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February 23, 2006
Getting the Behind-the-Scenes View
This week, I'd like to touch again on the situation in the Middle East. Currently, the Israeli media are in a state of shock over how they were unable to predict the sweeping victory that Hamas captured in the recent Palestinian elections. News organizations have been going through a period of serious self-examination. Of course, both the Israeli and American governments are guilty of the same miscalculation. Everyone had forecast a victory for the Fatah party and had used that assumption to "conjure up" the future of the Middle East. Even if one uses the utmost care in scrutinizing developing situations, these latest events should have -- at the least -- taught us that a large portion of what we see is only the "surface layer" of what's really going on.
This certainly holds true for a number of things, but we ought to be more keenly aware of the importance of understanding the "behind-the-scenes" aspects of whatever we encounter. The media, which seem to be incapable of picking up on this, allow the surface phenomena to lead them around by the nose and reduce them to little more than "noisy bullhorn" status.
The Japanese media, of course, present just one more example of this inability to read the "undercurrent" aspect of events. I was recently surprised at how quickly one newspaper here changed its tune. During the time when Yasser Arafat was leading the PLO, this particular newspaper argued that the reason the Middle East peace process wasn't progressing was because of Israel's intransigence. Now, with Fatah's losses in the election, they're blaming Arafat and the Palestinian Authority for the problems. "The Palestinian Authority's internal corruption," they wrote, "caused the people to lose hope. Hamas' gains were birthed out of the people's frustration with Fatah's inability to improve their lives in even small ways."
Had they published something like this while Arafat was still alive, they would've gotten a reputation for courageous reporting. As it is, this merely exposes their lack of principles. Even worse, this one newpaper is by no means the only media outlet that deserves to be singled out for critcism. Indeed, the rest of the Japanese media are more or less in the same boat.
What's going behind the scenes in the Middle East conflict is a "spiritual war." Even more to the point, its a fight between the Judeo-Christian worldview and the Islamic worldview. Grasping this background reality is essential if one wants to read the "signs of the times" (cf. Matt. 6:3).
This certainly applies to the whole matter of the cartoons of Muhammad that have been generating such chaos around the world lately. Muslims seem to have no qualms whatsoever about publishing cartoons in newspapers and magazines (everything from light humor to flat-out offensive depictions) which hold both Christians and Jews up for ridicule. Christians and Jews, of course, routinely respond to this, but you never see them resorting to violence like the Muslims are now doing. Why is it, then, that Muslims become so violent over cartoons of Muhammad? Behind these acts is an undercurrent of anger that is driving these events. In their hearts, Muslims expect Islam to be dominant in the world. When they see no evidence of this hope ever being fulfilled, the result is frustration. This then explodes into acts of open rage when something like the publication of the cartoons provides a spark.
Last week, we welcomed Juntendō University professor Dr. Okio Hino as guest at our monthly meeting in Tōkyō. I used an interview format with him and our topic for discussion was "Getting to the Root of Matters" (very much connected with what I've just been talking about).
In speaking about his professional and personal approach to life (which he calls "a Philosophy of Cancer," a phrase which is also the title of his first book), Dr. Hino said this:
We can see cancer with our eyes. We can touch it. we can examine a cancer cell with a microscope. We can visualize the structure of things like DNA in our minds. Therefore, we routinely move from the "macro world" around us to the "micro" aspects of our daily lives. We're able to see a forest and look past it to notice individual trees. Sometimes we can only see the forest and not the trees, or vice versa. However, we live in a world where it's possible to do both of these things.I think there's a lot of practical wisdom in that. This week, I pray that you, as well, will be able to "see the trees" despite whatever "forest" you may be walking through right now. Rich blessings be upon you in Y'shua's precious name.
Kenichi Nakagawa
Posted by HarvestTV at 11:04 PM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2006
Faithful Servants of the Lord
Sunday, February 5th, was an incredibly busy day for me. That morning, I brought the message at the Rittō Christian Church in Rittō City, Shiga Prefecture. The initial reason for my visit was so that I could interview Ichirō Aketagawa for our television program. Mr. Aketagawa is a well-known master of Ōsaka-style Rakugo (the "sit-down" version of Western stand-up comedy). He's known professionally as "Tsuyuno Gorōbē." Since I was coming for the interview, the church asked me to preach for them as well. Mr. Aketagawa's daughter, Saki, is the wife of the pastor of this church, Rev. Yoshinobu Sugawara. It was through this connection that Mr. Aketagawa himself came to Christ and was baptized not too long ago.
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Ichirō Aketagawa, master of Kamigata (Ōsaka-style) Rakugo comedy, is known professionally as "Tsuyuno Gorōbē." (photo by Shiro Yoshino) |
Following the worship service on the 5th, I ate lunch with the Sugawaras and was able to spend time talking with them. Pastor Sugawara is originally from Hokkaikō and was once a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. He later came to Christ, surrendered to the ministry and went to seminary. Now, he's serving in Rittō, a city of about 60,000.
"This is a very conservative area," he said, "and there's only one church in Rittō." His words revealed the depth of his sense of mission in being there. Throughout Japan, there are folks like Sugawaras who are faithfully proclaiming the Lord Jesus. I was so impressed to see that kind of steadfast commitment to service.
That evening, I brought the message for the evening worship service at the Kyōto New Life Church in Uji. Here's what I found out about this church.
You may perhaps remember the case of the pastor of Kyōto's Central Church of Holy God who was involved in the sex scandal that so shocked the nation when the story broke last year. I wrote about it in this column. After the pastor was arrested, the membership found themselves without a church home and were at a loss as to what to do. Pastor Hisoka Murakami and missionary Jon Dugan reached out to help them. Last July and August, Rev. Dugan went to preach for them a couple of times. As a result, the members decided to dissolve their current church constitution. They began a new church in Uji last November and currently have about 30 in attendance at worship services.
It was Rev. Dugan that contacted me about this church. The church council had met and decided to invite me to come preach. Knowing the background of the church, I quickly let them know that I'd be more than happy to come. My impression of the people after I got there was better than I'd hoped. They all wore such glowing faces and made me feel so relaxed. Still, there were a good number of folks there that were still dragging painful memories around with them, so it made me very prayerful as I spent time with them. Rev. Dugan is an expert in dealing with cults and, though he pastors a church of his own, he has given of himself so sacrifically to serve this church and provide these believers with some leadership. My hat is definitely off to him.
By the time that day was over and I stood on the platform of the Kintetsu Kyōto Line at Ōkubo Station, it was after 10 p.m. There was a cold wind blowing that night, but my heart had been warmed by the events of the day. As I observed the lives of the Sugawaras and Rev. Dugan, and shared fellowship with these faithful servants of the Lord, it made me want to ask myself, "So, how faithful have YOU been?" If you've ever asked yourself the same thing, please be assured that though others may not have seen he sacrifices you've made, the Lord Jesus fully knows your heart.
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval" (John 6:27)Rich blessings upon your week in Y'shua's precious name.
Kenichi Nakagawa
Posted by HarvestTV at 11:38 PM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2006
Cults in the Media...Again
I think there were a lot of you that saw it, but there was a story on the evening news back on January 18th about a couple that was suing the founder of a religious sect after their 7th-grade daughter died while staying at his compound. In looking at this incident as Christians, there are certain important factors involved that we shouldn't ignore, so I'll attempt to outline the particulars below.
The incident itself occurred last July 18th. It took place at Makomo Shrine, which is also the home of the Next Century Farm Research Institute, a health foods research facility in the city of Ena, Gifu Prefecture. The girl in question had come to the facility from Hayama in Kanagawa Prefecture and had died from a diabetic coma while there.
The mother of the girl was a believer in the teaching of sect founder Yōhachirō Hori and became convinced of the effectiveness of a product he developed, called Shinkōgen. Out of a sense of desperation to help her diabetic daughter, she sent her to the farm. The girl suffered from Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes, so daily insulin injections were necessary to maintain health. However, the girl had become convinced of the power of Hori's product and had decided she wanted to go to the farm without her insulin. Her mother agreed to this plan. When she arrived at the facility, she told Hori what she was doing and his response was something like, "I understand. It'll be OK! This diabetes is just the darkness before dawn. You'll be free of it before breakfast!"
The mother stayed with her that night and then returned to Hayama to take care of some business related to the shrine. The daughter died after her second day there. From that point, here is how I became involved in the case.
I'd like to ask as many of you as would do so to please pray for this couple. Not only were they victims of fraud and criminal negligence, but of the worst kind of deception imaginable. The key word here is "mind control" and the mother is clearly a victim of it. It's truly incomprehensible how Yōhachirō Hori can continue to so glibly promote Shinkōgen as he does to this day. It seems more than likely that if we don't clearly expose this scam, some similar cult group will repeat this tragedy down the road.
- Last October, we got a call from our original co-host on Harvest Time, Keiko Inoue. We had a long talk about this incident because the parents of the girl that died are a couple of Mrs. Inoue's oldest friends. I immediately went to meet the mother.
- When we met, I saw how heart-breaking this situation truly was. The sadness in the loss of her precious daughter, the pain of knowing how she'd been hoodwinked by Hori, and the bewilderment of not knowing what she ought to do -- this "triple punch" was so obviously taking its toll on this poor woman. I also visited with her husband. We talked about the nature of the incident itself, as well as about what needed to be done from that point on. The heart of the whole affair, we decided, had to do with the use of brainwashing techniques by the religious group to sell products of questionable merit like Shinkōgen, which, in fact, contributed to the death of this family's daughter.
- After getting some information from a friend, I introduced the couple to a lawyer who's had some experience with cases involving religious entities and business law. They had no idea about whether they should pursue a legal remedy or not. They were worried about whether that was something that was even possible for them to do considering the expense and effort that would be required. However, the lawyer talked with them about all this and helped them see how important it was to go forward with a lawsuit so that something like this would never happen to anyone else again. It was truly a courageous decision on their part.
- About two months later -- six months to the day since their daughter had died -- this couple held a press conference and announced that they were bringing suit against Hori and the Institute. On January 18th -- during the same week when the media was preoccupied with the accounting scandal at Internet Service Provider LiveDoor, Inc. -- this story also ran on some key stations around the country. Asahi TV's "Hodō Station" program aired a special report on it that ran more than 10 minutes.
Right now in Gifu Prefecture, police officials appear poised to conclude this matter by simply submitting the proper paperwork. Is it possible that they don't see the gravity of this case? The trifling way in which they're treating the crime aside, this is a case that must be agressively pursued through the courts so as to shine a light upon the dark inner workings of this cult. If that can be done, it will serve as an eye-opening education for the average citizen about the dangers of cults.
I covet your prayers for these folks and all of those trying to help them. Rich blessings upon each of you through the weekend in Y'shua's precious name.
Kenichi Nakagawa
Posted by HarvestTV at 07:31 PM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2006
Results of the Palestinian Elections
It was indeed a surprising result. Of the 132 seats up for grabs in the January 25th Palestinian Parliamentary elections, the Hamas Party secured a clear majority of them. Here's how it stacked up:
At the local level, the results were even more dramatic:
- Hamas, an Islamic Fundamentalist organization, won 76 seats in Parliament.
- The PLO Fatah Party (backers of the current PLO Executive Committee Chairman and replacement for Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas) won 43 of the remaining 56 seats.
It was expected that Hamas would improve its political standing, but no one foresaw this kind of sweeping result. So, what's in store for the Middle East now?
- Hamas took all seats in the Hebron and Gaza City Council elections.
- Hamas took four out of six seats in the Jerusalem race.
- Hamas won four out of five seats in Ramallah.
Without a doubt, Hamas will quickly move to seize control of the Palestinian Authority governing apparatus. Naturally, neither Israel nor the U.S. will accept Hamas as a partner in peace negotiations as long as they continue to insist that the destruction of Israel must remain a part of their organizing charter. Neither is the EU likely to budge in their favor unless Hamas agrees to renounce terrorism and disarm.
No one can tell how the situation will play out from here on. However, some speculative thinking has led me to consider the following possible scenarios.
In thinking about the above possibilities, it's my conclusion that though we should be concerned, we need not be overly pessimistic about how things will turn out. Ever since her war for independence in 1948, Israel has made it through dangerous situtions time and time again. It's been just as Psalm 121:4 promised:
- Hamas adopts a policy of moderation and re-opens negotiations with Israel.
Personally, I think this one is the most likely to occur. The international funding upon which the Palestinians depend flows into the region through the Fatah Party of the PLO.If Hamas refuses to abandon its policy of armed resistance, then there's a real fear that the money would be severly cut. The positions of the ruling party and their opposition are quite different. In order to get the international support that they desire, Hamas will surely have to change to a more realistic approach. Furthermore, those who voted for Hamas this time likely included a considerable number of people who were fed up with the corruption and the huge bureacracy that Fatah had become. They weren't intending to lend unqualified support to Hamas' radical approach as much as they were simply expressing a desire for change in the status quo.
- Hamas refuses to change their tactics and the Palestinians plunge into civil war.
There's a significant degree of difference in the lifestyles of Palestinians who live in Jericho and Bethlehem on the west bank of the Jordan, as compared to the poorer Palestinians in places like Gaza and Hebron. It's not difficult to imagine that if Hamas takes an increasingly militant approach, there'll be plenty of Palestinians that will become dissatisfied and want to return to the original path they were on. Geographically, the Jews and Palestinians are separated, so taking the two-country approach is not an unrealistic choice.- Before the two-country negotiations can begin, Hamas has an internal dispute that splits the party.
It's quite possible that the militant and moderate wings of Hamas will face off, fracturing their unity. In that event, the minority parties of the Palestinian Authority will vie for power and the situation will get completely out of control.
"Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (NIV)
Kenichi Nakagawa
Posted by HarvestTV at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)