The Disciples’ Training of the United Church of Christ in Japan during the Pacific War

The Disciples' Training of the United Church of Christ in Japan during the Pacific War

SONG Jun

To what extent can national ideology penetrate, transform, and even distort Christianity? This article takes the United Church of Christ in Japan during the Pacific War as an object of observation. An examination of the faith practices of preaching, worship, and service advocated and promoted by the Church at that time reveals a high degree of homogeneity between the imperial nation and the Christians in terms of nationalism and values during the war, and that the latter were so patriotic as to be unwilling to stay back; instead, they were even willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the imperial nation. While this phenomenon reflects the success of half a century of brainwashing and indoctrination of the imperial ideology, it also makes us realize the seriousness and depth of the problem, that is, the United Church of Christ in Japan has integrated the deified Emperor with God, the Dai Nippon Shinkoku with the Kingdom of Heaven, and the subjects of the Imperial Kingdom with the disciples of Christ, and they did not find it contradictory or inappropriate. The case of the United Church of Christ in Japan during the war time will surely trigger more reflections on the Christian Church today.