Boban Stojkovic: Christianity in the Land of the Rising Sun

Boban Stojkovic: Christianity in the Land of the Rising Sun (The Mission of the Orthodox Church in Japan. Saint Nikolai Kasatkin and his mission), Diocese of Dalmatia, Sibenik 2010, 157 pages  [ISBN 987-86-82555-49-00]

The baptization of all nations on behalf of Father, Son and Holy Spirit , as is widely known,is the New Testament imperative.The mission is an obligation of the Church. However, our time is perhaps мост inert when it comes to missionary work. Simply, as if  modern church apostles have become lazy.  This state of ministerial activity, because of its importance, requires serious attention and fast response.

Speaking of that, the Nikolai Kasatkin's mission in Japan is, in many ways, paradigmatic.  St. Nicholas was preaching Christ to the people whom the Orthodox tradition was completely unknown and therefore he started from the scratch. To a large extent, the situation in which are  today's missionaries, whose "target groups"  belong either to those few peoples who have never heard of the Gospel of Christ or to those who tore off from the Christian tradition of their ancestors. To both sides, therefore, the Orthodox Christian tradition is known just as much as it was known the Japanese at the time of Nikolai Kasatkin. Hence the study of his work on the baptism of Japan invaluable for finding the most appropriate missionary model and its implementation today.

The book analyzes all relevant aspects of the historical mission of the Russian Orthodox Church in Japan which was led by Nikolai Kasatkin,  from the history of Japan itself, through the Roman Catholic  church mission, which  preceded Kasatkin'sj to the results he has achieved  and the state of the Japanese Orthodox Church today.