T CHAPTER XIX. THE EVANGELIZATION OF JAPAN. HE work of evangelizing Japan by Protestant missionaries began a little more than fifty years ago. The exact year was 1859. The progress of evangelism in Japan is marked by six distinct periods of development which have been called, first, the Ground Breaking period, from 1859 to 1872, when "the missionaries could not do much but study the language and translate the Bible"; second, the Seed Sowing period from 1873 to 1882, when the missionaries and their converts, though few, were possessed of a burning, evangelistic zeal, preaching the gospel to everyone they met; third, the Germinating Period from 1883 to 1889, when Christian faith was greatly revived in the church and Christianity was warmly favored by the people. "Not only the government but the whole people leaned toward Christianity and some persons even argued that Christianity should be made the national religion of Japan. Christians of that time believed that Japan would be Christianized within ten years." Some Christians of the present time believe that if the church had fully embraced her missionary opportunity then, there would have been no need for new missionaries now; fourth, the period of Apparent Re |