Laughter as a gateway to salvation
Sharing the gospel through Japanese sit-down comedy rakugo
The Open Bible Kansai District churches held an event called, “Laughter as a Gateway to Salvation”1 at Kobe Christ Glory Church, led by Pastor Sugawara.
The gospel was shared though manzai (standup comedy), rakugo (traditional storytelling), koto (harp), and traditional Japanese dancing.
Rakugo storytellers (pastors and other amateur performers) took part in sharing the gospel through comedy and entertainment. They made the audience laugh as they presented the attractiveness of the gospel.
Sugawara said they aimed to “share the gospel through Japanese culture. Sometimes the Bible can seem ‘too Western.’”
When Sugawara became a Christian through a missionary, he felt that he had to “give up his identity as a Japanese man.” He believes that sharing the truth of the gospel using something that the Japanese are more accustomed to would make it easier for them to come to church.
From Christian Shimbun, April 22, 2022
Translated by Tomoko Kato
1. In Japanese, there is a saying 「笑う門には福来たる」(warau kado ni fuku kitaru), which means good luck comes to a laughing household. 「門」means household or family, but also gateway.