United Church of Christ in Japan
Encyclopedia
The United Church of Christ in Japan (UCCJ) is the largest Protestant denomination in Japan
. It was a union of thirty three diverse Protestant religious bodies forcibly brought together by the Japanese wartime government on June 24, 1941.The UCCJ is a member of the World Council of Churches
(WCC).
, Japan Baptist Convention
, Japan Holiness Church
, Japan Assemblies of God
plus numerous smaller Evangelical churches.
, a doctrinal statement, clarified the postwar church's identity, many cite the 1967 Confession of responsibility During World War II as recovering the church's integrity
, by openly dealing with the church's wartime role.
Twenty six UCCJ missionaries now serve in eleven overseas lands in a variety of ministries, a heritage begun when the first postwar missionary was sent to Brazil
in 1957.
United Church of Christ in Japan permits openly gay and lesbian and transsexual female pastor to act as ministers.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was a union of thirty three diverse Protestant religious bodies forcibly brought together by the Japanese wartime government on June 24, 1941.The UCCJ is a member of the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
(WCC).
Events during the Pacific War
Events after 1945
With the establishment of religious freedom by the Allied Occupation Forces in 1946, many groups left the Kyōdan to reestablish their prewar denominational identities. The most significant departures were the Anglican Church in Japan, the Japan Lutheran ChurchJapan Lutheran Church
The or NRK is a Confessional Lutheran denomination in Japan. It currently has approximately 2,645 baptized members in 35 congregations nationwide.The current president of the NRK is the Rev...
, Japan Baptist Convention
Japan Baptist Convention
The Japan Baptist Convention, or Nippon Baputesuto Renmei is a Baptist denominational body in Japan, related to the Southern Baptist Convention....
, Japan Holiness Church
Japan Holiness Church
The Japan Holiness Church traces its origins to the early evangelistic work of the Oriental Missionary Society, organized by Juji Nakada and by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cowman in 1901. Nakada had become acquainted with the Cowmans during a period he spent at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago...
, Japan Assemblies of God
Japan Assemblies of God
The Japan Assemblies of God is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in Japan affiliated with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship. It claims 10,766 adherents and 211 churches...
plus numerous smaller Evangelical churches.
After the 1970s
The controversy had both theological and nontheological roots, some tending back into an earlier period. The union's wartime origin and the church's self-acknowledged complicity in the war were called into question While the 1954 Confession of FaithConfession of Faith
A Confession of Faith is a statement of doctrine very similar to a creed, but usually longer and polemical, as well as didactic.Confessions of Faith are in the main, though not exclusively, associated with Protestantism...
, a doctrinal statement, clarified the postwar church's identity, many cite the 1967 Confession of responsibility During World War II as recovering the church's integrity
Integrity
Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions...
, by openly dealing with the church's wartime role.
Twenty six UCCJ missionaries now serve in eleven overseas lands in a variety of ministries, a heritage begun when the first postwar missionary was sent to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 1957.
United Church of Christ in Japan permits openly gay and lesbian and transsexual female pastor to act as ministers.
A course
- Tokyo Union Theological SeminaryTokyo Union Theological Seminarythumb|200px|Tokyo Union Theological Seminary is a private university in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1930, and it was chartered as a university in 1949....
- Doshisha UniversityDoshisha University, or is a prestigious private university in Kyoto, Japan. The university has approximately 27,000 students on three campuses, in faculties of theology, letters, law, commerce, economics, policy, and engineering...
- Kwansei Gakuin UniversityKwansei Gakuin University, colloquially abbreviated to , is a non-denominational Christian private and coeducational university located in Nishinomiya, Sanda, Osaka City, and Tokyo, Japan....