With the advent of the Reiwa era and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the world’s attention is riveted on Japan’s grand tradition. Yet these same traditions are the ones that are hindering our efforts for evangelization. A college student knows he will be disowned by his family if baptized, and a Christian wife cannot receive baptism because of her Buddhist husband’s strong opposition. How can we combat against these? There are two approaches: 1. We can condemn Japanese practices as total darkness and preach against them, or; 2. We can follow Paul’s teaching and deem the Japanese people as worshiping “an unknown god” (Acts 17:22–31), and try to emphasize common grace at each turn. This book follows the second approach, but provides judiciously placed “caution” signs. It will tell you how to engage in conversation with non-Christians while providing an insider’s view of Japan’s rich cultural heritage. Its main purpose is to obtain conversion among the die-hard Buddhists, Shintoists, and traditionalists. When that is done, God’s kingdom will be enriched in a manner similar to the time when Saul of Tarsus became Paul the apostle.

Christian growth in Japan has been slow. This book fills a cultural gap. It is a collection of insights from Japanese literature, the arts, and religion that will help solve the problem of making our ministry less foreign to the Japanese heart and mind. No other work to date has attempted to include this much information in one book, focusing on and using Japanese opinions, research and theology.Not only those working in Japan, struggling with language, culture and frustrating questions will benefit from the insights presented here, but also missiologists, theologians and students of cross-cultural evangelism. They will find this ground-breaking book to be organized in such a way that they can easily utilise the principles and guidelines it offers in their own spheres of work and study.12 chapters of cultural bridges Christianity will surprise and absorb the reader.

This book on Christian missions to the Buddhist world not only provides understanding of many Buddhist cultures, but provides culturally relevant ideas on sharing Jesus with Buddhists around the world. It lives up to the editors' goal "to provide the global church with knowledge and understanding of the Buddhist world and how to reach it for Christ."