As I learn more about Japanese culture, and begin to think about what ministry will be like over there, I’ve come to realize that approaches that are almost considered sacred here, in Japan would likely prove to be almost wholly ineffective. Particularly in the area of Evangelism, where Christians in America have devoted much time to developing strategies of effectively communicating the truth of the gospel to people who have not yet believed.
For instance, when you’re trying to share your faith with someone, what do you start with? If you’re with Campus Crusade for Christ, you probably begin with: “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Others may start with sin, to explain the need for a savior. Almost always we will want to get to Jesus very shortly. However, the only reason we are able to get away with that here is because our culture has not only some idea of who God is, but WHAT a God is. As Tomo wrote in the previous post, Japanese people are at a disadvantage here.
Culturally Japanese believe in many, many different gods. Gods that have flaws, and strengths, gods that meddle in human affairs, gods that ought to be appeased, or if possible ignored and left alone. If you start with God’s love, or sin, or Jesus in attempting to explain the gospel, the odds of encountering some serious misunderstandings are quite high. So where should we start? And even more important, does the Bible give us any ideas on how to reach people from such a radically different worldview?
I think it does. In Acts 17:22-31, Paul (a Jew) addresses the men of Athens (Greeks). Greeks believed in many gods, gods who had flaws, gods who meddled in human affairs, gods who needed to be appeased, and perhaps at times better off just ignored. So where does Paul start? With God; explaining exactly who the God he’s talking about is. This is the God who created everything, who is Lord of both Heaven and Earth, a God who does not live in temples made by man, and does not require the service of men but instead is the God who gives all men life and breath. In short, Paul is talking about a God whom the Athenians had never imagined, a God totally unlike their concept of god. It’s not until the very last verse that he mentions Christ, and then only vaguely, making sure NOT to say that Christ is the Son of God, or that He was God (lest the Greeks, think Jesus was a son of a god like Hercules, or serperate god in Paul’s pantheon).
I think this is the approach Christians would need to take in Japan: starting with explaining who God is. And it may take a number of conversations before we could move on to, sin, what God wants for us, or what Christ has done.