A distinctive Japanese Christian movement advocating for direct communion with God outside traditional church institutions.
The Non-church Movement, originating in Japan in 1901 by Uchimura Kanzō, represents a unique and indigenous Christian denomination that challenges traditional church structures and practices. This movement, also known in Japanese as Mukyōkaishugi, was founded on the principle that individuals can worship God and experience direct communion without the need for church buildings or institutional frameworks. Uchimura Kanzō, an intellectual and spiritual leader, sought to create a form of Christianity that was free from the sacramental and liturgical norms of Western Christianity, emphasizing a personal and direct relationship with God. The movement gained traction among intellectuals and had a significant following, with 35,000 adherents in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea by 1979.
Uchimura’s approach to Christianity was deeply influenced by his samurai background and his education, which included a strong emphasis on Western studies and Christian faith. After studying in the United States, where he further developed his critical view of institutionalized religion, Uchimura returned to Japan and began a career as an educator and writer. His refusal to partake in the worship of the emperor’s rescript, a symbol of nationalistic and state-controlled Shintoism, marked a pivotal moment in his life, leading him away from a conventional educational career towards a focus on writing and informal religious gatherings. Through his writings and the establishment of the Kyōyukai, or “Meeting of Friends in Faith,” in 1905, Uchimura laid the foundational principles of the Non-church Movement.
The movement’s theology is characterized by a rejection of formal religious institutions and an emphasis on the immediacy of the believer’s relationship with God. This is reflected in the poetic depiction of nature as the church for Non-church believers, where the sky, stars, and mountains serve as the backdrop for divine encounter and worship. The movement encourages believers to find sacredness in the everyday and in the natural world, aligning with Jesus Christ’s teachings of God’s omnipresence and love.
