04/24/2026
“I read in a book that a man called Christ went about doing good. It distresses me that I am so easily satisfied with just going about.” - Toyohiko Kagawa (1888-1960), Renewer of Society
Toyohiko Kagawa was an Evangelical Christian activitist, author, and social reformer. He was orphaned as a young child and lived with extended family and, later, American missionaries. He converted to Christianity as a child after enrolling in a Bible class. Kagawa studied theology in Japan at Kobe Theological Seminary and moved into a slum to work as a missionary. In 1914, he journeyed to America to study theology and science at Princeton. Upon return to Japan, Kagawa advocated for the poor, worked for universal male and female suffrage, became a labor activist, and helped organize relief efforts for earthquake victims in Tokyo. He established hospitals, churches, schools, credit unions, and spoke of the necessity of Christian principles in the ordering of society. In all of his work, he preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even while Japan descended into Emperor-system fascism in the years preceeding World War II. In 1940, Kagawa was arrested after establishing an Anti-War League and making a public apology for Japan’s brutal occupation of China. After his release, he traveled to the United States in an effort to prevent war with Japan. He was selected after the war as an adviser to the transitional Japanese government and criticized the use of atomic weapons as a devastating tragedy and violation of justice. Kagawa authored over 150 books on theology and societal renewal. Despite his relative obscurity today, in his lifetime Kagawa was numbered with Bonhoeffer as one of the most significant Christian thinkers of his generation.
Strengthen and protect, O God, all those who suffer for their fidelity to Jesus Christ; that, like your servant Toyohiko Kagawa, they might persevere in seeking and serving Christ in all persons, and work tirelessly for the advancement of your kingdom, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory now and forever. Amen.
Art & bio by Ben Lansing, ourchurchspeaks.com
