Uchimura Kanzo

二十世紀初，日本內村鑑三（Kanzo  Uchimura，1861-1930）創立了「無教會運動」
Non-Church Movement 。這特殊的教會模式堪稱為日本的本色化基督教，影響日本基督教發展甚鉅，並且在其殖民過的台灣和韓國都可見她的蹤蹟。卜仁納（Emil Brunner）評價內村鑑三的「無教會運動」是基督教在日本的本色化最卓越的情形之一。
        古典神學傳統教會論的價值在於這是歷代神學發展過程中所承繼下來的屬靈資產。沒
有了神學傳統，或是輕看了它背後所隱藏的大公信理與歷代教會核心共識，信徒就只能單
純依賴讀經與個人體會來實踐信仰。而輕看教義的結果，很可能就是重演初代教會在教義
確認之前異端頻仍的時代。然而，在強調信基督不必然要透過制度和儀式，拒絕聖餐、洗禮的聖禮儀式，反對建制化的教會體制，以排除制度化教會權威的教會論主張之下，是否也暗藏了當代神學處境教會論的危機？ 
        到了廿一世紀，則有人認為，有關教會論（Ecclesiology）的議題將成為神學討論的核心面。若我們回到初代教父的教會論基礎來檢視內村鑑三的「無教會運動」時，是否會發現其間存在著某些的張力或神學觀點上的差異呢？究竟這些差異是否是可以調節呢？又是否在經過本色化或處境化後就可以解決的呢？還是需要建構二十一世更整全的教會論呢？
        然而當代基督教會在傳統「基督教的」西方以外的地區大幅增長的現象，卻帶來了神
學上另一個極富挑戰性的問題：那就是怎樣從文化、環境等多元角度來解釋教會在不同處
境存在的所是（being）—即教會的本質、或者稱為「教會論本身」（Ecclesiology proper）
        筆者首先將針對初代及當代的教會論進行文獻整理及探討；接著介紹日本基督教發展
歷史概況、內村鑑三的信仰歷程、無教會運動的源起及發展、並探討無教會運動的教會論
主張；最後對無教會運動提出神學的評論與省思。

Even though Japan had accepted the benefits of Western culture early and with an open mind, they never opened their minds to Christianity. As many former missionaries’ experiences show, it was difficult to expand the Kingdom of God in Japan through efforts to satisfy physical needs without an exact understanding of the Japanese worldview. The Japanese did not reject Christianity with a thorough understanding of it, but a spiritual barrier of their worldview led them keep away from Christianity. To seek effective strategies for sharing the gospel with the Japanese, this writer has researched the updated worldview of the Japanese through an interview with a young Japanese woman and through study of the shift of their traditional worldview.

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 was the first major step on Japan’s road to becoming an imperialistic power in East Asia and the Pacific. Only a few decades after emerging from its seclusion, Japan defeated a European empire, gaining great confidence in its abilities. Only a few of its leading intellectuals objected to Japan’s militaristic and imperialistic ambitions, some of them adopting a strictly pacifistic position. Among them was the Christian leader Uchimura Kanzō, who although proud of his samurai heritage, gradually adopted strict
pacifistic views and expressed them courageously. From another angle, the poet Yosano Akiko wrote a famous poem condemning the war, but her position was personal rather than ideological, and would change during the years leading to the Second World War. Following
the devastation in that war, Japan has adopted a pacifist constitution, but lately strong voices inside the country are calling for its change.

This research considers the comparative study of the power structures between Japanese culture and one of the unique Christian groups in Japan, the Non-Church Christian (NCCs). The power structure of the NCC will be compared with the Western church. It might be nonsense to make inquiries into the power structure of the NCCs because they are Churchless. They do not have defined forms, such as institutions,
pastors, and communities. However, there should be some measurable power, because many NCCs are still alive in Japan. If no driving force existed among them, they would not exist today.

Review of the opinions expressed by Uchimura Kanzō in his writings concerning Jews, who as an ardent Christian he viewed mainly in biblical perspective but still favorably, and Zionism, which he regarded with enthusiasm and hope. Still, some stereotypical views lingered.

This is an English translation of Uchimura Kanzō’s “A Story of Denmark” followed by a Danish introduction (pp.20-25) and translation (pp.26-33).
It is a text which has acquired canonical status in post-war Japan due its inclusion on the school curriculum. Like Fukuzawa Yukichi’s “Datsu-A ron”, its main impact was after Japan’s defeat and occupation in 1945. This is evident from the publication history, which shows that it was re-issued three times before August 1945, and at least 25 times thereafter. It became a mainstay of post-war education because it succinctly articulated core values of Japan as a nation state without a colonial empire and as a pacifist, developmentalist trading state, as well as because of its treatment of ethnicity, religion, and politics. Its influence has far outlived Uchimura and its original context, where it was a utopian critique of Meiji ideology (in Karl Mannheim’s sense). After seven decades as a pillar of ideological orthodoxy, it has come full circle to be reinterpreted as a utopian critique, now in light of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident and the debate surrounding national security, constitutional revision and rearmament. It also continues to inspire those who look to Scandinavia for models of sustainable welfare capitalism (e.g. Chiba Tadao).
A longer accompanying article in English is in preparation and will be submitted for publication. It will highlight the striking parallels between Uchimura’s statements and Francis Fukuyama’s metaphor of “getting to Denmark” in The Origins of Political Order exactly a century later, discussing state Shinto, ethnicity, religion and citizenship in early 20th century Japan, Uchimura’s (lack of) reading of Søren Kierkegaard, pacifism before and after August 1945, ecology, capitalism, developmentalism, and the relationship between teleological liberal utopianism and North American dissenting Protestantism. The comparison lends support to John Gray's view that “modern liberalism is a late growth from Jewish and Christian monotheism”.