Christ Heart Church
Encyclopedia
The Christ Heart Church is a new religious movement
that was formed in 1927. Its founder, Kawai Shinsui (川合信水, 1867-1962), reinterpreted the faith through the lenses of Confucian and Buddhist traditions by claiming that Christianity offers a more complete path of self-cultivation and advocates traditional Buddhist disciplines of meditation
to achieve a Christian satori
(enlightenment). Zen meditation and kyōkenjutsu (強健術) became important means of development in the Christ Heart Church.
In sharp contrast to Protestant missionary policy, the Christ Heart Church allow its members to maintain the traditional Buddhist altar in the home. They also see no conflict between Christian faith and ancestor veneration. Members are encouraged to show 'proper respect' toward traditional customs, and the church supports participation in Buddhist ancestral rites with non-Christian family members.
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
that was formed in 1927. Its founder, Kawai Shinsui (川合信水, 1867-1962), reinterpreted the faith through the lenses of Confucian and Buddhist traditions by claiming that Christianity offers a more complete path of self-cultivation and advocates traditional Buddhist disciplines of meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
to achieve a Christian satori
Satori
is a Japanese Buddhist term for enlightenment that literally means "understanding". In the Zen Buddhist tradition, satori refers to a flash of sudden awareness, or individual enlightenment, and is considered a "first step" or embarkation toward nirvana....
(enlightenment). Zen meditation and kyōkenjutsu (強健術) became important means of development in the Christ Heart Church.
In sharp contrast to Protestant missionary policy, the Christ Heart Church allow its members to maintain the traditional Buddhist altar in the home. They also see no conflict between Christian faith and ancestor veneration. Members are encouraged to show 'proper respect' toward traditional customs, and the church supports participation in Buddhist ancestral rites with non-Christian family members.