As the Portuguese Sea-born Empire spread its tendrils out across the oceans of Asia during the course of the 16th century, Jesuit missionaries walking amongst the various cultures and civilizations in the East began to realize their presentation of Christianity was less than effective. Denounced in China and Japan as “South Sea Barbarians”, the Jesuits struggled to gain recognition for their newly introduced “idea” of Christian religion. With the arrival of Father Visitor Alessandro Valignano in the East, the Jesuit approach changed radically, stressing attention to the historical philosophy and cultural predilictions of the target society. Essentially, Valignano argued “Accommodation was totally necessary” and suggested that Christianity must be explained not on the basis of Western sources, but instead by drawing upon the existing wisdom literature of the target society. This presentation will explore the construction of “Accommodation” as an idea through an analysis of both its theory and practice. Finally, reflections on the use of this idea in the Modern context will be considered.