Skip to main content

Review: God is Rice

God is Rice book cover on blue background

I first saw God is Rice listed on the public library catalogue, and it intrigued me as I have a small collection of Christian books regarding the Chinese or other Asian cultures. I really did not know what to expect until the book arrived, upon which I learnt that it was the compilation of four lectures given by Masao Takenaka back in early 1985. Reading the preamble, it looks like the author had been involved in missions work in Asia between 1959 and 1973, which would have been a fascinating time in history. Takenaka passed away 17 years ago, but leaves a legacy of rich thinking on Christian faith from an Asian perspective.

Book Synopsis

"When we say that God is rice . . . we take rice as the symbol of God's gift of life." 

The provocative title is actually the title of the first essay in the book that explores how the gospel calls us to live in harmony with nature and neighbor, to secure just social organizations and be open to renewal. "The Community of the Magnificat" is a penetrating study of the interaction between Christ and culture in Asia. "The Ethics of Betweeness" is a case study of Sozo Tanaka who was one of the pioneers of the ecological movement and the people's movement in Japan. "Christ of Wabi" is a Christian reflection on beauty in the Japanese cultural context.

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

I really wanted this book to become one that I would add to my library; however, I found it difficult to follow along as the author mostly speaks from his Japanese background (rightly so, though the author was born in China), and mine is Chinese. While there are some similarities, such as the concept of bread being a foreign product and how rice is the daily sustenance found in Asia, a lot of the other themes were not as relatable to me, including the four dimensions of atmosphere (shakkei), the impact of nature (udo), and the old home village (furusato). If the subtitle of the book was identified as Japanese culture, I might have known more of what to expect, as mentioned in the book's introduction. In that sense, this was an excellent resource in further learning about Japanese Christianity. There is a brief section on the Chinese community, and it is likely applicable to other Asian cultures as well, where the author quotes the saying that, "if a Chinese [person] became a Christian, it meant the nation lost one Chinese [person]." This makes a lot of sense and is further elaborated on by stating that Christianity came to Asia cloaked as a (foreign) Western religion, and that Chinese Christians have had to undertake the processes of the "de-Westernization of Christianity" and the "Chinization of Christianity."
 
In conclusion, God is Rice is poetic and introduces beauty, art, and visual depictions of Jesus from an Asian perspective, so in that regard, this book would be interesting to read for an eastern glimpse of Christian faith. Its audience would be quite niche, but there is a lot to unpack in this small volume. The author introduces Japan's values and ideals within a Christocentric worldview, and expresses his desire for Asian Christians to live in harmony with their culture where it enhances expressions of faith.

Book Summary

  • Format of book: 📖
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
  • Recommendation: 👍 (with the caveat that this book would be for very specific people—Japanese Christians would gain the most value)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Chinese Language Day!

Today is Chinese Language Day! It’s a day that has meaning for me because I speak a Chinese language (a language that isn't easy to learn as an adult), so I'm grateful I didn't have to go through the process of mastering tones later in life! At the same time, I acknowledge that it also brings about mixed emotions when I reflect on my journey of language discovery. Despite Chinese being my first language, I still feel like an outsider to the culture and world because I don’t speak the main Chinese languages that everyone thinks of. It’s been one of my pet peeves over the course of my life where a lot of non-Chinese people have attempted to guess what I speak, maybe not realizing that there are so many languages that exist (guessing for other people doesn’t always bode well 🫠). Lacking Mandarin and only knowing select phrases in Cantonese, this feeling of separation from other Chinese people is even more pronounced in living overseas as part of the Chinese diaspora. While...
4 comments
Read more

Review: Breath of the Almighty

I've had the pleasure of revisiting my love of poetry through reading poignant and touching collections of Christian poetry that I've been introduced to on Instagram. I'm grateful that Breath of the Almighty by Shay McNally came at just the right time for me, tugging on my heart and my mind through verses that point back to God in every breath and poem. Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Content to be aware of : SA Book Synopsis Breath of the Almighty is a debut collection of free verse, confessional Christian poetry born from a life that's seen both deep wounds and deeper mercy. These poems move through topics such as family, grief, soul searching, healing, love, marriage, calling, spiritual warfare, prayer, forgiveness, and the ordinary places where Christ shows up when we least expect it. Each poem is rooted in Scripture and lived-in faith, and grounds lofty theology to an eve...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Someone to Lean On - Faith Endures #3

It is such a gift to be able to work with a publisher and almost have them predict which books you'll love (thank you!) 😄 Someone to Lean On , the third book in the Faith Endures series , by Carrie Walker is one that had me extremely intrigued on how the characters connected to one another. Even though I haven't yet read the previous two books in this trilogy, I hope to do so now after reading this book! Many thanks to  Mountain Brook Ink  for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis They're seeking a peace they can't seem to find. . . Aged out of the foster care system and struggling to raise her young daughter, Lucia Roberts loses her only source of income. When she's offered a position caring for a four-year-old foster child, Timothy, it feels like the answer to a prayer-except for one catch. She must work in the home of Jordan Nowak, Timothy's overly vigilant foster father who scrutinizes ...
Post a Comment
Read more