Rebellion used for good
Once a kid who would question the rules, Kaz Hayashi now uses this experience to study scripture.
Kaz Hayashi was ready to turn his life around. After getting expelled from Iwata Minami High School in Japan for sending someone to the hospital, he wanted a restart in Malaysia. He had talked to his parents about it, going to a Christian boarding school — he wanted to take the steps to start living for Christ.
“Having an upbringing of being exposed to … Western ways of life … I would always question things,” Hayashi said. “I’ll say, ‘Why does this have to be this way?’”
“If Christianity is true, I really want this.” — Kaz Hayashi
Hayashi grew up attending church. With his mother being part of the 1% of Christians in Japan, she encouraged her children to learn about God. Unlike most people in Japan, from a young age, Hayashi and his siblings knew who God was. Despite this, in his earlier years Hayashi was not committed to a Christian faith.
In high school, Hayashi became friends with people who questioned things like he did — they were skeptical of school uniforms and rules.
“Saying these silly things makes you an outlier, especially in Japanese society,” Hayashi said. “… If you stand out, you become friends with other kids that stand out.”
“I was basically a gangster in Japan.” — Kaz Hayashi, Bethel Seminary professor
Hayashi found friends who asked ‘why’ just like he did. After spending time with one another, those questioning attitudes led to ones that leaned towards anti-school and anti-structure.
“I was basically a gangster in Japan,” Hayashi said. “So I got in a fight, and a guy got hospitalized.”
After being expelled, Hayashi wanted to start living his life differently. Through his mother’s influence, he got to know Jesus and wanted to give his life to him. He wanted a new start away from his old friends. He talked to his parents about attending Dalat International School in Malaysia.
“If Christianity is true, I really want this,” Hayashi said. “I remember praying that.”
After completing his studies in Malaysia, Hayashi decided he wanted to pursue pastoral ministry. He attended college in the United States, at Nyack College, New York and Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. He applied for a teaching position at Bethel University’s seminary and was interviewed by Peter Vogt, the seminary’s dean.
“By studying any form of popular culture, there’s probably something that we can talk about,” — Kaz Hayashi, Bethel Seminary professor
It was through theology that Hayashi continued to ask questions, but in a slightly different way. His spirit of rebellion benefits him when coming across the biblical status quo.
“This is the presupposition that everyone agrees, I totally disagree,” Hayashi said. “And I’m going to prove how I disagree and how I’m right and how everyone else is wrong.”
Hayashi uses more than just his ability to think on his own for his teaching and research. He draws from his experience being Japanese to study how theology plays a role in anime. Growing up in Japan, anime was a large part of Hayashi’s life. Now that he is older, Hayashi is interested in viewing these same shows from a biblical perspective. He wanted to connect the things he was passionate about back to his faith in a way that worships God.
“By studying any form of popular culture, there’s probably something that we can talk about,” Hayashi said. “About human nature or even human desire. And as a Japanese Christian, that is fascinating.”
Since Christianity is not common in Japan, various forms of media, such as anime do not reflect Christian values in the way that media in the United States occasionally does. Hayashi expressed the importance of connecting with people by learning about their culture and bringing them the gospel through that. He brings these ideas into his research, as well as the classroom.
Peter Vogt admires how Hayashi is able to connect with his coworkers and students.
“He’s able to help students bridge the gap between the truth of the Old Testament and help them to see its relevance for today,” Vogt said. “Particularly by making connections to … pop culture.”
