Who Did They Say that He Is? Four Hopeful and Suffering Generations of Japanese-Reformed Christologies

Authors

  • J. Nelson Jennings

Abstract

This paper focuses on the Christologies of four successive Japanese-Reformed theologians: Uemura Masahisa (1857-1925), Takakura Tokutaru (1885-1934), Kumano Yoshitaka (1899-1981), and Okada Minoru (1902-1992). These theologians understood Jesus Christ within dramatically changing modern Japanese contexts that were full of hope and suffering. Hence the conference themes of hope and suffering interrelate deeply with how these theologians articulated the person and work of Christ. Furthermore, insofar as all these theologians imbibed both Japanese and Western influences, the conference theme of globalizing theology is also addressed. Comparing these theologians with each other, as well as drawing implications for how all Christians formulate Christological understandings, should contribute to the wider conference goal of understanding the significance of Jesus Christ in modern, pluralistic and democratic societies in Asia and the West.

Published

2011-07-01 — Updated on 2022-01-29

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