Concluding Silence

I think what is staying with me about Silence right now is the discussion of making Christianity relevant to the culture it is being introduced to. This is a pretty elementary thing, but missionaries should know that you cannot waltz into a place declaring that the heathen need to be saved and turn them into westerns. Now, I am not trying to be insensitive to the work of the Japanese missionaries of Silence. In fact, they probably did this less than most. I bringing this up just for us all to consider the implications. I rant and rant on my missionary soap box. To a degree we do not have to change the gospel. After all, it has the power to pierce to the depths etc... but the only way it can stick is if we realize what is nitty gritty and necessary and what is culture. I just started a job at a Thai restaurant and there are many types of people there. Some are Buddhist, and quite honestly, really western Buddhists having lived in America for quite sometime and even have children older than myself who were born and raised in the states. Far be it from me to compare my struggles with the tortures of the people in Silence... I don't see them forcing me to apostatize but I do share similarities with the Silence characters in being in the Asian-esque. I guess right now I am in a neat place (how ever minutely) in the realm of Silence.

Commented on Rachel's