The Way of the Christian Samurai

ChristainBookReviews.net just posted a review of The Way of the Christian Samurai, and gave it a ranking of “Essential!”

Just a quick excerpt from their in-depth review:

“Consisting on excerpts from noted samurai masters (the samurai were a class of elite warriors in feudal Japan) with commentary noting applications to the Christian life, the book demonstrates how much modern society has lost in its quest for unrestrained egalitarianism. Certain passages in the New Testament - particularly those showing the deference given by the Apostles and others to Jesus (even before they knew His true nature as the Son of God) - can be misconstrued without understanding the cultural milieu wherein a respected figure was shown honor by those he visited and subservience by his followers. This is at odds with our own tradition on self-reliance to the point of self-centeredness that has led to the highly individualistic form of Christianity that has taken root in America (both on the liberal and conservative ends of the spectrum). The result is the claim of Jesus as Lord without fully grasping the import of claiming someone as Lord.”

Read the full review here.

I find the book falls into two “dangerous” stereotypes that are untrue: That the book is either trying to equate Eastern Paganism with Christianity or a call to violence for fanatical Christians (the latter is usually a criticism of non-Christian or anti-Christians).

ChristianBookReviews.net allays the first fear for readers:

“The Way of the Christian Samurai is truly an unusual book among the many published that seek to link Christianity to various Eastern religions or philosophies. It’s uniqueness lies not in any success in doing so, but in its insistence that any such linkage must be judged by the known truths of the Christian faith. Given the limited focus of the book, its acknowledgment of the superiority Biblical teaching, and its usefulness in shedding light on often ignored facets of the Christian way, it is an important book that can be read with profit by those in the Church.”

Tags: Christian Samurai, samurai, warriors, Japan, Christian life, Jesus, Christianity, Church