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Churches from Germany and Japan consult
Spiritual riches in both surroundings should be rediscover
"The Evangelical Churches must rediscover their spiritual riches and develop new forms to achieve an inviting profile in a multi-religious society." This was the demand of delegates at the 5th. German-Japanese Churches consultation on the theme "n search of spirituality". More than 30 representatives of the National Christian Council in Japan (NCCJ) and 14 delegates from the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany (EMW) met in Ranzan (Japan) from 16.–20. September 2003. The German delegation was led by the Bishop of Hamburg, Maria Jepsen, a member of the EKD Council and Chairman of the EMW.
The initial positions of the Churches here and there are very different, reported Martina Helmer Pham-Xuan, Asian Secretary in the EKD Church Office. The Japanese Protestant Christians form only 1 percent of society, while in Germany about 70 percent of the population belong to a Christian Church. However there are many common questions and problems. The Japanese Churches have always lived in a multi-religious society. "Most Japanese have a rather relaxed attitude to religion and often mix Shintoism and Buddhism, or belong to one of the many so-called new religions that have come into being since the middle of the nineteenth century", said Helmer Pham-Xuan. The consultation found a common theme in the search for spiritual forms of expression that make the Churches more inviting for outsiders. Both here and in the far east, more and more people are finding access to non-Christian or esoteric spirituality. "It is a challenge for the Christian Churches to react to this."
To the German delegates the deep overflowing happiness about the gifts of the spirit was important as a starting point for spiritual renewal. However the Japanese delegation emphasised more strongly the break between spirituality outside and inside the Church. Much that people are looking for in esoteric offerings cannot be easily taken over by the Churches. In the opinion of the Japanese Christians, pure Christian spirituality contains primarily the acknowledgement of individual guilt, the experience of a crisis and the overcoming of opposition, otherwise spiritual life remains superficial. They agreed that pure spirituality is aimed at society and leads to commitment for others.
