The Complex Spiritual Mosaic of East Asia 423
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29 T IGUASSU, 15 WOMEN and men, representing differ- The A ent parts of East Asia and different concerns for East Asia, met together to discuss the major issues we face in reaching complex East Asia for Christ as we enter the 21st century. This paper is built on that discussion, but it goes beyond what we could spiritual cover in our short time together, to try to paint a larger pan- orama of the challenges facing the church in mission in East mosaic of Asia. East Asia East Asia is an incredibly diverse place! But before we discuss it, we need to define it. The term “East Asia” is used here in the way that it is generally used in contemporary political and economic discussion, i.e., to describe collec- Ian tively the countries of Northeast Asia (China including Hong Prescott Kong and Macao, Japan, North and South Korea, Mongolia, and Taiwan) and Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar/Burma, Philip- pines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). It needs to be noted that this politico-cultural definition—which is com- monly used in East Asia today—differs significantly from the physiographic definitions traditionally used by Western ge- ographers.1 Two billion people live in the 17 countries of East Asia, including significant groups of all the world’s major religions, except Judaism. The region is not just one world but many worlds—sometimes intersecting, sometimes colliding, some- times merging into each another. 1 Geographers commonly use the term “East Asia” to refer to “the continental part of the Far East region of Siberia, the East Asian islands, Korea, and eastern and northeastern China” (Ency- clopaedia Britannica, 1998). 421 422 responding to the challenges A World of Whirlwind harsh IMF medicine unleashed a flood of Economic Growth unrest that unseated President Suharto and has gone on to inflame ethnic rela- East Asia caught the attention of the tions, does the economy continue to fal- world in the 1980s and ’90s for its remark- ter seriously. Much of East Asia appears to able economic growth: “The World Bank be back on a path of renewed economic has pronounced that nowhere and at no growth. China, which proved to be an eco- time in human history has humanity nomic anchor during the crisis, is increas- achieved such economic progress” (Nais- ingly becoming the economic dynamo of bitt, 1996, p. 10). With the Japanese the region, along with the vast network of economy in the lead and other Asian ti- 53 million overseas Chinese who control gers close behind, it looked as though East much of East Asia’s economy. Asia was set to overtake the West. Books The last 50 years have therefore been, about the East Asian Economic Miracle for much of East Asia, a time of dramatic and talk of the coming Pacific Century growth and massive modernization. In abounded. “As we move toward the year Asia as a whole, the incidence of poverty 2000,” wrote trend-watcher John Naisbitt has been reduced from 400 million in in 1996 (p. 10), “Asia will become the 1945 to 180 million in 1995, while the dominant region of the world: economi- population has grown by 400 million; Asia cally, politically, and culturally.” now has a middle class of almost half a Naisbitt’s book, Megatrends Asia, prob- billion (Naisbitt, 1996, pp. 10, 15). Mod- ably marks the zenith of 1990s optimism ernization has brought urbanization: East about Asia’s economies. The following Asia currently has nine mega-cities.2 More- year, the East Asian Economic Miracle was over, while the cities of Japan have nearly suddenly replaced by the East Asian Eco- stopped growing,3 many of the others— nomic Crisis. The crash started in Thai- particularly Jakarta, Bangkok, and Ran- land in July 1997 and rapidly spread to goon—are still growing uncontrollably,4 Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Other East overwhelming existing infrastructure and Asian economies didn’t crash in the same available resources. way, but a sort of “economic guilt by asso- Modernization and the dramatic eco- ciation” sent their currencies tumbling and nomic growth have encouraged rampant their economies into decline. materialism, epitomized by Deng Xiao- The crash, however, was followed in ping’s words, “To get rich is glorious.”5 In many countries by a remarkably fast re- many places in East Asia, the old gods have covery. Korea and Thailand (which fol- been pushed aside, not in favor of a new lowed the IMF prescription for recovery) ideology or a new religion, but in order and Malaysia (which rejected outside as- to pursue success and prosperity. sistance and pursued an independent Modernization and globalization have path) have all bounced back. Of the four also created an enormous demand for that crashed, only in Indonesia, where the 2 Mega-cities are cities with a population of over 10 million. 3 Tokyo has a growth rate of 0.23% and Osaka 0.00% (FEER, 1998, p. 63). 4 Their growth rates are: Jakarta 2.60%, Bangkok 2.83%, Rangoon 3.19%, (FEER, 1998, p. 63). 5 Deng Xiaoping said this in the early 1980s, and it rapidly became a defining aphorism for his economic reforms and China’s new “socialist market economy.” the complex spiritual mosaic of east asia 423 English: from Mongolia, where English is Malaysia, for example, was given inde- now taught in schools instead of Russian; pendence in 1957 with a constitution that to Japan, where a recent paper suggested made it a secular state—though with Is- that English should be made the second lam as the state religion. Since then, Ma- language; to Phnom Penh, where students laysia has eagerly pursued modernization at the Institute of Technology burned and very much desires to be a significant French flags in protest when they were player in the modern world. For example, told they would have to learn French in- one of President Mahathir’s grand projects stead. It has even been suggested that is the Multimedia Super Corridor, which within this century, English could replace he hopes will place Malaysia in a place of the national language of some countries leadership in the information age (MSC, of East Asia. 1999). In recent decades, however, the Modernization, however, is not a single government, eager to prove that modern- step but a continuum, and different Asian ization and Islamization are not incompat- societies are at different points on that ible, has also pursued a vigorous program continuum. Even within one Asian soci- of Islamization. ety, different sectors can be at very differ- At another level of Malaysian society, ent stages of modernization. In fact, even modernization and urbanization have to talk of a continuum is too simplistic, as brought Malays6 out of their traditional societies may adopt some parts of ad- kampung communities and exposed them vanced modernity while retaining many to the wider world. One consequence of pre-modern characteristics. This can be this, for many, has been a new emphasis seen with modernity’s external trappings: on Islam, with its international stature, as a tribal person may still live in primitive key to defining their identity, rather than conditions while sporting a cellular tele- traditional Malay customs, which appear phone; the Mongolian living with his increasingly irrelevant (Muzaffar, 1985, pp. sheep and camels on the edge of the Gobi 358-359). Desert may have a satellite dish outside Challenges for the church his ger. This patchwork adoption of the trap- The economic growth, modernization, pings of modernization has taken place and rapid change pose many challenges not only on the level of material posses- for the church in mission in East Asia. sions, but also on the level of ideology and One challenge is not to be left behind values. Consequently, the results of mod- by the pace of change. Churches are in- ernization—especially in the realm of re- nately conservative, and they rapidly lose ligion—are often quite different from the touch with their contemporary generation. results in the West. In particular, while it They thus lose their ability to show the was often assumed in the West that the relevance of Christ to all peoples at all secularization of society and the privati- times, or in particular to their people at zation of religion were the inevitable by- this time. The church in Korea is battling products of modernization, this has not with this. Having enjoyed dramatic church always happened in Asia. growth up until recently, it is finding that 6 “Malays” refers to the Muslim Malays who comprise about 55% of the population of Malaysia; not to be confused with “Malaysians,” which refers to the entire population and includes Chi- nese, Indians, and some tribal peoples. 424 responding to the challenges the methods and approaches that were so investment into the country and reduced successful in reaching earlier generations export out of the country resulted in 100% are not effectively communicating the gos- inflation in 1998, making the poor poorer pel to the new generation. still (Freeman & Than, 2000, p. 74). The new generation includes the “Net” Finally, in the midst of success, one of generation, and with Internet access in- the greatest dangers to spiritual vitality creasing exponentially, this “Net” genera- (which is the root of genuine mission) is tion is growing dramatically in urban East materialism. Materialism has sapped the Asia. Although the number of Christian life out of much of the church in Europe websites is also growing, few churches and more effectively than Communism’s direct Christian groups have done more than assaults ever succeeded in doing.