CHURCH ROW OVER EXPO EXHIBIT

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32210, 31 January 1970, Page 5

CHURCH ROW OVER EXPO EXHIBIT

CBy

ths Rev. R. M.

' O'GRADY, assistant secretary of the

National Council of Churches) v/At the age of 42 Kyoshi li (pro* nounced Ee*ee) is the youngest moderator ever appointed by the United Church of Japan. In a country where age is venerated, it was a rare break-through for such a young man to be appointed to the top position in the church. But not even his age could save him.

Last September I received a telephone call from a young pastor who represented a group of young- theological students and ministers. “Would it be possible,” the pastor asked, “for a group of bur young people to meet the executive of the United Church? We are rather worried about some of the plans being made for Expo ’70.” Mr li agreed to call a special meeting to hear the Complaints and a date was arranged the following week. At 1 p.m. on September 30 the 10 men who make up the central executive of the church made their way to the church conference room on the top floor of a large office block in Tokyo. As they entered the room they were immediately engulfed by a shouting crowd of over 150 young people. Apart from one or two professors, all were under the age of 30. The crowd filled the room and most had banners or flags which they waved with gusto. With the arrival of each member of the United Church executive the shouting grew louder until there was a scene of near chaos.

After half-an-hour the gathering settled down and tiie ten executive members were asked to sit down in the centre of a large circle of students. Each one was then called on to stand up and address the gathering. They were expected to give an account of their attitudes towards Expo ’7O, the war in Vietnam, and the American occupation of Okinawa. Statements were received with jeers or applause. Personal Attacks The students and pastors then attacked each man on a personal level. The defendant was expected to bow his head, confess his wrongs and then to attack the other members of the United Church. It is a tactic reminiscent of the Red Guard movement in China, and Chinese clergymen have spoken of receiving the same sort of treatment in Canton and Shanghai in 1951. Most of the 10 executive members were elderly men, only two being under 50. Some resisted the personal attacks and the hours began to tick past. When one of the men signalled that he wished to go to the wash-room, he was accompanied by a dozen students who made sure that he didn’t try to escape. Other people in the building became aware of the uproar in the conference room, but resisted the temptation to call the police. The Church in Japan has deliberately made a policy in recent disturbances that it would try to resolve its problems without the use of force.

The meeting was planned to close at 5 p.m. but this hour came and went without any sign of the students losing their zeal. Central to their argument was always the participation of the church in Expo ’7O. For the Osaka exposition, all the churches had agreed to combine to build a monumental Christian pavilion as a witness to their faith. Both Roman Catholic and Protestant churches were agreed on the official level to proceed with this pavilion and had decided to raise $U5278,000 to meet the costs in building and programme. Under the theme “Eyes that see and hands that serve” the building was designed to give a clear statement of a minority faith of its concern for the whole of life in a modern, technological, urban world. By comparison with the elaborate buildings of many nations at Expo, the Christian pavilion would be modest but striking. Now the rebellion had come. The students fired their questions. “How can we support this expenditure of money while our brothers are dying in Vietnam?” “Why should be be so rich and showy in Japan while the

rest of Asia is so poor? Have our riches come at their expense?” The interrogation went on. Glasses of iced water were offered to those who felt faint. Midnight came and went and still no-one was satisfied. Eventually at 3 amt. Kyoshi li was called to answer for his sins. The full anger of the group came upon him. "How could he call himself a young leader of the church, when he supported this vile action?” ’

Moderator’s Answer Quiety Mr li tried to answer the critics. He explained that there would be millions of Japanese and overseas visitors entering the pavilion and it would witness to the faith of the church. He denied the charge that the Japanese Government was using Expo 70 to divert the people from the United States-Japan Security Treaty which was eligible for revision in 1970.

After five hours of questioning, Mr It bowed his head. He admitted that the young people’s questions were valid and agreed to convene a special meeting of the full United Church to look at the decision to support Expo 70. At ,8.30 a.m. the meeting broke up. It had lasted for almost 20 hours.

On November 25 a special meeting of the United Church of Japan was convened/ The average age of the delegates was 59 years. It took no action on the proposal to withdraw from participation in the Christian pavilion. But Moderator li criticised the decision and urged delegates to take home for discussion in their churches the questions and problems raised by younger people. Last December I spoke to Kyoshi li at some length. He felt that Expo 70 was simply a focus for the discontent which is sweeping the Japanese church and society. He considered the youth were asking the right questions and that the modern church has not come to grips with the problem of affluence.

Many Protests He told of the way in which dozens of church services all over Japan have been abandoned because of this unrest When a minister began to use other-worldly and irrelevant words, students would march down the aisle, rip off the minister’s cassock and take the service themselves. Theological colleges were closed and there were protest gatherings in many parts. “Despite this 1 am encouraged,” said Mr li. “Although the young people are greatly disappointed in the church as it is, they are not prepared to give it up. Few are staying away from acts of worship, and despite their real criticisms, they still know that the church alone has the answer to modern man’s needs. It is hard to be a moderator in such times, yet I know that the future of the church in a materialistic society has never appeared brighter.” Christianity in Japan offers a strange mixture of liberal Western theology and Eastern mysticism. The contrast with Christianity as we practise it in New Zealand could not be stronger. Yet it seems to have discovered a vigour and vitality which we lack, and it may well have many lessons we need to learn.