Who is toyohiko kagawa

Then, from within Japan, his tone began to change. He wrote, and spoke on radio, in defense of the Japanese empire. He became and remained throughout the rest of his life a strong supporter of Emperor Hirohito. The grim result of this period, of course, is the colossal loss of Japan and the unveiling of Japanese atrocities throughout East Asia.

He avoided that purge on the merits of his pre-war work, but a shadow now hung over his name. In part because of this, a post-war American tour had little of the thrill of his pre-war efforts. For the remainder of his life Kagawa would advocate for world peace and nuclear disarmament. He died in When the crucial moment came, he capitulated. I think there are two reasons. He was possessed of a sincere desire to see the situation of the poor changed, and he saw in Christianity a model for that change which might give life to the world.

To this, I give my full assent. However, the swing of labor movements away from Christianity in the intervening years makes it difficult to hear and accept his concerns today. Additionally, his presentation of Christianity becomes uncomfortably close to a political platform. Before the war, he had stood for Christianity, the gospel, and for peace. During the war, he stood for the political ends of his government—for Japan, for their advances into East Asia, and for military aggression.

What is worse, Kagawa used or allowed his platform as a minister of the gospel to advance the political aims of the day. That intermingling is simply corrosive to gospel witness. It should be obvious. Berkeley: Centenary Books, Bikle, George B. Primary Kagawa, Toyohiko. Before the Dawn. New York: George H. Doran Co, Meditation on the Cross. The Religion of Jesus. Philadelphia: The John C. Secondary Schildgen, Robert. Missions have met little response. The work of such men as Xavier and Nikolai was exceptional in bringing thousands to a Christian confession.

The work of others has generally produced only handfuls of converts. This is true not only of foreign missionaries but also of Japan's foremost homegrown missionary, Toyohiko Kagawa. Toyohiko Kagawa was born on this day July 10, , into wealth, the son of a concubine. Both parents died while he was very young. As a teenager he became a Christian under the influence of Presbyterian missionaries and was baptized.

He took theological training at Kobe and at Princeton University. After almost losing his life to an illness, he vowed to help the poor. He thought of the application of a co-operative approach to realize economic policies for positive government intervention in the market. He was considered the right person to deliver speeches about co-operative in the United States.

His speech was broadcasted over the United States on the radio. It is said that, in total, , people listened to his speech. In the lectures, KAGAWA emphasized the importance of mutual-help deeply rooted in brotherhood and explained co-operative based on mutual help. A book based on his lectures was published in the United States and then translated into 17 languages for 25 countries.