was to set up structures to replace previous ones. Under the umbrella of American Imperialism and surfing the wave of cultural transition, Christianity experienced its greatest and most successful era known as the Third Missionary Movement (the First and Second initiated by Francis Xavier and Matthew Perry Calbraith, respectively).

This occurrence ran against the grain of the general cultural movement toward secularization; however, the very wind of change that facilitated such a migration of thought fueled both phenomenons. Japanese culture was brought under crisis. God used such a time to establish a church for His own work here in Japan. Japan has progressed, grown, and has a completely different character now. It has a new identity.

Currently, those who responded to the Gospel after World War II and the period thereafter, until about 1960, hold the leadership positions. In light of little harvest during those years of Japan’s growing, a conscientious cultivation of those who are in the flock. As time passed, a new focus of energies would come into the context. The converts had children and attempted to nurture families and pass on a tradition of Christian belief and dedication. With no large migration to the Christian faith presently taking place in Japan, this issue has been of highest importance, priority, and even vexation.

American and Canadian missionaries to Japan brought with them their own cultural understanding of Jesus and His Gospel. Woefully, they were also participants in an Imperialist enterprise. Not only were the preachers of the Gospel, but often they were propagandists of American aspirations to contain and restructure Japan in accordance with America’s own motives. Though maybe subconsciously, many missionaries arrived with a thinking of American Christianity as the Christianity suitable for Japan because of America’s apparent superiority. Forms in which Christianity is practiced are largely western in style and form. Traditions are inherited from North American practice and the teachings of North American believers. Conceptual images of Jesus as blue-eyed European with long, light-brown hair still persist among Japanese, both secular and Christian. Christianity is American for the majority of Japanese. It is still the foreigners’ religion. Over the past 50 years these borrowed systems have solidified and fused themselves with the practice of Christianity in Japan, and they are protected as sacrosanct and untouchable. Shelter, security, and rest is found in the practice of these traditions, yet these traditions have themselves caused a crisis to occur in the second generation of Christians after World War II. Having never been properly contextualized, Japanese Christianity has been obscured and even restrained by North American form and tradition. Keeping this in mind, I want to discuss the second generation Christians and the many problems that I have just expounded upon causes for them.

The immediate problem faced by many churches here is the youth becoming increasingly disillusioned from the church. This estrangement has many causes. In my previous report, I mentioned some of the temptations that are in Japanese culture. The pop culture facing the second generation lures many into a trap. Deceived by the pleasures of this world and the temporary satisfaction, they succumb to the eventual destruction of the sins that beset them. What has been happening among the second generation cannot be attributed to solely to this influence of pop culture. In this context, we find many who genuinely feel unable to practice their faith. Having an aversion for the meaningless traditions surrounding them, they feel expiated from the community by their own conscience. They leave not in rebellion, but in honesty because they can find no meaning in the practice of the Church. Separated from the church, they lose the vitality and nourishment of their faith, which is the community of Christ. In due process, their faith fizzles and dies. Traditions, which give security, shelter, and from which is also drawn inspiration for the older generation, frustrate the second generation.

What is to be done? First I would like to cite two biblical examples that I find to be very important in understanding the relationship of generations to each other. In 1 Peter 5.1-4, Peter gives instructions to the elders:

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow-elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. [NASB]

The Gospel never establishes the status quo; rather, it calls it into question. I would like the accentuate some of the challenges this verse gives to Japanese (not to the exclusion of others of course) conceptions of leadership. At first glance, this passage may seem to be purporting some kind of Confucian paradigm if ruling via example; however, there is much more than this to be found in the verse. A leader must never lead with compulsion or with strict appeal to authority. Consider the metaphor in this verse. How does a shepherd lead his sheep-is it not with a stick that merely gathers and leads the sheep? The shepherd does not determine the sheep’s paths, but he guides the sheep and keeps them from wondering from the flock. Lastly, Peter appeals to the example of Christ, and every leader must humbly present his need before God realizing he has no authority that is not truly and rightfully God’s alone. He is but a mere steward. Concerning young men, Peter writes:

You younger men, likewise be subject to you elders; and all you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you at the proper time.

1 Peter 5.5, 6

The young men are to submit in humility, seek God, and patiently await for their time to shepherd the flock. God is against any arrogance that would unduly oppose the elder and act in defiance against him; therefore, He is equally against any arrogance of the elders that would cause them to overstep the authority that God has given them.

Both leadership and the young need each other, for the vitality of their relationship will determine the vitality of the entire church. John I think appeals to this idea in his epistle:

I am writing to you fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one . . . I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 1 John 2.13, 14

John writes to both the first and second generation here, and each one’s strength and contribution is highlighted. The fathers carrying with them the knowledge of the past, yet it is the young who possess the strength to make it effective to overcome the evil in this world. All of the future and much of the present lays upon the shoulders of the young, and this truth must be recognized by leadership. An elder must not be overly arrogant thinking that he deserves and has earned the position that God has placed him in. A true elder does not receive glory from others, he gives glory with a servant’s heart. Soon his life will end, and there must be an investment in the future. God’s Reign calls for a change in the way we see leadership, for example we have the passage concerning Jesus at the Last Supper:

And there arose also a dispute among them [i.e. the Twelve] as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But not so with you, but let me tell him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader, as the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. Luke 22.24-27

Being a servant is not measured by how busy one is! While here, I found myself often confusing the two concepts. Rather, Jesus teaches that it is a constant effort to put others before yourself and not to fear the humility of the low position. In God’s Kingdom, the first are last and the last are first. In this world, the last don’t last.

More than anything, the second generation needs to realize its importance ad calling. One will not grasp this by some divine revelation from heaven that is totally uninvolved with the person’s life and experience. Such things are nurtured and brought to fruition over time. Manifold events shape and from the ideas we have about ourselves and we see possibilities. God prepares these things for each person. Primarily the way we can recognize this in someone’s life is to challenge him or her and require of them great things. Adversity will for the second generation and engaging them in an active faith that requires dedication and diligence is of utmost importance. The mundanity of the cycle of Sunday church attendance must be broken and replaced with goals and challenges. There is a temptation to merely entertain and occupy, but that only leads to indifference and detachment from the true mission of the church. Leaders must not fear giving this to the second generation, and they must also not be too harsh. Distance between the two generations must and will exist; however, the distance must not be seen as a chasm, rather in terms of continuity.

The second generations desperately needs the wisdom and experience of the older, but I doubt that they would ever admit that. There exists a lot of aggression between generations, and they are always competitive. In the body of Christ, we should overcome the entrapments of the world from both sides, but these things are in a delicate balance. If it is truly necessary, sometimes for their to be a true breakthrough and change, people must humble themselves and approach the other first, even if they are not in the wrong whatsoever ( and when is that ever really the case?). All things take time, but above all, people must be willing to change, to embrace that change, and then to amend it as needed. Things do get better, and innovation is important. Often the old way of doing things must be changed because they are no longer suitable for the present realities. Admitting this fact is difficult for those who hold the past to be so precious, but it is a necessity. All of this is to say to the second generation that they are not alone, awkward and misplaced. They have a role of high importance, and they are needed for the livelihood of the church as well as the preservation of its future.

Taking time to form thoughts and analyze my experience here in Japan, I have encountered uncertainty. Often my answers and feelings are vague or ambivalent. Hovering over my head there is the self-doubt that I may be idiosyncratic or ethnocentric in my judgments. Often I ask myself the question, “Is this something that the Gospel is against, or is it my own judgments and bias because of my cultural background?” For example, can one truly criticize the amount of energy and time that Japanese devote to their career to the neglect of other things, does their value for the group thinking go too far? Is leadership and stratification so extreme here that the Gospel of brotherly and sisterly love is constrained? These things I particularly wonder about, because I see Japanese Christians sharing the same values as the secular Japanese. Has the contextualization of the Gospel not gone far enough; thereby, have we failed to listen to the voice that cries out calling for change in this culture? Answers to these questions evade me, though I do have definite opinions concerning them. Here I find the heart of the challenge for every missionary. How do I make the Gospel relevant to this culture so that people may understand its contents and here the power of its message? At the same time, how do I keep it from being so identified with this culture as to obscure its messages and dilute it? May God help us all as we seek to find the middle path.