17th-century 17th-century-japan apostasy authenticity belief betrayal bible-study catholicism character character-building character-development christian-authors christian-books christian-devotionals christian-discipleship christian-faith christian-fiction christian-growth christian-inspiration christian-leadership christian-life christian-living christian-living-books christian-meditation christian-ministry christian-nonfiction christian-practice christian-practices christian-spirituality christian-teachings christian-theology christian-worship christianity christianity-in-japan colonialism commitment community compassion conscience conversion courage cultural-assimilation cultural-clash cultural-conflict cultural-identity cultural-imperialism culture-clash david-brooks determination devotional discipleship discipline divine-presence doubt east-meets-west empathy endurance ethical-behavior ethics evangelism existentialism exploration faith faith-crisis fiction forgiveness gods-kingdom gods-love gods-presence growth guidance healing hidden-christians historical-fiction holiness honesty hope human-nature humanity humility identity inner-journey inner-strength inner-struggle inner-transformation inspiration inspirational integrity introspection introspective introspective-journey japan japanese-literature jesuit jesuit-missionaries jesuit-priests jesuits jesus-christ journey joy kingdom-living kingdom-of-god leadership life-lessons literature love loyalty martyrdom maturity meaning-of-life meaningful-life mindfulness mission missionaries missionary missionary-work moral moral-compass moral-development moral-dilemma moral-philosophy moral-values morality nagasaki nonfiction patience peace persecution perseverance personal-development personal-growth personal-transformation philosophical philosophy practice practicing-faith practicing-presence prayer presence presence-of-god psychology purpose redemption reflection relationship-with-god relationships religion religious religious-books religious-conflict religious-conversion religious-identity religious-intolerance religious-persecution renewal resilience sacrifice salvation samurai self-awareness self-discipline self-discovery self-examination self-help self-improvement self-reflection selflessness shusaku-endo silence silence-of-god sin societal-norms societal-values soul-searching spiritual-awakening spiritual-crisis spiritual-development spiritual-disciplines spiritual-formation spiritual-growth spiritual-journey spiritual-practices spiritual-transformation spirituality struggle success suffering surrender the-road-to-character theology transformation trust truth values virtue virtue-ethics virtues wisdom worship