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With the advent of the Reiwa era and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the world's attention is riveted on Japan's grand tradition. Yet these same traditions are the ones that are hindering our efforts for evangelization. A college student knows he will be disowned by his family if baptized, and a Christian wife cannot receive baptism because of her Buddhist husband's strong opposition. How can we combat against these? There are two approaches:
1. We can condemn Japanese practices as total darkness and preach against them, or;
2. We can follow Paul's teaching and deem the Japanese people as worshiping "an unknown god" (Acts 17:22-31), and try to emphasize common grace at each turn.
This book follows the second approach, but provides judiciously placed "caution" signs. It will tell you how to engage in conversation with non-Christians while providing an insider's view of Japan's rich cultural heritage. Its main purpose is to obtain conversion among the die-hard Buddhists, Shintoists, and traditionalists. When that is done, God's kingdom will be enriched in a manner similar to the time when Saul of Tarsus became Paul the apostle.
About the author
David J. Lu is professor emeritus of history and Japanese studies at Bucknell University. His works--he writes in English about Japanese history and business practices and in Japanese about American history and society--reflect his desire to be a bridge-builder between the two countries. His works have benefited from his almost-unlimited access to all strata of Japanese society. This volume is his seventeenth book, and his second on evangelism.
