Resumen de Perceptions about being Japanese and Christian in Canada

Tyler Barrett

• For members of the Japanese ethnic church community in Canada, perceptions about being Christian are influenced and perhaps conflicted by beliefs from the homeland about being culturally and linguistically Japanese. Being Japanese in Canada (or any foreign country) also may mean having beliefs that are often influenced by the dominant Canadian culture such as through acquiring English, which may influence the relationship between the medium (language) and the message (Christianity) (Woods 2004). This article is aimed at understanding the multiple and conflictual beliefs about identity of Japanese ethnic church members who live in Canada, in terms of the way they describe themselves as being “Japanese” and being “Christian” to varying degrees.