This is how you explain the different roles between men and women in the church.
Notice he doesn’t diminish women or their role. He doesn’t infantilize them. Insult them. Tell them they can’t even teach other women. Imply they are stupid or dangerous. Yet he still affirms biblical roles.
But he won’t get attention for it.
And there’s the issue.
If you truly desire to share the gospel with the Japanese people and long for their salvation, I would urge Christians overseas to keep this firmly in mind: even if it is true, you should refrain from beginning by telling them, “You are idol worshipers,” in reference to Buddhist or Shinto practices.
As an ordinary Japanese person—raised in a home with both a Buddhist altar and a Shinto shrine—I understand very well how deeply these customs are rooted in family life, local communities, workplaces, and society as a whole. I also understand the historical meaning they carry, and the deep respect that Japanese people themselves hold toward them. Even today, reverence for our ancestors and for the history, traditions, culture, customs, and beliefs they have passed down continues to live on as something entirely natural.
If someone were to begin by declaring, “Your practices are idolatry. Temples and shrines are under the influence of evil spirits,” almost all Japanese people would instantly close their hearts.
I personally agree, based on the Bible, that idolatry and spiritual deception are real. In practice, I do not participate in acts such as offering incense or religious rites at funerals or graves. However, I do take care of family graves. For me, that time is one of deeply reflecting on how God has shown grace and patience to my family, and how that grace continues even now.
Brothers and sisters overseas, can you imagine a person who stands before a household altar every day and puts their hands together in prayer? How does that person appear to you? Even if what you say is true, would you approach them and say, “You are an idol worshiper. What you are doing is meaningless. You are being deceived by evil spirits”?
That would be like running up to someone lying wounded and covered in injuries, only to stand there with folded arms and say, “You look like you’re about to die. Your whole body is covered in wounds. Yes, it’s truly terrible.”
If you truly want to share the gospel with the Japanese people, then you must seek to understand, in concrete terms, the inner reality behind what you perceive as idolatry. The thoughts and emotions behind those actions vary. There may be grief from losing a loved one, anxiety about the future, regret—“I wish I had done more for them”—or perhaps deep respect for the deceased and for one’s ancestors.
Only when you grasp the condition of the heart behind these practices can you begin to discover how to approach, speak to, and engage with Japanese people, and how to faithfully share the gospel and the truth of Scripture with them. #JapaneseChristian
Wait, seriously...? Japan's PM Sanae Takaichi just declared her country will become the "shining beacon of democracy & freedom" Europe abandoned - vowing full free speech and unbreakable safety!
She's picking up the mantle the West dropped, promising Japan stays prosperous, secure, and true to its people.
No more failed open-border experiments or speech suppression.
In her words: Japan will be safe & prosperous, a shining beacon.
This is what real leadership looks like - assimilate to our culture or leave, protect freedom without compromise.
Europe's mistakes become Japan's lessons.
While the left pushes weakness, Japan builds strength.
Huge respect for a nation that refuses to fade.
America First patriots, this is the blueprint.
Share if you're cheering Japan on.
#Breaking #MAGA #AmericaFirst
Mani is a dear brother. Originally from Iran, he now lives in the United States but has an underground church in Tehran. He was in touch with them until yesterday when the government shut down the internet. Thankfully, through Starlink (thank you @elonmusk) some connectivity is possible.
Mani says that members of his church (and even his elderly mother) are out in the streets of Tehran crying out for freedom. We need to pray for the fall of the tyrannical government, freedom for the Iranian people and for the safety of the believers there in particular.
Not all disagreements are equal. Some truths define Christianity, others shape ministry, and some are simply matters of conscience.
Do you agree with how this chart orders them, or would you move anything around?
It’s not just the dispensationalists. 👀
R.C. Sproul: “I take a classic premillennial view on Romans 11, following Edwards, Calvin, and Hodge, and all the rest, and it talks about a future conversion of ethnic Israel, and I believe that.”