Using Media To Reach The Lost In Japan

Multiplying Churches In Japanese Soil by John Mehn. Since the beginning of missionary efforts in Japan in the sixteenth century, the Japanese church has never managed to take root as a truly indigenous church-despite great effort toward that aim. Why? What factors have contributed to the Japanese remaining largely unreached? Mehn examines the current state of affairs and then, with some careful analysis and case study, delves into effective models and leadership for planting churches in Japan that not only grow, but are also equipped to reproduce and multiply.

Overcoming Barriers to Evangelization in Japan by David J. Lu. This book follows Paul’s teaching and deems the Japanese people as worshiping “an unknown god” (Acts 17:22-31), and tries to emphasize common grace at each turn. 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.

Jesus For Japan: Bridging the Cultural Gap to Christianity, by Mariana Nesbitt. Christian growth in Japan has been slow. This book fills a cultural gap. It is a collection of insights from Japanese literature, the arts, and religion that will help solve the problem of making our ministry less foreign to the Japanese heart and mind. No other work to date has attempted to include this much information in one book, focusing on and using Japanese opinions, research and theology.

Japanese Redemptive Analogies:: Bridging the Cultural Gap to Christianity, by Mariana Nesbitt. Ever wished for a Redemptive Analogy for Japan like Peace Child, the redemptive analogy that sparked off a great turning to Christ in Irian Jaya? God has blessed Japanese culture with plenty of redemptive analogies that we can use. The riches of Japanese culture and literary genius has produced novels, theatre, poetry, stories and history that we can mine for nuggets of gold! We can use many of these to teach the Christ of substitution, sacrifice and redemption.

The Japanese and Christianity: Why Is Christianity Not Widely Believed in Japan? by Samuel Lee. Since the mid-sixteenth century, Christianity has been notably active in Japan, and yet Japan remains one of the least- evangelized nations in the world. The Japanese and Christianity is an attempt to work out an appropriate response to the question, “What are the main reasons why Christianity has not yet succeeded in Japan?” It investigates various factors, i.e. the societal, cultural, historical, missiological and political dimensions of Christianity in Japan, in searching for possible answers.

To Japan and Back: A Missionary Journey of Despair, Hope, and Joy by JT Stoll. Joey Stoll had no clue what he was getting into when he went to rural Japan as a long-term missionary. He left full of excitement and arrived in a world very different from what he expected. Compiled in short chapters written as stories, devotions, and journal entries, this is one missionary’s strange journey to the Land of the Rising Sun and an equally strange journey of returning to his own culture.

Belong, Experience, Believe: Pentecostal Mission Strategies for Japan by Noriyuki Miyake. Why don’t Japanese people become Christians? Miyake brings a pastor’s heart and a researcher’s mind to a question that has been asked many times in Christian mission. After reviewing Japanese social and religious life and evaluating the history of mission strategies so far, he highlights two key ways that Japanese people relate to religion: first, they look for a sense of belonging to a community, and second they receive religious truth through first-hand experience rather than through abstract doctrine. From this basis he develops a new strategy for churches to reach out into Japanese community.

Shintō: the Gospel’s Gate by Brian T. McGregor. Christianity has been present in Japan since the mid-1500s and yet it is still not widely followed in Japan. Could it be because we insist on explaining the Gospel in terms of guilt-innocence instead of shame-honor? Shintō: the Gospel’s Gate develops two major redemptive analogies; introduces an indigenous name for the Creator God; the Shintō concept of sin; and solves a 3,400 year old biblical mystery.

Sowing the Gospel in Japanese Soil: Understanding Japanese Religious Beliefs by John Wm. Mehn. How do we sow the Christian gospel in Japanese soil so that it thrives with multiplying disciples and healthy churches? To be effective in sowing the gospel we must know our seed and the soil. This book is written in two parts, the first explores the soil of Japan and the second focuses on sowing the gospel in Japan. Each chapter will attempt to answer several key questions in the quest to penetrate the beliefs and worldview of the Japanese.

Sowing in Tears, Reaping in Joy: The Life Story of Florence Miller, Missionary to Japan by Florence J. Miller. Florence Miller was faced with the challenge of being one of the first North American Baptist missionaries to Japan, blazing a trail for those who would follow. From 1951 to her retirement in 1989, she sought to sow the seed of God’s Word in the lives of people who had been steeped for centuries in Buddhist and Shintoist traditions. She is credited with planting several churches in Japan, frequently encountering situations that took her far beyond her comfort zone.

Operation Japan Prayer Guide – 5th Edition by Don Wright. The Operation Japan prayer guide will help you to understand the needs of Japan, while providing the information you need to effectively pray for the country and its people. It draws on multiple sources to provide detailed statistics on every prefecture, along with specific prayer needs and concerns, and includes up-to-date information on each prefecture in Japan, a system for praying through the nation in one year, and key prayer targets and issues.