Equipping Japanese Women in America for Fruitful Ministry: Addressing the Opportunities and Challenges of a Shame-Based Culture
[Thesis]
Yabuki, Yoriko
Gill, Debbie
Assemblies of God Theological Seminary
2019
211 p.
D.Min.
Assemblies of God Theological Seminary
2019
This project examines the historical, psychological, and cultural challenges faced by Japanese women living in the United States of America and how these factors inhibit their effectiveness in ministry in the American Church. Many Japanese women who live in the U.S. carry unresolved cultural baggage such as high levels of shame and poor self-esteem. Furthermore, Middle Way and Wa thinking discourage Japanese women from becoming servant leaders in the church; many of them adhere to an unbiblical view of the value of women. This results in an unbalanced perspective of a wife's duty to submit to her husband and the cultural value that women cannot be leaders in the church. The project's general literature review provides a historical underpinning for the unique challenges Japanese women face in America. The project's biblical-theological review serves as the foundation for building a biblical view of a woman's value in God's sight and role in the family and the church.