Reconciling Faith and Culture: Japanese Protestants after the 2011 Triple Disaster

After Japan's March 2011 tsunami, earthquake, and nuclear power plant triple disaster, Japanese Protestant congregations, volunteers, clergy, and theologians mobilized together with other religious groups to provide disaster... [ view full abstract ]

After Japan's March 2011 tsunami, earthquake, and nuclear power plant triple disaster, Japanese Protestant congregations, volunteers, clergy, and theologians mobilized together with other religious groups to provide disaster relief and interpretations of the disaster. Although Japanese Protestants constitute less than 0.5% of the Japanese population, this case study provides insight into how members of religious minorities negotiate their national and transnational identities and beliefs in response to social, political, and natural crises. The disaster produced new interfaith and interdenominational cooperation as well as soul-searching among clergy, theologians, and volunteers. Specifically, some Japanese Protestant clergy struggled to reconcile their mission as Christians to serve the needy and afflicted and the personal responsibility for the disaster that they felt as Japanese citizens who had benefited from nuclear power. In this talk, I explore what theological and cultural issues shaped Japanese Protestants' reflections on the disaster and what lessons they teach us about religious identity. Drawing from my independent study coursework this spring, I synthesize post-disaster sermons, theology, and anthropology with interviews that I conducted with clergy and volunteers three years after the 2011 disaster.