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. I had been sharing in seminars these ideas about culture and Japan for some time. From those experiences, equipping people to share the gospel with Japanese, I realized they needed somewhat more than an occasional seminar. This was a needy area no matter if workers were part of the new wave of people sent to Japan or whether they had long experience struggling with the missiological enigma of Japan. I am in a long line of people who have written on the gospel and the culture of Japan. I have tried to present a broadminded evangelical perspective on some complex issues. 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 of our quest to penetrate the beliefs and worldview of the Japanese. The book contains a handy index to the content.

145 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2019

Reviews

[Harrison Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of a struggle, and "okay" is all I can really call it. It has a somewhat interesting analysis of what Japanese culture, spirituality, and religion are like, but it leaves a lot to be desired. The second half is dedicated to how we can create a presence of believers in Japan, but it's very abstract in nature and doesn't offer too much concrete example of "this is what my experience has been like." That isn't to say he should have given a prescription of exactly how to proselytize in Japan, but it should have had more concrete examples of what it has been like for him. As it stands, I understand that there is a problem, but what that problem truly looks like is left for me to wonder.

There are also a LOT of spelling, grammatical, and formatting errors throughout, which I really struggled with. Proofreading isn't that difficult.

[Brian McGregor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing new, nor particularly helpful.

In page 15 of the kindle version the author wrote, " We will begin discussing a very vital topic of. " Reading this book was much like that sentence, unfinished, undeveloped, and leaves me wondering what Mehn was trying to accomplish.

A two-page long paragraph is indicative of the grammar and readability problems. There is no functioning table of contents in the kindle version.

[Alessandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to Japanese religious beliefs as relevant to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in Japan. I recommend it mostly to gain a basic understanding of Japanese religious beliefs.