East Asia
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Refreshments, Art, and Play: Reflections on Community Service
When visiting the UK last summer my wife was surprised by our experience of churches. They had art exhibitions, offerings of cake, tea and coffee, and perhaps the most impactful for my wife were the areas within church buildings where children could play with toys and read. One church we visited was running a Beatrix Potter exhibition – by its very nature child-centric – that combined many of the above noted elements (refreshments, art, and play) leaving a deep impression. These features appeared to the two of us to be services for the public good, which were offered regardless of the religious beliefs or intentions behind the organisers or the…
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Wang Yi’s Prophetic Practice
In 2004 a human rights lawyer named Wang Yi made the list of 50 Most Influential Public Intellectuals of China. In 2005 he became a Christian and joined the persecuted church in China as an outspoken advocate not only for human rights, but for the cause of Christ. In 2006 he was invited to Washington D.C. to speak with President George W. Bush about the issue of religious freedom. And in 2008 this young, distinguished, legal scholar resigned his university position to pastor a church in Chengdu, China.[1] As a pastor, Wang Yi drew attention from government officials for allegedly distributing Christian content, leading a school and seminary that were…
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Health Crises, Medicine, and Religion
In 1862, a measles epidemic swept across Japan infecting more than 60% of people with a case fatality rate of almost 20% in some areas.[1] In response, people turned not only to the science of the day, but also to religion in their search for answers and remedies. Prints about measles known as hashika-e offered the general public advice on diet and lifestyle encouraging the afflicted to refrain from sexual intercourse and oily foods, for example. These documents simultaneously depicted deities such as Mugidono Daimyōjin (the god of wheat), whom people would attempt to ‘transfer the disease to…or…invoke…to lessen the severity of a case.’[2] In other words, religion and contemporary…
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Reflections on Dochirina Kirishitan and Foundational Instruction in Christian Practice
Basic instruction in Christian doctrine and practice, whether in the form of a catechism, a class before or after baptism or confirmation, or individual instruction from a clergyperson or layperson at another time, is common in many churches and Christian traditions. Such instruction arguably plays a foundational role in the trajectory of the life of faith for those who receive it. In so far as receiving such instruction is a shared experience of the members of a particular church community, it also serves to shape the character of a church as a whole. Through my university teaching and a travel opportunity, I was recently prompted to think again about the…
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Valuing St Mary’s Cathedral (Urakami Cathedral) in Nagasaki
Recently I lectured at the University of Tokyo on my recent article published by the Journal of Cultural Economy. It proved to be an excellent opportunity for me to take stock of my work on this since late in 2018, thanks to a workshop at the University of Copenhagen and to the editors: Jane Caple and Sarah Roddy. The new article was published in the Journal of Cultural Economy, “Valuing the Urakami Cathedral after the Atomic Bombing: Fundraising and Social Rupture in Nagasaki.” Some questions I considered within this article included whether or how, experiences of communally shared disaster may lead to shared ownership of ruins such as that of…
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A Shinto Shrine’s Storytelling Strategy
In postwar Japanese society, the increase in population brought about major changes in the social environment, such as the “examination race” and the “baby boom.” In response to these changes, people increasingly visited Shinto shrines to pray at life’s milestones, such as “omiyamairi” (a baby’s first shrine visit), “Shichi-Go-San” (ceremonies at the ages of seven, five, and three), passing entrance exams and weddings. In other words, shrines have promoted a homogeneous and unusual approach to life rituals in response to the social conditions of a growing population. In recent years, however, Japanese society has experienced an accelerated population decline, falling birthrates, and an ageing population, and the operation of Shinto shrines…
