To help integrate global perspectives into the life of a local church, we have prepared some questions to begin a conversation of looking outside our immediate context. Feel free to use for your small groups or classes and email to let us know how the conversation went!
As a group, watch the following short video and discuss the following questions:
Where do you think “the wall” comes from?
Where do you see yourself in the cartoon?
Which side of the wall do you feel more comfortable on?
Why is that? (This is not a question of which you feel you SHOULD be more comfortable on)
Have there been people in your life who are similar to the one who “goes out…goes a long way out…stays out” as a way of sharing their faith? How have you seen this in their life?
What would it look like to live a faith without walls?
For yourself, your family, and friends?
For this group?
For your church?
Prior to understanding Japanese Christian theology, it is important to know how the Japanese view religion in general. In Japan there are basically two distinctions when it comes to religion: the revealed and the natural religions. Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and some new religions are considered to be revealed religions, because they have specific books and scriptures to live by and upon which religious life is practiced. In contrary to revealed religions, the natural religions are more tradition and folklore-based religions, followed with few or no specific books or scriptures. Even though Shintoism does have texts and scriptures to a degree, it is considered more as a natural religion.
