Shusaku Endo is a Japanese writer who is a Christian, which is rare. He felt religiously alienated in Japan, and racially rejected in France. He had a crisis of faith. “He spent several years researching the life of Jesus in Palestine, and while there he made a transforming discovery: Jesus, too, knew rejection. More, Jesus’ life was defined by rejection.” Endo had seen Christianity as a triumphant faith, but now saw that Jesus had not avoided “disgrace.”
To Endo the most powerful message of Jesus was his unquenchable love, even for – especially for – people who had betrayed him. He thinks Japan has not listened to Jesus because it has only heard one side of the story. Japan understands authoritarian love but not motherly forgiveness.
Christianity has two great symbols to offer the world: a cross and an empty tomb. An empty tomb without a cross would miss the central message of the gospel. But a cross without an empty tomb would be merely tragic. Anything less than a risen, crucified Christ is not enough.
[Letter writer in following issue says Endo’s novel, “Silence,” does not show God is present and active, but is absent as in Beckett’s humanist play “Waiting for Godot”]