Hymn singing as a catalyst for spiritual revitalization among Japanese churches

230 Pages·2015·13.77 MB·English

by  Faith Parry

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ABSTRACT
HYMN SINGING AS A CATALYST FOR SPIRITUAL REVITALIZATION
AMONG JAPANESE CHURCHES:
STRENGTHENING THE HEART TO PRAISE AND PROCLAIM
by
Hatoko Inoue
Over the past several decades, the stagnation and lifelessness ofJapanese
Christians' faith has been reflected in congregational hymn singing. The majority of
hymnbooks contain hymns that have been written in the US and England, and people are
singing the translated texts without fully understanding the meanings behind the texts.
The Japanese language necessitates more syllables to say one word than the English
language, and halfofthe meaning often gets lost in translation (Karatsu 33; Tenda 53;
Toda and Nagafuji 115-16; Yokosaka 39-41 ). The translated hymn texts have hardly been
contextualized or inculturated, and congregations are left with ambiguity and uncertainty
(Kraft etal. 17).
The purpose ofthe research was to evaluate the cognitive and affective changes of
the workshop participants ofthe Aral Christ Church in Tokyo, Japan, as a result of six
Singing God's Story workshops. The study was conducted to help Japanese Christians
rediscover the significance ofmessages spoken through hymns that are often lost in
translation. The triangulated, explanatory, mixed-method design utilized a series of pre-
and postintervention questionnaires, a final questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and
a series of researcher field notes.
The findings suggest that the participants came to have greater cognitive and
affective response towards the hvmns and the messages spoken through the h\mns as a
result ofthe six workshops. Participants expressed changes in their understanding ofthe
h\mn l\rics that unraveled the disparities or the gaps between the original texts (genshi).
the translated texts (yakushi), and the Japanese translation ofthe original texts in full
(wayaku). The participants came to have a new and deeper understanding ofthe lyrics,
including the theological terms and the bungo (classical Japanese) words and phrases.
The increased understanding ofthe Krics enriched their understanding ofthe biblical
messages, theologies, and spiritualty behind the h\ mns. In addition, the increase in the
know ledge prompted them to have a desire to share the knowledge vv ith others or to hav e
grow ing concern for others vv ho may not understand the meaning ofthe 1\ rics.
Participants also expressed changes in their affectiv e response as a result ofthe
stud} ofthe l\ rics and the stories behind the h\ mns, especially in relation to the hymn
v\Titers' sufferings. The participants came to hav e a much greater affect toward the hv mns
through the w-ayaku that prov ided the full translation ofthe original texts in Japanese and
also through the stud) ofthe bungo words and phrases. The studv ofthe hymn writers*
sufferings and crises deepened their affect towards the hymns.
DISSERTATION APPROVAL
This is to certify that the dissertation entitled
HYMN SINGING AS A CATALYST FOR SPIRITUAL REVITALIZATION
AMONG JAPANESE CHURCHES:
STRENGTHENING THE HEART TO PRAISE AND PROCLAIM
presented by
Hatoko Inoue
has been accepted towards fulfillment
ofthe requirements for the
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY degree at
Asbury Theological Seminary
March 26, 2015
Date
March 26, 2015
Date
March 26, 2015
Representative, Doctor ofMinistry Program Date
March 26, 2015
Dean ofthe Beeson Center Date
HYMN SINGING AS A CATALYST FOR SPIRITUAL REVITALIZATION
AMONG JAPANESE CHURCHES:
STRENGTHENING THE HEART TO PRAISE AND PROCLAIM
A Dissertation
Presented to the Faculty of
Asbury Theological Seminary
In Partial Fulfillment
Ofthe Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Ministry
by
Hatoko Inoue
May 2015
�2015
Hatoko Inoue
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF TABLES ix
LIST OF FIGURES
x
GLOSSARY xi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xii
CHAPTER 1 PROBLEM 1
Introduction I
Purpose 3
Research Questions 4
Research Question #1 4
Research Question #2 4
Research Question #3 4
Research Question #4 4
Definition of Terms 4
Hymns 5
Traditional and Contemporary 5
Cognitive Response 5
Affective Response 6
Ministry Intervention 6
Context 7
Methodology 1 2
Participants 1 2
iii
Instrumentation 13
Variables 13
Data Collection 14
Data Analysis 14
Generalizability 15
Biblical and Theological Foundation 15
Overview 25
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE 26
Introduction 26
Biblical and Historical Foundations of Hymn Singing 27
Hymn Singing in the New Testament Church 27
Historical Background of Hymn Singing and Writing 30
Conclusion 33
Music in Worship 33
Congregational Songs in Worship 34
Musical Styles ofthe Congregational Songs 38
Unsettled Arguments over Musical Styles 47
Conclusion 49
Cognitive and Affective Growth through Worship and Hymn Singing 49
Worship with Spirit and Mind 51
Religious Reformation 52
Scientific Research 55
Conclusion 56
iv
Spiritual Growth through Worship and Hymn Singing 57
Language of Faith 57
Influence of Repetition 58
Spiritual Discipline of Attentiveness 61
Conclusion 63
Early Methodist Hymnody 63
Historical Background ofthe Methodist Hymnody 63
Characteristics ofthe Wesleyan Hymns 66
Conclusion 73
Japanese Hymnody 73
Historical Background and Characteristics ofthe Seika 74
Critical Issues in Japanese Hymnody 77
Conclusion 82
Research Design 83
Summary 84
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 87
Problem and Purpose 87
Research Questions 87
Research Question #1 87
Research Question #2 88
Research Question #3 88
Research Question #4 89
Population and Participants 90
V