World Cup Churches 20. Japan

Continuing a series of blogs heading round the 32 qualifying countries in the 2022 World Cup - I will pick out one church in each one.  I am not going to choose only churches that are to my liking.  This is an exploration not a recommendation! To see all in the series select the label 'World Cup Churches' below.

Christianity has made very little headway over the years in Japan.  Comparing it with other Eastern cultures like Korea and China make its resistance to the Gospel more surprising.  It is not as if Japan is entirely unable or unwilling to let the outside world in.  Just not Jesus.

The Church has done better than Jesus in one remarkable way.  Among many examples, I offer you St Bath Church in the Centre of Osaka.

At first glance this looks like an English parish church.  This is not entirely surprising because the stained glass windows are indeed from a disused British church or chapel. But on a second look there doesn't seem much between the happy couple and the windows.

Let's step outside  . . .

It kind of looks the part and doesn't look the part somehow.  And St Bath? Who was he or she?  What denomination is this?

The answer is the commercial denomination; it is a wedding chapel built to resemble a Western Protestant Church, squeezed between the outline of its related hotel.  Or as the blurb puts it:

'Reaching out to your heart the minister, choir, organist and violinist play in harmony.  Surrounded by the 18th century stained glass windows passed on to us from the United Kingdom and antique pews we deliver a unique impression and happiness to the bridal couple and guests.'

The point being this is one of many such chapels throughout Japan, a country where Protestant-style weddings are far more popular than Shinto ones, yet where the Christian Church has never made great inroads with the Gospel.

Perhaps the ultimate expression of the old truth that you don't become a Christian by getting married in church.