Abstract
The usual theological discussions on the "indigenization" of Christianity lack gender perspectives. The aim of this paper is to reexamine the realities of "indiginization" in the local churches where women form the majority of the flock in the church life. The church women to be examined here are Dalit and tribal Mizo in India, and wives of pastors and Okinawa Christian women in Japan, whom the writer has encountered over a long period of time through field work and volunteer activities. These women are practicing their faith amidst patriarchal cultures and sexist criteria of various communities, including the church. How are they suffering, settling their struggles, or freeing themselves for their own empowerment? Though the spirituality of the women vary according to the contents of faith and phases of gender/sexual independence, this paper targets women who are spiritually friendly to others as a Christian characteristic.
