The Hidden Christians of Japan
Sundays, August 9 & 16 | 9:45 am | Room 200
Join us for a special presentation exploring the remarkable story of Christianity in Japan. Together, we will trace the early missionary movement of the 16th century, the expulsion of priests and intense persecution of Christians in the 17th century, and the nearly 200 years when the church survived underground. We will discover how the faith of the “hidden Christians” endured and evolved, and how they reemerged when Japan reopened to outsiders in the 19th century.
In this first session, Chris Knepp and Andy Dearman cover the arrival of Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier in 1549, the explosive growth of early converts through strategic alliances with powerful daimyo and Oda Nobunaga, and the intense cultural clash between European Christian doctrines and Japan’s deeply rooted traditions of Shinto, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
