Shamans serve as mediators between the human world and the spirit world. They communicate with spirits to achieve certain aims for individuals or communities, such as physical healing or alleviation of a disaster.

Unlike Buddhist monks or Hindu priests, shamans embrace spirit possession, said Chansamone Saiyasak, founder of Mekong Evangelical Mission in Thailand. “Shamanistic practices address basic needs, from health and security to social belonging and self-esteem, similar to Maslow’s hierarchy,” Saiyasak said.

In other parts of the world, an encounter with mystical forces beyond human comprehension may occur through consuming psychedelics like ayahuasca, a South American Indigenous concoction with hallucinogenic properties, or when seeing a sangoma, a South African witch doctor, to connect with an ancestor.

In Asia, engaging with spirits or divine entities is an activity that is often centered on the role of the shaman. Seeking counsel from a shaman is often seen as a legitimate and effective way to deal with everyday matters in life, from deciding who to marry to removing bad luck and healing diseases or illnesses.

Belief in the supernatural is widespread in the region: A majority of adults in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam say they believe in a god or unseen beings, according to Pew Research Center. Having an otherworldly experience is commonplace as well. “We often experience evil spirits before we experience the Holy Spirit,” said author Justin Tan in a CT piece on the Hungry Ghost Festival.

Christianity Today interviewed seven scholars on how shamanism shows up in certain Asian contexts, what its key sources are, how it has influenced their churches, and what Bible verses challenge it.

In South Korea, shamanism is growing in popularity as younger shamans work through YouTube and other social media platforms to assuage citizens’ anxiety for the future. In Japan and Thailand, animistic beliefs form the bedrock of shamanistic rituals. In Indonesia, people may regard pastors as “spiritual shamans” who wield special powers. And in the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam, folk religion, folk Catholicism, and Daoism (Taoism) have helped shamanism to thrive because many of their rituals encourage people to appease a spirit or venerate a deity.

While shamanism has helped to develop a greater awareness of the spirit world across many parts of Asia, engaging in shamanistic rituals or practices invites syncretism, opens up room for evil spirits to influence a person’s life, and goes against God’s injunctions on spiritism and sorcery, say these Christian leaders. Their responses can be found in the drop-down list above or linked below:

Indonesia Kristian Kusumawardana, head of the bachelor’s degree program in theology at Bandung Theological Seminary

Japan Martin Heisswolf, author of Japanese Understanding of Salvation: Soteriology in the Context of Japanese Animism

Philippines Dave Johnson, editor of the Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies at the Asia Pacific Theological Seminary

South Korea Yohong Roh, instructor of religious studies at Louisiana State University

Taiwan Tony Chuang, author of Religiosity and Gospel Transmission: Insights from Folk Religion in Taipei

Thailand Chansamone Saiyasak, president of Mekong Evangelical Mission

Vietnam Saralen Tran, Christian education lecturer at Hanoi Bible College

The post Shamans, Sorcerers, and Spirits: How Christians in Asia Grapple with the Supernatural appeared first on Christianity Today.

The shaman talked to a spirit that only he could see. He told her father that three evil spirits were possessing his body and that he could only be freed if he offered three boiled animals—a chicken, pig, and cow—to that spirit. Her father did so and recovered in a few days. Later, my student asked me, “Did the power of God or that of the shaman heal my father?”

Shamanism in Vietnam is rooted in the worship of nature and the spirit world. The origin of shamanism in the country is not documented. Scholars assume that it arose from Daoism (Taoism) over the course of thousands of years and then became part of folk beliefs.

Today, shamanism is most commonly practiced in worshiping the Mother Goddess (Mẫu), an agricultural folk religion that imbues natural elements with divine power, such as protection from disasters. During the lên đồng ritual, a female medium dressed in bright clothing, or a male shaman who puts on makeup and wears women’s clothes, is often possessed by a spirit and performs sacred dances. The worship ceremony is occasionally conducted in the Mẫu temple for a group of 20 to 40 people, providing a space for devotees to connect with the spirit and pray for protection and good fortune.

Other forms of shamanism also vary among ethnic minorities, like the Sán Dìu in Quảng Ninh province or the Lô Lô in Cao Bằng province, where a shaman is a powerful person in the village who performs ritual acts to heal the sick, rebuke evil spirits, and assure protection.

In 2016, UNESCO recognized worship of the Mother Goddess as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Vietnam’s government has taken some measures to promote this religion, as it is perceived as an important part of Vietnamese folk culture because it involves a combination of music, dance, art, and history telling. It helps to maintain and transfer traditional values, such as cultural integration and living in harmony, ​​from generation to generation.

Vietnamese people continue to hold to a shamanistic ideology. They believe in a spirit world that simultaneously exists with the real world. To connect with and discover the unknown, people believe they need a shaman. Their gods and ancestors can help them solve difficult problems and protect them from negative forces, such as evil spirits and restless souls.

This can be helpful in evangelism, as the exorcisms that evangelicals, especially Pentecostals, perform in Vietnam are often perceived as shamanistic acts by people who go to pastors to seek special healing or deliverance from demons.

However, the way that believers conceptualize their theology may also reflect their folk beliefs. For example, some Christians have an idea of God as an omnipresent and omniscient judge. They also may view God as a genie in a lamp who will grant people what they want, and they may get frustrated if that does not happen.

To some extent, church has become a place where people ask for healing, wealth, and luck. While Christians don’t participate in worshiping the Mother Goddess, as it is considered idolatrous, they often favor listening to powerful preachers who possess the gift of healing.

The idea of inner healing has also become popular recently, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Young people, including believers, are increasingly interested in mindfulness therapy, soul care, and yoga as a means of dealing with depression, anxiety, and other stressors—similar to shamanism’s emphasis on connecting with nature. 

These practices are neutral exercises for mental and physical health if they are not attached to worshiping a particular divine entity or forging a connection with a spirit. Christians, however, should know that God is their only source of healing. Church leaders and pastors can generate more dialogue and discussion on biblical perspectives of healing and examine these practices in light of the Bible.

Vietnamese Christians can also relate to the story of Saul asking a medium to call Samuel’s spirit from the dead in 1 Samuel 28. In Vietnamese culture, such summoning rituals often occur during the New Year or on death anniversaries as people seek to discern what their family member’s last will or unfinished wishes are. Some pastors explain that God allowed the conversation between Saul and Samuel to happen because they speak directly to each other, not through a medium.

Saralen Tran is a Christian education lecturer at Hanoi Bible College. Read more in our series’ lead article, Shamans, Sorcerers, and Spirits: How Christians in Asia Grapple with the Supernatural.

The post Shamanism in Vietnam appeared first on Christianity Today.

CT spoke with seven theologians and church leaders from Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam to find out how Christmas is regarded in their contexts, the unique traditions that take place, and how evangelicals celebrate the birth of Christ there.

Responses range from people who acknowledge and accept the Westernized, commercialized nature of Christmas in their countries to those who rally against such misconceptions and others who see it in a more religious light.

Taiwan: Wen-Chuan Lin, assistant professor of church music at Taiwan Graduate School of Theology

Christmas is known as a Western holiday to the general public in Taiwan. Because it is heavily influenced by its highly commercialized image from Western media and enterprises, such as the Black Friday sales, Christmas has been celebrated here as a holiday that comes with grand shopping events and fancy meals at fine restaurants.

Christians in Taiwan observe Christmas differently by viewing it as an opportunity to share the gospel. Theologically speaking, the celebration of the birth of Jesus should surely not be labeled as a “Western” event. However, when considering the historical development of liturgy and how this festival was introduced to Taiwan by missionaries from the West over a period of time, the “Western” image of Christmas seems indelible.

Personally, I do not mind using or improvising some Western elements for Christmas celebrations, whether in musical presentations, vigils, or caroling. However, I always suggest that churches ought to remove or downplay elements that have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, or gift exchanges.

Some churches will purchase Taiwanese-style Christmas cakes as gifts to share the good news in their neighborhoods. Churches can focus more on spreading the meaning of Jesus’ birth and second coming to remind people why Christians should celebrate Christmas. They can also carry out activities like feeding the hungry, aiding seniors and the disabled, and visiting the ill and imprisoned to incarnate Christmas into our current context.

Malaysia: Kar Yong Lim, New Testament Studies lecturer at Seminari Theoloji Malaysia

Christmas is a public holiday and celebrations are very commercially driven in West Malaysia. There are Christmas sales and lavish festive decorations such as Christmas trees and reindeer in major shopping malls. Christmas lights also brighten up the skies above major streets in shopping areas and public parks. Restaurants capitalize on the festive season by offering special Christmas menus.

Seen from this perspective, Christmas here is no different from how it is being celebrated in Western countries. Perhaps the only difference is that as a tropical country, we do not have winter and snow.

Churches typically hold Christmas and Christmas Eve services, often with an evangelistic focus. Some local traditions are also incorporated while celebrating Christmas here. Popular Christmas songs and carols have been translated into local languages. I have also seen ethnic Chinese Christians giving apples as Christmas gifts to family and friends. The Mandarin word for apple sounds like peace, and it is a creative way to declare that Jesus himself is the Prince of Peace.

In the states of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia, which have higher populations of Christians, there are Christmas parades and open-air performances organized by churches in major urban areas, which are attended by everyone, not only Christians. In general, Muslims do not participate in Christmas celebrations, but there is greater public participation in Christmas festivities in East Malaysia.

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Japan: Mieko Iwata, associate professor of Christian ethics at Tokyo Christian University

Christmas in Japan is fully established as a Japanese festival, although it is recognized as an event of Western origin. By the Taisho era (1912–1926), Santa Claus was already known, and historical documents show that children looked forward to receiving Christmas presents.

In Japan, Christmas is considered a day spent with lovers and friends because of media portrayals that have painted it as an occasion for a romantic night out. Couples typically have dinner together and give each other gifts. Families gather on the night of December 24 instead. A Christmas Eve dinner without chicken and cake is unthinkable in Japan, probably because of the success of Kentucky Fried Chicken and cake company promotions.

Christian churches in Japan promote Christmas as a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but since ordinary Japanese people may not be curious about the meaning of Christmas, it is difficult to change their perception of Christmas as a “Western” event.

Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan, and services are typically held on the Sunday closest to Christmas. Many evangelical Japanese churches sing Western Christmas hymns like “Silent Night,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” and “Joy to the World.”

This year, my church will have an hourlong candlelight service on the evening of December 24 (not because it is Christmas Eve, but because it is a Saturday and therefore easier to gather). We will light candles in the chapel, sing Christmas hymns, read Bible verses, hear a message from our pastor, and close the service with children playing handbells to the tune of “Amazing Grace.”

South Korea: Chiheon Shin, pastor at City Center Church

The perception that Christmas is a “Western” or foreign holiday in Korea remains because there are other traditional holidays, like Seollal (Korean Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (Mid-Autumn Festival), in our calendar.

Christmas in Korea is celebrated in kindergartens, schools, private academies, and in families, but it is often recognized as a day when Santa Claus gives gifts to kids. Also, it is considered a day for young people to confess their feelings to someone or go on a date, like on Valentine’s Day.

Since there are other traditional holidays to spend time with family, evangelical Christians in Korea often spend Christmas with their church family or with their marginalized neighbors. Churches may hold Christmas Eve services or visit the homes of the elderly in the church. They may also visit poor and underprivileged neighbors in the city to deliver Christmas messages and gifts. Churches also work together across denominations and hold various events in the city, such as Christian plays, musicals, and singing praise songs while busking on the streets.

As a church planter and a pastor for international migrants living in Korea, I’m strongly convinced that evangelical Christians in Korea should live out the incarnational life of Jesus Christ in deeper and wider ways in our lives and our acts of service.

J. I. Packer writes in Knowing God: “So the ‘Christmas spirit’ means reproducing in human lives the temper of him who for our sakes became poor. … The Christmas spirit is rather that of those who, like their Master, live their lives on the principle of making themselves poor, spending and being spent, to do good to others and not just their own friends.”

We need to impoverish ourselves voluntarily to reach out to our neighbors who are marginalized, lonely, and discriminated against in society, including immigrants who have recently entered Korea. That is how we can contextualize Christmas and remove the misconception that it is a “Western” event.

Mongolia: Bat-Orgil Gantumur, pastor of Light of Grace Christian Congregation

Christmas is not an official holiday in Mongolia. Most nonbelievers see it as a “Western” event and call it “candle month,” a name which is adapted from Buddhism as some Buddhist monks say that it is the first month of winter.

One hundred years ago, foreign missionaries from western Europe came to Mongolia and showed us how Christmas is celebrated. After that, Mongolia became a communist country for 80 years. During that time, Russia brought in certain secular practices like setting up Christmas trees and getting gifts from Santa Claus. Mongolia is now a democratic country and religious freedom is prized here. One religion does not supersede another, and while we are a Buddhist-majority country, Mongolians largely do not express negative sentiments toward other religions like Christianity.

Having these “Western” influences at Christmastime is not a bad thing, and they do not have a negative effect on these celebrations. Still, I don’t think we should allow the perception that Christmas is a “Western” event to continue. We should improve this perception locally as the Mongolian church grows to learn how to contextualize Christmas to our particular context.

There has been some progress on this front, although we have a long way to go. Four years ago, churches worked together to put up Christmas plays and concerts across the country. Churches in Mongolia are also encouraging locals to compose worship songs about Jesus’ birth. One popular Mongolian Christmas song that is often sung is “God So Loved,” which is based on John 3:16. Another popular praise song is “He Love,” which has lyrics like “Love that has been waiting for a thousand years / Comes to us through the darkness.”

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Pakistan: Ruby Naeem John, codirector of Bethel Evangelistic Organization

Christmas is viewed as a Western holiday rather than a Christian festival by Muslims, even though the church has been present in Pakistan for the last 75 years.

Evangelical Christians in Pakistan celebrate and observe Christmas the way we have been taught by missionaries. We decorate our houses and churches like what is seen in English movies. We sing English carols, exchange gifts with friends and family, decorate Christmas trees, and put up nativity scenes.

But we also have some contextualized Christmas traditions. We sing Christmas carols in the Punjabi and Urdu languages and use local instruments like the tabla (small drum) and dholak (two-headed hand drum) in them. Another common practice is that choirs will visit different houses the week before Christmas and celebrate it with families. Hospitality is a great virtue in my country, and in some villages, people even accommodate these choirs in their homes and provide food for them.

The perception of Christmas, and Christianity, as “Western” has arisen because the Pakistani church has failed to become more mission-minded. Many believers left Pakistan back in the ’70s and ’80s and settled in the West. When religious persecution grew, many Christians fled and became asylum seekers in the West as well.

Pakistani Christians need to gain a sense of ownership over their faith. The church in Pakistan is going through a historic chapter right now. Since a great number of missionaries have been kicked out from the country systematically, many institutions are now led by the locals.

We need local theologians who can read Biblical texts through their lens. We need to understand the concept of intergenerational leadership and let all generations participate in evangelism and discipleship. Only then can we remove certain misconceptions about Christianity and Christmas.

Vietnam: Saralen Tran, lecturer in Christian education at Hanoi Bible College

Christmas is not recognized by the Vietnamese government as an official holiday, but rather a religious event. Workplaces and schools operate as usual. The last week of December is the busiest time for enterprises to close the year and to make final deals while school children take their final exams.

However, like in other countries, Christmas is celebrated as a feast. Shopping malls, restaurants, and other public places are nicely decorated. Also, people often gather on big streets or city corners on Christmas Eve. Recently, growing international cooperation among businesses have raised demand for Christmas to be recognized as a holiday, but the communist government is still considering it as it has religious significance.

Nowadays, Vietnamese Christians attend church services that run for two days and nights. One of these services is a distinctive and well-structured program by which non-Christians are invited to hear the gospel through Christmas stories. It is usually a big gathering at churches on Christmas Eve, and church choirs and music bands often prepare for these events at least three months in advance.

Outreach events also occur during Christmastime. On December 3, churches from the Christian and Missionary Alliance organized a large-scale mass evangelistic gathering at an outdoor venue in Ho Chi Minh City, where approximately 500 people came forward to accept Christ.

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The post Is Christmas a ‘Western’ Holiday in Asia? appeared first on Christianity Today.