A Christian in the Land of the Gods

"It would be hard to imagine a cultural adjustment more severe or more dangerous than traveling in 1877 from the Tennessee mountains to become a Christian missionary in Japan. Joanna Shelton's family story is a reading adventure well worth taking and enjoying."

--Senator Lamar Alexander, Governor of Tennessee 1979-1987, Maryville, TN



"I grew up in a church culture in which my heroes were missionaries; while my contemporaries were awed by athletes and movie stars, missionaries were the ones who held my attention. They still do. . . . In this memoir of her great-grandfather, Shelton adds one more riveting story to my scrapbook of risk-taking and courageous witnesses to the Christian faith."

--Eugene H. Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, BC



"Joanna Shelton's impressive research reveals the amazing story of Itagaki Taisuke's invitation to her great-grandfather and his fellow missionaries to preach Christianity in Itagaki's native Tosa region. Itagaki, who was on Japan's 100 yen bill in the past, was leader of the democratic movement in the early Meiji era and created Japan's first major political party, ancestor to the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, of which I am a member."

--Yoriko Kawaguchi, Former Foreign Minister and Environment Minister of Japan; former member House of Councilors (upper house of the Diet); Professor, Meiji Institute for Global Affairs, Tokyo



"Shelton's highly engaging narrative about her great-grandfather opens a window into Japan's turbulent transition from rule by shoguns to its status as Asia's first constitutional democracy. . . . This fascinating, often poignant story should be read by serious scholars and general readers alike."

--George R. Packard, President, U.S.-Japan Foundation and Dean Emeritus, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)



"Anyone interested in how one person can have a significant impact across borders and boundaries in today's world will be impacted by this book."

--The Rev. Dr. Katharine R. Henderson, President, Auburn Theological Seminary