Christianity Made in Japan: A Study of Indigenous Movements (Nanzan Library of Asian Religion and Culture) [Paperback]

Mark R. Mullins (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0824821327 | ISBN-13: 978-0824821326 | Publication Date: November 1, 1998

For centuries the accommodation between Japan and Christianity has been an uneasy one. Compared with others of its Asian neighbors, the churches in Japan have never counted more than a small minority of believers more or less resigned to patterns of ritual and belief transplanted from the West. But there is another side to the story, one little known and rarely told: the rise of indigenous movements aimed at a Christianity that is at once made in Japan and faithful to the scriptures and apostolic tradition. Christianity Made in Japan draws on extensive field research to give an intriguing and sympathetic look behind the scenes and into the lives of the leaders and followers of several indigenous movements in Japan. Focusing on the "native" response rather than Western missionary efforts and intentions, it presents varieties of new interpretations of the Christian tradition. It gives voice to the unheard perceptions and views of many Japanese Christians, while rais! ing questions vital to the self-understanding of Christianity as a truly "world religion."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is scholarship of the highest quality on a subject as complex as it is difficult." -- Peter B. Clarke, University of London

About the Author

Mark R. Mullins is professor of sociology of religion and Christian studies at Meiji Gakuin University, Japan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824821327
• ISBN-13: 978-0824821326
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,140,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent study based on original research., May 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Christianity Made in Japan: A Study of Indigenous Movements (Nanzan Library of Asian Religion and Culture) (Paperback)

A good book, in my view, is one that provides new information about a worthy theme. A fine book is one that provides a new perspective from which to understand a significant body of information. A superb book is one that provides both new information about a worthy theme and a new, thought-provoking perspective from which to understand a significant body of information. This is a superb book. Mark Mullins, professor of sociology of religion and Christian studies at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo, has devoted years of research to pursuing an answer to the question of "what happens to a world religion when it is transplanted from one culture to another." More specifically, he focuses on "made in Japan" forms of Protestant Christianity-not its mainline forms but its indigenous movements. "My primary concern," he says, "has been to understand what Japanese Christians have done with Christianity, independent of the authority and control of the mission churches." ... And let it be said at once: he has done a magnificent job. -- David Reid, Former editor of the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies