Sometimes words that we use in English come with a degree of baggage in Japanese. "Missionary" is one such word, and in this episode I reflect on why that's the case, and how we deal with that in our work here.
In the aftermath of WWII, Japan lay in ruins. General MacArthur was tasked with helping rebuild the country. During a conversation with Emperor Hirohito, MacArthur was offered the chance of a lifetime. In this episode, I talk about that opportunity, and reflect a bit on what it would have meant for the country, as well as what it can teach us today.Research References:Harry Fox, "God's Unconditional Commitment To Us""General Told Of Barring Offer To Create A Christian Japan" https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/07/archives/general-told-of-barring-offer-to-create-a-christian-japan.html"SCAPIN-550: REMOVAL AND EXCLUSION OF UNDESIRABLE PERSONNEL FROM PUBLIC OFFICE 1946/01/04" https://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/9885619?itemId=info%3Andljp%2Fpid%2F9885619&__lang=en"Remaking Of The Orient": https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/christ-and-the-remaking-of-the-orient "MacArthur Encouraged Religion In Postwar Japan" https://www.christiancentury.org/article/2011-06/book-details-macarthurs-efforts-fill-japanese-spiritual-vacuum-after-world-war-ii Joyce Kilmer, "Trees" https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/12744/treesYasuo Furuya, "Postwar Protestant Missionary Work In Japan" https://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/4177Lawrence Wittner, "MacArthur And The Missionaries: God And Man In Occupied Japan" https://www.jstor.org/stable/3637830https://www.panorientnews.com/en/news.php?k=1023
In this maiden voyage into a new podcast, Leslie introduces the new podcast and talks about the biggest challenge of his current work, along with the biggest blessing. Thanks for listening!
