Earthquake in Japan

By now everyone knows that a 9.0 earthquake rumbled through Japan last Friday afternoon (just after Midnight EST). Centered off the east coast of Honshu Island near Sendai, the quake generated a massive tsunami, destroying billions of dollars worth of property and turning the sea into a graveyard for thousands. Meanwhile, in nearby Fukushima Prefecture (State), four of six reactors in two separate nuclear power plants wobble on the brink of meltdown, threatening nearby populations with releases of dangerous levels of radiation. As people hunker down, they do so without adequate sources of food, water, or shelter. It is a nightmare scenario.

Many people in the affected areas are personal friends of mine. They are people I make every effort to visit whenever I travel to Japan. I thank the Lord that none of them were killed or injured.

Still, I am worried. And my heart aches as I think of the thousands of lives lost, along with the multiplied millions otherwise affected. I know what they are feeling—shock, fear, profound sadness. 9/11 forced me to experience many of the same sensations, though the violence that brought them was of a different kind. And so I empathize, deeply, while crying out to God on their behalf for relief.

I am accustomed to praying for Japan. I have been praying for Japan nearly every day now for over 5 years. I have been praying specifically for four or five communities, one of which is Aizuwakamatsu, a modest-sized city located less than 100 miles from the nuclear plants in Fukushima Prefecture. As far as I know, there is no evangelical Christian church of any kind in Aizu. It's hard to imagine, but most people in Aizu have no idea who Jesus is.

Herein lies the problem with Japan. And herein lies the even more profound source of my heartache for the people of Japan as they suffer through the awful cascade of events brought on by the earthquake. Less than 1 in 200 Japanese are even nominally Christian. Instead, they are steeped in materialism. If they are religious at all, they are Buddhist and Shinto, neither of which offers any real hope either for this life or for the life to come. Therefore, my heart aches for them. It's difficult to comprehend the utter despair they are feeling right now in addition to everything else.

If the statistics hold true, for every 10,000 people who died on Friday, less than 50 were even nominally Christian. If the natural disasters had happened here instead and had resulted in the same number of lives lost, 7900 would have been self-identifying as Christians rather than the 50. The difference unveils two devastating realities. Nearly all suffering in Japan occurs in people cut off from anything other than common grace. And when their lives end, they end with the most profound tragedy of all—entrance into a Christ-less eternity.

The earthquake, tsunami, and threatening nuclear fiasco have moved the resulting physical and material needs of Japanese people onto the world's agenda. And I am grateful for that. But I am even more grateful for how the needs of Japanese people are now taking center stage among Christians. Could it be that God is using the tragic loss of 10,000 Japanese people to wake us up to the ongoing tragedy and shame of so many more from that nation following them into eternity without Christ?

There are many ways to come to the aid of Japanese people as the aftermath of the earthquake continues to unfold. One is to give to organizations that are providing relief. But will Christians like you and I be content to stop there? Will we be content to continue allowing so many in Japan to go unreached by the Gospel? Will we be content to continue allowing the Name of our Lord Jesus to enjoy so little notoriety in Japan?

What will we do?

What will you do?


Note: Pastor Randy Gilmore is the Founder and President of The Nippon Initiative, a non-profit organization formed to minister to Japanese people. The Nippon Initiative is receiving gifts for earthquake and tsunami relief through Hamilton Hills Baptist Church, Fishers, IN (click here to give online).

The Nippon Initiative is also sponsoring A Day of Prayer for Japan on Friday, March 18, 2011. You are invited to sign up for this event on Facebook here.