Pioneers to Partners
Pioneers to Partners

Author: Gordon M. Laman

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Published: 2013-02-02

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780802869654

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Beginning with Japan's early exposure to Christianity by the very successful Roman Catholic mission to Japan in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the resultant persecution and prohibition of Christianity, Laman lays the groundwork for understanding the experience of nineteenth-century Protestant missionaries, among whom those of the Reformed Church in America were in the forefront. The early efforts of the Browns, Verbecks, Ballaghs, and Stouts, their failures and successes, are recounted within the cultural and political context of the anti-Western, anti-Christian Japan of the time. Verbeck's service to the government helped bring about gradual change. The first Protestant church was organized with a vision for ecumenical mission, and during several promising years, churches and mission schools were organized. Reformed Church missionaries encouraged and trained Japanese leaders from the beginning, the first Japanese ministers were ordained in 1877, and the Japanese church soon exhibited a spirit of independence, ushering in an era of growing missionary/Japanese partnership. The rise of the Japanese empire, a reinvigorated nationalism, and its progression to militarist ultranationalism brought on a renewed anti-Western, anti-Christian reaction and new challenges to both mission and church. With the outbreak of World War II, the Japanese government consolidated all Protestant churches into the Kyodan to facilitate control. Laman continues the account of Reformed Church partners in mission in Japan in the midst of post-war devastation and subsequent social and political tensions. The ecumenical involvement and continued clarification of mutual mission finds the Reformed Church a full participant with a mature Japanese church.

American Missionaries, Christian Oyatoi, and Japan, 1859-73
American Missionaries, Christian Oyatoi, and Japan, 1859-73

Author: Hamish Ion

Publisher: UBC Press

Published: 2010-07-01

Total Pages: 443

ISBN-13: 0774858990

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Japan closed its doors to foreigners for over two hundred years because of religious and political instability caused by Christianity. By 1859, foreign residents were once again living in treaty ports in Japan, but edicts banning Christianity remained enforced until 1873. Drawing on an impressive array of English and Japanese sources, Ion investigates a crucial era in the history of Japanese-American relations the formation of Protestant missions. He reveals that the transmission of values and beliefs was not a simple matter of acceptance or rejection: missionaries and Christian laymen persisted in the face of open hostility and served as important liaisons between East and West.

Finish the Mission
Finish the Mission

Author: John Piper

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2012-09-30

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 143353486X

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This is no ordinary missions book. The theme isn't new, but the approach is refreshing and compelling, as contributors David Platt, Louie Giglio, Michael Ramsden, Ed Stetzer, Michael Oh, David Mathis, and John Piper take up the mantle of the Great Commission and its Spirit-powered completion. From astronomy to exegesis, from apologetics to the Global South, from being missional at home to employing our resources in the global cause, Finish the Mission aims to breathe fresh missionary fire into a new generation, as together we seek to reach the unreached and engage the unengaged.

Multiplying Churches in Japanese Soil
Multiplying Churches in Japanese Soil

Author: Mehn Wm. John

Publisher: William Carey Publishing

Published: 2017-10-18

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 1645081001

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Since the beginning of missionary efforts in Japan in the sixteenth century, the Japanese church has experienced periods of quiet flourishing and periods of intense persecution. Arguably, however, it has never managed to take root as a truly indigenous church-despite great effort toward that aim. In Multiplying Churches in Japanese Soil, John Mehn asks the question: Why? What factors have contributed to the Japanese remaining largely unreached? Mehn examines the current state of affairs and then, with some careful analysis and case study, delves into effective models and leadership for planting churches in Japan that not only grow, but are also equipped to reproduce and multiply. Within these pages, discover mission strategy, kingdom perspective, and hope for the church in Japanese soil.

Soldier of God
Soldier of God

Author: Ray A. Moore

Publisher: Merwinasia

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780983659945

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Soldier of God is a study of General Douglas MacArthur's effort to influence the religious life of Japan by suppressing native religions and enabling the propagation of Christianity in that country during the American occupation (1945-1952). As Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP), MacArthur said it was his duty "as a Soldier of God and of the Republic" to fill the moral vacuum in Japan by restoring and reviving religion. After an introduction to Japan's prewar encounter with Christianity, this study focuses on four major issues. Part One describes the efforts of the Foreign Missions Conference (FMC) of the American Council of Churches to resume proselytizing in postwar Japan. The FMC arranged with the American government to send a church delegation to Japan, and President Truman gave a letter to the church leaders addressed to Emperor Hirohito. Part Two explores the delegates' meetings with MacArthur, Emperor Hirohito, Japan's prime minister, and Japanese Christian leaders. Convinced that Japan was a fertile field for propagating Christianity, the FMC in the U.S. laid plans for sending missionaries to support MacArthur's scheme for Christianizing Japan. Part Three explores the Imperial family's apparent interest in Christianity. The empress took Bible lessons and the crown prince (now emperor) studied English and the Bible with an American Quaker woman. The book presents evidence that the major concern of Imperial advisers and staff was to save Emperor Hirohito from trial as a war criminal. Part Four examines MacArthur's policy of using the Christian community to counter the growing influence of Communism in Japanese schools. He supported the creation of a new International Christian University to oppose leftist influence among Japan's youth..This books makes an important contribution to the ongoing study of MacArthur, the Occupation, and Christianity in Japan.