Japanese Saints: Mormons in the Land of the Rising Sun

by John P. Hoffmann

Overview

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon Church, is quickly becoming a global religion with more than 12 million members worldwide. In Japan, the number of official members has more than doubled since 1980. Yet this impressive growth has not been accompanied by research on Japanese Mormons. What attracts Japanese people, most of whom have little experience with Christianity, to an American faith? How are their lives as Japanese people affected by the Mormon Church? Based on research in a small congregation in northern Japan and in-depth interviews with foreign missionaries, Japanese Saints is the first book to provide an in-depth, qualitative examination of what it is like to be a Japanese Mormon. Hoffmann pays particular attention to how members joined the LDS Church, how it has affected relationships with family and friends, and what membership in the Church entails.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739116890
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	02/09/2007
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	6.37(w) x 9.48(h) x 0.92(d)

About the Author

John P. Hoffmann is professor of sociology at Brigham Young University.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Japanese History, Christianity, and the LDS Church
Chapter 3 Toward an Understanding of Religious and Japanese Identities
Chapter 4 Joining the Church, Leaving the Church
Chapter 5 What it Means to be a Latter-day Saint
Chapter 6 Identity Balance: Conflicts and Reconciliations
Chapter 7 Church Work as Identity Work
Chapter 8 Missionary Work in Japan
Chapter 9 Japanese Identity, Mormon Identity: Sketches and Conclusions
Chapter 10 Appendix: Research Methos

Editorial Reviews

Fascinating and highly readable book, as it does not just give insights into the Mormon Church in Japan but also sketches its members and organization against the wider Japanese religious and political context. Hoffman offers many new insights into the LDS conversion experience in a country that is rarely studiedddd

BYU Studies Quarterly - 2008

Japanese Saints is a valuable contribution to a growing body of literature on Mormonism outside of the United States….The book will be a useful starting point for scholars interested in international Mormonism, and one may hope that it will prompt a number of further research projects on Mormonism in Japan.

Journal of Religion

Japanese Saints is a finely crafted work, thoroughly grounded in relevant theoretical, historical, and empirical literature and bolstered by Hoffmann's own field observations and first-hand interviews. Hoffmann's primary purpose is to tell us how, why, to what degree, and with what consequences certain Japanese make the surprising decision to at least temporarily become Mormons. But, by analyzing the Mormon missionary enterprise in Japan as an illuminating case study, he also addresses many of the major issues that are interesting to contemporary sociologists of religion.

Gary Shepherd

Japanese Saints is a valuable contribution to a growing body of literature on Mormonism outside of the United States….The book will be a useful starting point for scholars interested in international Mormonism, and one may hope that it will prompt a number of further research projects on Mormonism in Japan.

July 2008 Journal of Religion

Fascinating and highly readable book, as it does not just give insights into the Mormon Church in Japan but also sketches its members and organization against the wider Japanese religious and political context. Hoffman offers many new insights into the LDS conversion experience in a country that is rarely studiedddd

BYU Studies Quarterly

Fascinating and highly readable book, as it does not just give insights into the Mormon Church in Japan but also sketches its members and organization against the wider Japanese religious and political context. Hoffman offers many new insights into the LDS conversion experience in a country that is rarely studied

BYU Studies

Fascinating and highly readable book, as it does not just give insights into the Mormon Church in Japan but also sketches its members and organization against the wider Japanese religious and political context. Hoffman offers many new insights into the LDS conversion experience in a country that is rarely studied 2008

Byu Studies

Japanese Saints is a valuable contribution to a growing body of literature on Mormonism outside of the United States….The book will be a useful starting point for scholars interested in international Mormonism, and one may hope that it will prompt a number of further research projects on Mormonism in Japan.

July 2008 Journal Of Religion