Abstract
The book is an edited version of the author’s doctoral thesis, although he reminds us in the beginning that 20 years have passed since the thesis was written, during which time he has been able to rethink and re-evaluate the ideas presented in it.
The author spends a significant amount of time discussing general principles of worldview and then fleshing them out as they relate to Japan. What he achieves is a very useful analysis of Japanese people through a theological and missiological lens. He then follows this up with what he calls an ‘ethno-ecclesiology’; he draws on the writings of Paul to identify concepts and methods which he believes will mesh with the analysis of Japanese people and culture at the beginning of the book. In doing so, he identifies issues of modern as well as traditional culture. His discussion of the modern alienation and anomie in his nation follows from a very clear analysis of defining principles of ‘Japanese-ness’ such as conformity, group identity, and harmony. This is done in such a way as to be accessible to readers not particularly familiar with Japan. The book is effectively in the same stable as Hwa Yung’s Mangoes not Bananas (1997) in that it argues for contextualized theology for the Asian church, and provides a rationale for and some concrete steps towards that aim.
The work is significant for several reasons. Firstly, the very fact that it concerns the church and mission work in Japan is important. The impact of the gospel on that country is still relatively small and thus any scholarly work pertaining to Japan is of benefit to church worker and missionary alike. However, the basic approach of the research may also be helpful to others interested in contextualization, particularly in East Asia. Finally, Fukuda acknowledges the contribution but also the shortcomings of Western theological endeavour in the Japanese context.
One mild critique of the book is that the good work done on the Japanese context and appropriate biblical ideas seems to promise a very powerful effort on what Fukuda calls ‘Japanese ethno-ecclesiology’ and ‘a contextual church model for Japan’. Yet, unfortunately, this section of the book is less detailed and creative than the earlier ‘diagnostic’ parts. Longer and possibly more daring proposals relating to notions of place and belonging, decision-making and self-identification as Christian are probably what many readers would expect and hope for. Of course, it is easier to diagnose and elucidate general principles than to specify specific processes or outcomes.
That said, the author has worked hard to build his case and relate scholarship on contextualization to his own particular situation. It is a book worth reading and reading again, and as one reads it, it is possible to imagine similar studies being done for very different cultures and missiological situations.