Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – Using the Arts to Reach Japan for Christ

By Paul Nethercott
July 2006

Necessities for Effectively Communicating the Gospel Through Art Common characteristics of those who are effective at communicating eternal truths in creative, artistic ways: 1. They have a genuine appreciation for and understanding of art. Most do not simply use art and artists as a tool to gather people. 2. They plan strategically, with an integrated approach to outreach that is holistic, comprehensive and sensitive to the preferences of their target group.  3. They like, accept, respect, honor and value artists. This is critical, as artists will not stick around if they sense they are not a valued part of the community. Budgets reflect values; money to support artists is an essential aspect of honoring them. 4. They understand that one of the most powerful aspects of the creative process is the formation of relationships. People are hungry for positive relationships that result in genuine community and belonging and working on a creative project together is a great way to build relationships. 5. They do not divide the world into “sacred” and “secular” compartments.  6. They empower artists by giving them permission to use their God-given gifts and abilities. 7. They listen carefully to both God’s word and to the voices of mainstream society. This is what John Stott calls “double listening.”

The results of a survey of Japanese conducted by the Gallup organization in 2001 were recently widely reported by news organizations. The poll caused a stir in mission circles because it claimed a shocking six percent of the population of Japan is Christian. Even more surprising, the poll indicated that seven percent of the teenage population of Japan is Christian.

In a country where far less than one percent of the population attends a Christian church, what could the results of the Gallup poll mean? For missionaries and others in Japan, this number of six or seven percent is much too high. There is too little evidence in Japan that this many people have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We would see it on people’s faces, it would be apparent as we talk with people, there would be far more Japanese attending church. 

Presbyterian Church (USA) missionary Tim Boyle wrote about this seeming disparity in numbers: “What these figures tell us is that Jesus is rather popular in Japan, even though his Church (in the sense of organized, formal churches) is not. There are numerous historical and cultural reasons for this, and so while these statistics are disturbing in one sense (our relative lack of success in “church growth”), they are very encouraging in a different sense as it means there is quite a bit of openness to the gospel message of Jesus Christ.”

While large numbers of Japanese are intensely interested in Christianity, overall the Church in Japan is not growing. However, there are “hot spots,” missional churches and ministries that are effectively communicating the gospel and gathering significant numbers of Japanese. One of the characteristics of these “hot spots” is a high value placed on the arts. Read Japanese artist Fumie Ando’s story here.

Christmas in Peace
Christmas in Peace (CIP) created a small crack in a huge dam of resistance to the expansion of God’s kingdom in Japan. In December 2002 a group of accomplished artists traveled to Tokyo with artist Makoto Fujimura of International Arts Movement (IAM) to take part in CIP. The group included actors, musicians and visual artists. CIP utilized media, concerts, art exhibitions and social gatherings to get the message of Christ into public spaces in Tokyo. In addition, a CD-ROM with a compilation of original songs and Fujimura’s testimony was produced. The CD was a remarkable success with more than 200,000 copies distributed in Tokyo alone. Over ten thousand people visited the website and linked to the CD, and over one thousand people left their contact information.