Between God and Caesar: The Position of the Non-Church Movement in Korea and Japan from 1927 to 1945

Abstract

This chapter examines the significant agreement on the distinction between the realms of God and Caesar and on the doctrine of Divine Providence, the mutual respect, and the enduring friendships shared by influential Christians in Korea and Japan during the first half of the twentieth century. Given the reality of this common ground during the period of Japan’s imperial rule over Korea, the question why it appears to have had no sequel after Korea’s liberation from Japan demands attention. In this chapter, I examine the position of Korean Non-Church leaders such as Kim Kyosin and Ham Sŏkhŏn on how a Christian ought to relate to temporal power in the context of colonial subjugation, and their relation to positions taken by the Japanese Non-Church leaders Uchimura Kanzō and Yanaihara Tadao, before suggesting historical and historiographical reasons why the degree of common ground that existed during the colonial period remains largely unrecognized today.