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CHAPTER FIVE Evangelism in the New Century
- Wilfrid Laurier University Press
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CHAPTER FIVE Evangelism in the New Century In 1904 Herbert Moore, who had served as an SPG missionary during the 1890s, noted in his popular account, The Christian Faith in Japan, that "it is good to be zealous in a good cause, but zeal must be according to knowledge; and a careful observer would be hardly likely to anticipate the speedy triumph of the Cross."1 The evangelistic work of the British missionary societies in the Japanese Empire certainly revealed that they anticipated no such thing. Indeed, the first three decades of the twentieth century saw the steady decline of British missionary work, which was only partially due to the financial and personnel difficulties stemming from World War I. Other causes, which often pre-dated 1914, the missionaries had brought upon themselves. These latter difficulties were most pronounced within the Anglican missions, some of the blame for which must fall squarely on the shoulders of the missionary bishops. What was not entirely the fault of their bishops was an evident lack of zeal for evangelization among the Anglican clerical missionaries. In contrast, the Salvation Army in Japan and the English Presbyterians in Taiwan retained the evangelistic zeal which had characterized their work from the beginning. Their problem was more simple: they lacked the money and personnel to carry out their work. The hesitation and indecision detected among the High Anglicans in Japan suggests a deeper malaise - a loss of will. This was a harbinger of the greater loss of self-confidence which was symptomatic of the decline and growing weakness of Britain overseas. The paradigm of missionary decline as an early manifestation of British imperial decline can also be extended to the lessening of British missionary influence within the Nippon Seikokai. The British decline was countered by the rising importance and influence of the Protestant Episcopalians from the United States, which became apparent in 1923, when two converts of the American wing of the Nippon Seikokai became the first Japanese Anglican bishops. What was evident much earlier were the enormous changes in Japanese society that were taking place in the first three decades of the new century. Yet all missionary societies were slow to react to the changing situation. Following World War I, innovations in evangelism were introduced , but the adoption of new methods and techniques was slow and hesitant, because of the conservatism of the missionary societies. Although individual missionaries in Japan speculated on the methods Notes for Chapter 5 are on pp. 283-87. 117 118 THE CROSS AND THE RISING SUN and philosophy of missionary work, there was little sympathetic discussion of these topics in the British missionary community, partly because of the prevailing attitude that converts were made as a result of hard work and that there were no short cuts. Nevertheless, British missionary work in the new century was characterized by more than mere inertia. The Pan Anglican Congress held at Lambeth in 1907 was regarded as important by the missionaries in Japan. Furthermore, the worldwide missionary movement, following the Edinburgh Conference of 1910, exuded a buoyant confidence.2 For some years, the North American missionary movement was deeply influenced by this optimistic mood. Yet the British missionary movement was going through a difficult period which would culminate in the 1930s in its destruction and the persecution of those Christians associated with it. In the years before 1931, British Anglican missionaries were increasingly uncertain of their aims and role in the evangelization of Japan. However, they rarely felt the need to justify their presence in Japan. The issue of how long the missionary movement should continue was scarcely ever mentioned. The missionaries in the field always considered that their continued presence was needed and believed that they were a near-permanent element in the local Christian community . As a result of their belief in the security of their position, missionaries were generally more concerned with pointing out the difficulties which confronted Christianity in Japan than with the problem of how they should act to overcome these difficulties. THE BARRIERS TO CHRISTIANITY IN JAPAN Among the barriers to the successful propagation of Christianity, traditional religion and Japanese nationalism were the most frequent subjects of missionary comment. Awareness of Buddhism as a potential threat to Christian advance was already clear to many missionaries by the end of the Russo-Japanese War. In December 1905 William Awdry, the bishop of South Tokyo, wrote that the war had "created doubt about Christianity" and that its circumstances had acted as...