How To Share the Gospel With A Japanese Buddhist (With Chris Moore)

Alright, so how much do you know about Buddhism? Here in the United States, about 77% of our neighbors claim some kind of Christian identity. So when we're sharing the Gospel, that means we're more than likely able to do so using biblical terms that generally make sense both to ourselves and to our discussion partners--terms like God, sin, heaven and hell, Jesus, etc.

Note: we experienced a little unavoidable feedback toward the end. Thanks for bearing with us. The conversation is well worth it.

Alright, so how much do you know about Buddhism? Here in the United States, about 77% of our neighbors claim some kind of Christian identity. So when we’re sharing the Gospel, that means we’re more than likely able to do so using biblical terms that generally make sense both to ourselves and to our discussion partners--terms like God, sin, heaven and hell, Jesus, etc. And yet, our society is becoming more and more diverse, and because of this we need to become better equipped to converse with folks who not only don’t trust in Jesus yet, but may not even be operating out of the same ideological framework as us. One of those religions is Buddhism.

However, like Christianity, Buddhism is a diverse worldview, and in the West, most of our resources and writings on Buddhism deal more with Theravada Buddhism, which is more popular in India and South Asia. However, if we are going to effectively bring the Gospel to our neighbors from East Asia, those who practice Buddhism, it is important for us to differentiate between the different sects, discover where our friends really are, and then know how to build bridges through our conversations to their hearts and minds.

In this episode, we’re going to help you get a better understanding Buddhism and give you some practical tools for reaching Buddhists with the Good News about Jesus.

My guest is Chris Moore. Christ is from British Columbia originally, but he’s been in Japan as a missionary, pastor, CEO and seminary instructor for 17 years.

In our discussion today, we’re going to look at the different forms of Buddhism, how Buddhism views truth compared to how we think about it as Christians, and some incredible parallels between Japan’s most popular form of Buddhism and the biblical Gospel. And then we’ll give you some tips on how to share the hope you have in Christ with your Buddhist neighbors.

Show Highlights

What Is The History of Buddhism?

What have been the interactions between Buddhists and Christians?
Given current trends, why would it be important for Christians to learn about Buddhism?

How Many Types of Buddhism Are There?

What do Buddhists Believe?

In my own writings, I’ve identified seven questions every worldview must answer. What is the Buddhist view of the following, and how do these contrast with biblical Christianity?