 Christianity’s challenge to Japanese Buddhists involved what Gordon expressed as “power over the hearts and lives of men,” which had not necessarily been sought by the Japanese temple priests whose chief duty was to the calendar of memorial ceremonies. In his autobiographical account of his ministry, Gordon speaks of his converts’ testimony about the depth of their experiences. He states: “A powerful impression of [sin] as a personal burden is not common. One old lady testified that she had hardly thought of herself as a sinner, until she began to hear this ‘new way.’ … Christianity alone brings true repentance” (Gordon 1893, pp. 213–214).