Toward a contextualized understanding of conversion for the people of Japan: An evaluation of the effects of worldview and epistemology on salvific faith and repentance.

摘要

The nation and people of Japan have experienced tremendous change since 1867 that has been stabilized by repeatedly returning to their traditional religious and cultural belief systems. Even though Francis Xavier introduced Christianity to Japan almost five centuries ago, the Church has not found a way to prosper, in part, due to the differences in epistemology and worldview between the West and Japan. This dissertation examines the difficulties of contextualization within the framework of Christian conversion for the Japanese people, with special reference to the effects of worldview and epistemology on salvific faith and repentance.;To examine these difficulties, the author studied the pragmatics and theology of conversion by focusing on the essentials of faith and repentance, and presented a general statement that is representative of the central concept of salvation. Japanese epistemology and worldview were determined from scholarly writings and interviews with Christians and non-Christians in Japan. The literature demonstrated a noticeable dichotomy between Japanese and Western thought that was intensified by interviews and the observations made by the author while he lived in Japan. The author's personal missionary experience greatly supplemented the research and brought to awareness many unpublished areas of worldview and epistemological diversity, which provided both examples of the problems of Japanese conversion and possible keys to its resolution.;This dissertation is composed of eight chapters. The material in chapters one through four offers an introduction to the study, describes the political, cultural, and religious histories of Japan, and presents a selected epistemology and worldview of the Japanese people. Chapter five provides an examination of the Western evangelical understanding of conversion, including standard means of witnessing, and establishes a foundation for a statement encompassing the essentials of salvation. Chapter six examines the influences of worldview and epistemology on an understanding of conversion by contrasting Western and Japanese cultural mores. In chapter seven, suggested solutions and select missiological implications are offered.;The author concludes that a people's epistemology and worldview have a dramatic effect on their notion of salvific faith and repentance. The effect is so severe that culture specific apologetics and a parallel explanation of the atonement are necessary in order to communicate the truth of the biblical message to a culture dissimilar from the Western worldview. The result would be a truly indigenous, yet accurate, theology with a contextualized message that is relevant to the culture of the Japanese people. The author concludes by drawing together the relevant issues and highlighting tension between the Japanese and Western perspectives with a focus on critical theological and missiological solutions. Application and expansion of these suggestions toward soteriology and additional work in other branches of theology should empower the evangelical churches of Japan to produce and propagate the true gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and substantially grow the church.