I’m Nathan, a missionary serving in Nagano, Japan. My theological background is Reformed and evangelical.
Living and ministering cross-culturally raises many questions, one of which is how do we maintain a common understanding of the unchangeable gospel without elevating the cultural thought patterns, rhetorical expectations, and conceptual categories through which we understand it? When I encounter different communication patterns, I’m learning to ask whether I’m facing genuine theological disagreement, or whether I’m simply missing what’s being communicated because I expect Western rhetorical forms.
This blog explores those questions. My working conviction is that understanding how our Japanese neighbors communicate may be foundational to hearing them well. From there, we can pursue Biblical faithfulness that isn’t inadvertently captive to Western cultural assumptions—or Japanese ones. The goal isn’t “Japanese theology” or “Western theology,” but theological engagement with the Scriptures as our common foundation.