Japan
Evangelical
Association

Japan Update

Spring 2024 Number 86

Tsutomu Matsui (see page 5) planting rice

Christians and creation care
Norio
Yamaguchi
Lecturer,
Tokyo Christian
University

InsideChristians and creation care

1&3

How can churches in Japan

care for God’s creation? 2 & 3
Entrusted with a beautiful
world

4&8

Farming with God

5&8

News and Notes

6&7

Editorial

8

Why should Christians be engaged increation care? This is an important, thoughoften neglected, question for all believersin the Lord Jesus. There are two reasons
why all Christians should be engaged increation care:First, all humanity is created in the imageof God. But what does it mean to be madein God’s image? One way of explaining
this difficult question is imitatio Dei(imitation of God). We, as beings createdin God’s image, are to imitate what God
does in his creation. By imitating him, weare expected to reflect his good intentions
and behavior in his created world.
What, then, is God doing in and for his
creatures? He is taking care of all of his
creation, as the Psalmist states: “These
all look to you to give them their foodin due season; when you give it to them,
they gather it up; when you open yourhand, they are filled with good things”(Ps 104:27–28)*. Since God is concerned
about and responsible for the welfare of
all his creation, we must share in theseconcerns and responsibilities.
Moreover, according to Genesis 1,
we humans are commanded to have“dominion” over all creatures (Gen1:26). We should, however, be careful
not to misconstrue what “dominion”
means. Dominion is not the equivalentof exploitation. Rather, in this context, it
signifies an affectionate care that comesfrom God’s love for his creatures. Hence,
this famous commandment never gives
humanity an endorsement to exploit thenatural world as we want. On the contrary,since God loves all creatures and wishes
their happiness, we, as his servants, shouldcarefully comply with what our heavenly
Master wishes us to do. Therefore, it is our
vocation to take care of all creatures fortheir own sustenance and welfare.
Second, the fall of humanity coincidedwith the fall of all creation (Gen 3:17).
Not only in the original Fall, but also
throughout the history of humanity, thenatural world has been suffering fromhttps://jeanet.org/(continued on page 3)

Feature

How can churches in Japan care for God’s creation?
An implication through a survey of environmental awarenessKenji Ishihara
How do churches in Japan view
environmental issues?
I have been involved in
the Biblical Environmental Consortium for several
years. This is a Christiangroup driven mostly by
pastors with a heart for
God’s creation. In thisgroup, I had the opportunity to undertake an enviKenji Ishihararonmental awareness survey of churches and Christian organizations in Japan.
The survey was conducted from 2020 to 2021 and 106
responses, primarily from pastors and leaders of Christian organizations, were collected with the cooperationof the Japan Evangelical Association (JEA). The full
results of the survey were presented at the action grouptime of the 7th Japan Congress on Evangelism (JCE7)
in September 2023. I would like to share from the results some of the interesting findings indicating the current ecological awareness of churches in Japan.

The pie chart presents an overview of attitudes toward ecological practices in churches. This is the resultof the question, “What policy on environmental issues
does your church have?” From the chart, we can seethat about one-third of the respondents consider environmental issues to be something Christians should
work on as individuals. In contrast, another one-third of
the respondents are willing to take action on ecologicalconcerns as churches. The rest were unsure. Comments
submitted in the survey were also analyzed.
Are environmental issues personal matters?
Surprisingly, the majority of respondents tended toview ecological practices as personal matters. For ex-

ample, a few respondents provided comments similar
to those below:• The Church is a group of individuals, so environmental initiatives should be pursued by individuals.
• We should inspire voluntary environmental
activities by individuals rather than promote
initiatives by the Church.
It was surprising to observe such individualistic views
from the church leaders, who should have known thata church is a community of believers.
Other comments expressed concern about taking
collective action as a church as well. One pastor
referred to the difficulty of handling diverse views
among congregation members, saying, “Thediffering views on environmental issues within
the congregation could threaten to split a church.”
Another pastor reported, “I think churches should dosomething, but I feel cautious about shifting too muchin that direction and losing sight of the purpose of the
Church. I think faith-based NPOs and NGOs should
lead social initiatives.” Interestingly, this comment
indicates a view that environmental issues are not the
primary purpose of the Church.
Moreover, a few respondents emphasized thatchurches in Japan are very small:“I believe there are many social issues churches
should be involved in, but many churches are too
small to do something for all the issues. Therefore,
it is more realistic for churches to participate ininterdenominational organizations, governments, nonprofit organizations, and so on.”This comment infers that churches in Japan are
too small to work on such issues. However, some
respondents expressed a desire for initiatives that
could be taken up by small churches and those withlimited resources.
Actions and struggles
In contrast to the view that this should be anindividual activity, one-third of the respondents
expressed willingness to take action on ecologicalmatters at their churches. Further analysis showed thatsome churches have already engaged in ecologicalpractices, such as saving energy, picking up trash,growing green curtains [using living plants to shade
the rays of the sun—Ed.], purchasing sustainableproducts, and reducing purchases and trash. Also,a few churches hold study sessions and refer toenvironmental issues in preaching. Some pastors(continued on page 3)

2

Feature
How can churches in Japan care for God’s creation? (continued from page 2)

suggested that the church’s proactive involvement inenvironmental issues could be social witness to the local community, which would hopefully result in evangelization.
On the other hand, despite their willingness to dosomething through the church, some respondents
appeared to struggle with having concrete ideas totake action on ecological matters. For example, one
pastor commented, “Although we think it is important,
we have not yet initiated something concrete. I would
appreciate it if you could offer some examples of whatchurches can do.” Also, there was an expectation ofaction from larger church associations: “I think it would
be effective if the JEA would set specific action goals
and encourage each church to participate.” If there were
any helpful resources that churches could access as a
guide, it could be valuable for churches to engage inecological activities.
Future prospects
To conclude, churches in Japan have gradually
become aware of environmental issues that need tobe addressed. However, although some churches arewilling to take action, they face difficulty in gaining
practical ideas. It would be helpful if more pragmatic
resources on creation care were accessible in Japanese
Christian communities, providing input on why andhow churches can take ecological actions.
It was a great encouragement that JCE7 ended with
the Tokai Declaration, which referred to environmental
issues in point 5:“Use this 7th Japan Congress on Evangelism as anopportunity to pave the way for Church-wide efforts forenvironmental conservation to take shape.”—JCE7 Tokai Declaration: Our prayer “Beginning”
from the “End”
We hope to start thinking about how we can develop“Church-wide efforts for environmental conservation”
together as churches in Japan.

Christians and creation care (continued from page 1)

ecological devastation caused by human greed. In
fact, we in the twenty-first century are facing a serious
environmental crisis. Many species are on the edge ofextinction. As humanity needs God’s redemption, so
do all creatures. Hence, the redemption of humanity
should also coincide with the redemption of all
creation, or, as St. Paul states: “the creation itself will
be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtainthe freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom
8:21).
While the redemption of all creation is ultimately thetask of God, we should participate in this redemptive
work. Since humanity is responsible for the ecologicalcrisis, we are obliged to rescue other creatures fromtheir predicaments.
There is an additional reason why we should be
active regarding the redemption of other creatures.
Reconciliation of human beings to God is a criticaltheme of the New Testament; but reconciliation ofother creatures in addition to human beings is also
an important theme, for as St. Paul says: “For in him[Christ] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,and through him God was pleased to reconcile tohimself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by
making peace through the blood of his cross” (Col
1:19–20).
The prophet Isaiah also envisages a glorious futurereconciliation and harmony between human beingsand other creatures, as it is stated: “The nursing childshall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned
child shall put its hand on the adder’s den” (Isa 11:8).
This beautiful vision can be realized in the present(even if partially and imperfectly) when we pray andmove into action.
In sum, there are two reasons why Christians should
be engaged in creation care; first, humanity is createdas God’s image, so we are imitating what God is doing
for the benefit of other creatures, and second, humanity
is also called to participate in God’s redemptive workfor the entire world.
We should join this critical task here and now.
*All scripture citations are taken from the New RevisedStandard Version.

3

Testimony

Entrusted with a beautiful world
Natsuko Shimasaki
I was born in Tokyo in 1954.
In the spring that I would turn
14 years old, my brother diedof cancer. My father began towonder what had eaten away
at his son’s life. In those days,
Japan was just coming out of
postwar poverty and entering aperiod of both mass production
Natsuko Shimasaki and mass consumption. The air
was polluted. The Tama River,on whose riverside I would play as a child, was bubblingwith industrial wastewater and pH-neutral detergent
dumped out of private households. At home, an invasionof chemical condiments and vegetables grown with agrichemicals became the food on the table. Nuclear power
plant construction was being planned. Before we knew
it, something frightening called carcinogenic agents
had seeped into our daily lives. My brother’s death triggered my father to quit his job to warn society about theongoing trend he believed was endangering nature andpeople’s health. He began by publishing a magazine andmobilizing an anti-pollution and anti-nuclear power plantmovement in the 1970s.
My conversion and the evangelical church
My brother’s death led all of my family members toponder how to live our lives. I became a Christian asa high school student in 1972. Later I went to a Bible
school. In the dorm, I would question the use of pH-neutral detergents and chemical condiments, and I would try
to engage other students in discussions about the topic.
However, we would usually end up with the conclusionthat it was all a matter of sin, and even more reason why
we should evangelize people. But I thought if pollution
was the result of our sins, we should change our way oflife. I did not understand why people were uninterested
in taking action. As a result, I would be labeled a socialist Christian, and our discussion would invariably leave
us feeling we were unable to understand each other.
Meanwhile, the young people who came to work withmy father were serious about transforming society andbringing about a lifestyle that would conserve humans
and nature. Their sincere attitudes attracted me, and I
would often contemplate abandoning my Christian faith.
I was, however, led to look back on past history. During
the Church’s 2,000 years, it was never without error. And
yet, there were always Christians who were like shiningstars. I had heard the gospel because of such people. If
so, regardless of what the Church was doing at the moment, what God was asking me to do was perhaps to4

shine like a star. I chose to remain a believer. That waswhen I was age 20.
Food issue
When I married a minister, my father’s blessing was,“No matter what you do, don’t become a missionary.
Missionaries have destroyed the indigenous value system
of Asians who have been living in harmony with nature.
They implant materialism. They are vanguards of theWest, which ravages the natural environment and is obsessed with profit.” He also encouraged me to sow seeds
wherever I go. After pastoring a church for a time, myhusband and I became missionaries to the Philippines,
contrary to my father’s wishes. We also lived in the U.S.
and the U.K., where my husband went to earn degrees.
During those years, I asked myself what it would mean
to live in Asia as a missionary. I did sow seeds wherever
I was.
Japan’s food self-sufficiency is 38% on a calorie basis.
Therefore, imported foods regularly appear on household tables. We must note, however, many underlying
issues. Fuel oil is consumed for transportation. Oceantransport requires safety on the sea lanes. People do not
seem, however, to be sufficiently aware of the military
expenses to keep it safe, or the danger of war on the sea
lanes. The cost of imported food does not include thecost of maintaining the ports where goods enter Japan,
or the maintenance cost of the domestic road network.
In some countries of origin, children are forced to work
under poor conditions for low wages. Some items offood, since they began to be exported, have grown so
expensive in the country of origin as to endanger the
food supply of the local people. There are also issues ofdeforestation to produce land for livestock grazing, andgreenhouse gases discharged by cattle and swine. What
we assume to be normal everyday life actually involves
numerous underlying problems. God has given us abundant food and a beautiful planet. He invites us to sharewith our neighbors. Therefore, it is time for us to transform our value system and to make concrete changes in
our lifestyle.
What shall we do?
One thing I try to do as much as possible is sow seeds
and grow vegetables. I make it a point to lead a simple
lifestyle and to be content with what I have. I value what
has been given to me and am willing to share what I
have. In my daily life, I endeavor to shift to a sustainable
use of energy.
I believe our consumption behaviors drive economic systems, and thus can make the greatest impact
on society. If we stop blindly accepting everything(continued on page 8)

Testimony

Farming with God
Tsutomu Matsui, a Christian farmer
I was born in a frontiercommunity at the foot of Mt.
Akagi in Gunma Prefecture, theson of a couple who had returned
from one of Japan’s former
colonies. My father soon quit
farming to take a job away from
home, so I grew up with a strong
attachment to my mother. I
Tsutomu Matsui
inherited the frontier spirit of mygrandfather, so currently I am involved in nature farming
in a village forest in the Bessho Onsen area of Nagano
Prefecture, tending rice fields and vegetable gardens.
When my younger sister was going to Sunday School,
my mother felt a sense of spiritual need and was baptized.
But I kept at a distance from the church, having studiedsocial science in the department of law. I continued toresist Christian faith until I finally became a believer while
teaching at a Christian school, where I worked at thegrassroots level as an educator of children with intellectual
disabilities.
Some years before my retirement, I began farming.
I took up organic farming and began to learn aboutbacteria, the simplest of all living things. After eight years,
I transitioned to nature farming. A simple distinction
between organic farming and nature farming is whether it
uses organic fertilizers. Nature farming uses no fertilizers.
It is farming while coexisting with weeds and bugs. It
embraces living organisms such as soil bacteria and soil
microbes. The ideal model of nature farming is the naturalenvironment and soil of mountainous areas. Humanbeings are created to live in harmony with soil bacteria,
microbes, and all other living organisms, just like we aremeant to live with God. God’s divine presence, though notvisible, fills the earth, and in a way, so do bacteria.
Since I became a farmer, I have been led to a deeper
understanding of the Bible. I believe agricultural
production is one facet of God’s creative work, anda means to receive divine blessings by executing his
command to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. As I
studied soil bacteria and microbes, I found that bacteria
sustain our life. Farming requires soil improvement,
through which we learn about bacteria and the work ofGod.
Our ancestors held a keen sensitivity to perceive aninvisible divine presence. They developed different belief
systems, such as Shintoism, Buddhism, and Islam. Eachsystem is different. Bessho Onsen is a community near
the foot of a mountain range, with a history going back

1,300 years. A Buddhist temple was built early in thehistory of the community, at a corner overlooking the footof the mountain. From my ancestors, I have inherited themountain and farmland to tend. Nature farming depends
on the environment. In addition to cultivating rice andvegetables, I also work on the maintenance of the streets,the retaining walls of the rice fields, and the riverbanks.
I grow enough rice for my household through nature
farming in my rice fields. I also borrow and cultivate otherrice fields and share their harvest with others.
I grow soybeans and grain in some of the fields, butwhen deer damaged various of them, I switched to
growing scallions, onions, and garlic. I dry the harvested
green vegetables for use later and share any surplus
harvest with others. I gather mountain vegetables such
as Japanese parsley and Manchurian wild rice, which are
gifts from nature. I harvest plums and dry them or makejuice. I harvest bitter persimmons and dry them or makevinegar. Nothing harvested in the mountain village iswasted.
I have resumed making my own miso paste and soy
sauce. I prepare homemade Japanese pickles, and themore I understand the fermentation process, the better
they taste. In 2023 I doubled the amount of soy sauce I
made, and I sold half of it. I ship our dried vegetables topeople in cities on a trial basis.
By growing plants and vegetables and sharing theseliving organisms as food, I can take part in the cycle ofdivine blessings. Through cultivating the soil, I nurturesoil bacteria and microbes. God gives me the strength towork each day.
Human beings are a creation of God. We are
distinguished from other animals in that we have developed
languages and can tell good from bad. We are created in
the image of God. It is, however, a long time before the
kingdom of God will come. God has assigned humans a
special role as stewards of creation.
Even so, humans in general have been farming in such a
way as to harm and exploit nature. As sinners, for the mostpart humans have failed to respond to Noah, Moses, andother prophets to stop sinning. People are so deep in sinthat they cannot understand the intervening message of theprophets. When Jesus Christ, the last prophet, laid down
his life to communicate that God is love, humans got the
chance to return to God. In my understanding, by laying
down his life, Jesus Christ communicated to humans that
God exists among humans as love incarnated.
Human beings receive blessings through caring for
creation. One of the greatest sins of people today is having(continued on page 8)

5

News and Notes
The Tokai Declaration ―Our prayer “Beginning” from the “End”
The following material
is based upon an interview
conducted right before the
7t h J a p a n C o n g re s s o n
Evangelism (JCE7), held in
September 2023.
The Tokai Declaration,
At the JCE 7 meeting
Our prayer “Beginning”
from the “End”, consists of six sections, each being a
prayer on a selected topic. The Declaration begins with
an opening prayer, “To be able to look towards the ‘End’”and closes with “To be able to ‘Begin’ from the ‘End’”.
Sections two through five all begin with the phrase, “To
be able to ‘Begin’ mission cooperation beyond” followedby, “our positions”, “our denominations”, “regions”, and“culture” respectively.
The Declaration Drafting Committee consisted ofeleven members, each from a different denomination andage group. Chairperson Izumi Akasaka and three othermembers were in charge of the main drafting process,and the draft was revised with the rest of the committee.
One member’s comment, “This is a prayer,” inspired thedeclaration to be written as a prayer that can be shared
among churches.
Aiming to write up the Declaration as a collaboration
work of the churches, the first draft of the declaration
was released on the JCE7 webpage and shared at local
gatherings before the Congress. An example of the collaborative process can be seen with a phrase in the third
section, “In the past, most churches in Japan, in cooperation beyond denominations, have sinned and are guiltyof participating in the war, practicing idolatry with theemperor as a god, and supporting the government toforce people in Asian countries to bow down at shrines.”
This phrase was edited from the first draft based on someof the feedback the committee received and is believed
to be an important element in the reason for the existenceof the Japan Evangelical Association.
Akasaka said, “I hope this Declaration will serve as an
aid to mission work to those with various international
backgrounds working in Japan too.” T h e D e c l a r a tion is published online on the JCE7 homepage alongwith an English version. Tentative translations in 15
languages are also available, but the commentary is only
ready in Japanese.
Several other committee members commented on the
Declaration as follows:
Yoshiya Kondo, Pastor of Morioka Bible Baptist
Church, said “Each of us stands in a different place, fac-

6

ing different things. I want us to go beyond our churches
and our denominations and cooperate from our hearts.”
Yoshinori Aoki, pastor of Izumi Gospel Church, said
“This declaration is not a prayer limited to the time of
the JCE7 gathering but is just a beginning. I hope wewill someday witness the fruit of this prayer throughout
the world.”
Yoshiki Tsukamoto, Associate General Secretary of
Kirisutosha Gakusei Kai (KGK), said “We tried to becreative so the phrases would be acceptable to everyone
attending JCE7, and tried to be explicit about this generation’s crisis and hope. “
Yoshiyuki Nishioka, Professor at Tokyo Biblical Seminary said “Different people with different perspectives
worked on the same problem from various angles. This
sincere process of seeking the truth was verbalized in aprayer.”Christian Shimbun, November 17, 2023
Translated by Hiromi Terukina

Japanese society turned a blind eye to theJohnny Kitagawa scandal ―Neglect and indifference in society and the
responsibility of the Church
In 1999, the weekly tabloid Shūkan Bunshun covered
the sexual abuse case of Johnny Kitagawa over thecourse of 14 weeks. In 2006, the truth of the articles wascertified by a civil court trial. However, there was very
little exposure of the matter in newspapers and none on
television.
In March 2023, the BBC broadcast a long documentary, “Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop”. Hundredsof young boys are said to have fallen victim to Kitagawa
over the course of half a century.
After the release of the documentary, the scandal
became a worldwide topic and was investigated by
the UNHRC. A live press conference of Johnny &Associated, Inc. (J&A) was broadcast, and the agency
faced multiple tough questions by the media. The UN
offered criticism that “the media took part in covering up
the scandal for decades”.
Screenwriter Sō Kuramoto mentions how the agency
would blatantly put him under pressure if he dared doanything to their disadvantage. Other people affiliatedwith tabloids mentioned similar experiences. Massmedia has often confronted the government and large
companies but was unable to confront the giant talentagency.
What could have been done to prevent this incident?
According to a team of specialists, Kitagawa wasNews and Notes
known to have paraphilia tendencies. To prevent similar
incidents, we must remember that anyone can become aperpetrator regardless of their status or competence.
Furthermore, the indifference of the society and thenegligence of those surrounding Kitagawa added to the
problem. One victim says he was scolded by his older
sister when he opened up about the abuse. After that, hekept silent for decades.
This scandal has relevance to the church. Both
Catholic and evangelical churches have been guilty ofsimilar scandals over the years.
Most people would rather not think about these issues.
But when we ignore them, we are inevitably defending
the perpetrator, criticizing the victim, and turning ablind eye. The church ends up neglecting victims as
it avoids discussing these matters to “keep a peacefulatmosphere”.
Bringing up such matters in the church is not easy.
Educating children about them is also complicated. But“playing it safe” is the same as covering up sexual abuse.
We must remember victims who are suffering. Somehave been courageous enough to open up to those aroundthem, but have been met with cold reactions.
In the Kitagawa case, big companies have cancelledcontracts with J&A. If we are not conscious of humanrights, companies and churches will lose the trust ofsociety.
Christian Shimbun May 24, 2023
(Original article written by Mafumi Usui, Psychologist,
Professor at the Graduate School of Niigata Seiryo University)
Translated and summarized by Grace Koshino

Residing in Japan not just to live, but also forthe gospel
Just before 5:00 in the evening, many young people
cheerfully gather in the church hall of Tokyo Nippori
International Church in Arakawa-ku, a primarily Chinese
congregation. Tokyo Agape Christ Church (TACC) has
rented the hall to hold its once-a-month Vietnamese
worship service. About 60 people ranging in age from 18
to 35, some from Ibaraki and Gunma prefectures, are inattendance at this November gathering.
Rev. Nghi Tran, a Vietnamese missionary sent toJapan from America, has come from Ishinomaki, Miyagi
Prefecture, to lead the worship service. He preaches
from chapter seven of the Book of Judges. “There are
not many Vietnamese churches, but you must belong to a
Christian community. If you are alone, there is no one toadmonish you and you can easily fall,” he says.
The number of Vietnamese living in Japan has

Vietnamese congregation in Tokyo

increased eightfold during the past 10 years to nearly
490,000. This is the second largest foreign group in
Japan, following the Chinese. In Vietnam, 10% of
the population is said to be Christian (2% of themProtestant), but worship in Vietnamese is rarely seen in
Japan.
During the period of this rapid increase of Vietnamese
people in Japan, a Japanese Christian living in Vietnam
realized Vietnamese Christians in Japan were struggling
with the Japanese language and attending church
services. He consulted with a Japanese evangelist. They
decided to establish a group to deliver Vietnamese
Bibles to churches (Vietnamese Bibles To Japan: VBTJ).
They also decided to explore the possibility of starting
Vietnamese language worship services in Japan.
Rev. Tran has been encouraging Vietnamese believers
in a life of faith, saying, “Vietnamese Christians are in
Japan not just to live, but for the gospel. Japanese people
tend to think Christianity belongs to Westerners, but
through this they will see that many Southeast Asians
believe in God.” Even though his words are gentle, his
passion for Japan is evident as he says, “It will take time,
but I will preach the gospel to the Vietnamese here, andthey will pass it on to the Japanese.”
Five leaders, elected from among the young church
members, are in charge of the TACC worship service andmeetings afterward. A lot of prayer and study is involvedin this work. The worship services are only monthly, but
Rev. Tran leads a weekly online Bible study class from
Ishinomaki. In a separate meeting, twenty people havebeen undergoing online leadership training through acourse provided in Vietnamese by Rev. Tran’s father,
who teaches at a seminary in the U.S.
Three couples in the church currently have children
who were born in Japan. It is easy to imagine morechurch members finding partners, settling down in Japan,
and becoming good workers who will carry on the
mission of Tokyo Agape Christ Church:“In love, spreading the gospel and love.”
Christian Shimbun, December 10, 2023
Translated by Tomoko Kato

7

Entrusted with a beautiful world (continued from page 4)

advertisements say, the world will change. Even
if we cannot change society, I believe we must live
life as conscientious consumers. A renowned leader
is believed to have said, “You keep doing something, not so that you change the world, but so thatthe world will not change you.” If I ever stop thinkShimasaki’s garden
ing about how I live my daily life, I will be certainly
swallowed up in the rage of global capitalism that
focuses on consumption—procuring as many things as possible, as quickly
and as cheaply as possible, from all around the world.
What about the Church?
When the Lausanne Covenant was released in 1974 and noted Christians’social responsibilities, I hoped the Church would change. I did not see, however, any noticeable change in churches in Japan. More recently, the Sustainability Center of the World Evangelical Alliance released The Bible andSDGs (wea-sc.org/en/biblesdgs), which has been translated into Japanese andavailable in print. I also see some signs among Christian leaders of a shift
toward a more holistic understanding of the gospel, advocating work in creation care and justice. Will these developments grow into something beyond
transient trends? Are they going to radically change each and every Christian’s values and lifestyle? I don’t know. Whatever happens, I will continue,
as I have done during the past 50 years (though in a very small way) to leada lifestyle as a conscientious believer, walking in the presence of the Lord,
while appreciating joy and beauty day by day.
Farming with God (continued from page 5)

forgotten God, the source of all blessings. Deforestation and large-scale agriculture with the use of chemical fertilizers are but two examples of exploitation as a result of forgetting to be thankful to God. Dairies, chicken farms,
and fisheries are mere theft if done without thanks to God and compassion
for life. Money, goods, and wealth drive people’s minds today. When people
are oblivious to life’s origin, they are more easily divided. Conflicts and wars
seem to be driving humans to total ruin.
I believe industries related to agriculture, forestry, and fisheries are a divinely appointed inheritance. God has entrusted to us the stewardship of his
creation. It is our duty to take care of living things. We are told to sow seeds,
grow plants, and receive the blessings of harvest.
Throughout history, humans have shared their harvest with thanks. Bessho
Onsen has a very long history and some of its Shinto shrines and Buddhist
temples go back to the Kamakura era (1180–1336). During the Take no Nobori rain festival, local people climb Ogamidake, a mountain where a dragon
deity with nine heads is enshrined, and dedicate strips of fabric to that deity
in prayer for rain.
As a Christian farmer, I must be always thankful to the Creator God, andhumble myself as I tend to what God entrusts to me. I pray that the kingdomof God will come to this community and that it will become affluent and respected.

Editorial
The theme of this issue is “creation care.” Even
though creation care is one of the important biblical and theological issues, evangelical churches inJapan have not paid much attention. I believe it istime for Japanese churches to start thinking about
the creation care which God has entrusted to us ascaretakers of this world.

Takahito Iwagami

https://jeanet.org/

Japan Update
Spring 2024 - Number 86
English Newsletter of theJapan Evangelical Association (JEA)
Chairman :Isao Mizuguchi
General Secretary : Takahito Iwagami
Japan Update is pub­lished biannuallyby the JEA. Through Japan Update, the
JEA seeks to communicate how God is
at work in Japan and to foster prayer
and collaborative work for the advancement of God’s kingdom in Japan. Views
expressed by in­di­vi­dual auth­ors do notneces­sarily reflect offi­cial JEA posi­tions.
Japanese names appear in Wes­tern order(sur­name last).
Per­m is­s ion to reprint is gran­t ed, butplease give cre­dit and send one copy of
any pub­li­ca­tion con­tain­ing reprin­ted material to the edi­tor.

Japan Update Staff
Editor in Chief
Takahito Iwagami
Asst. Editor
Atsuko Tateishi
Translation Editor
Gary Bauman
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