抄録
This is a preliminary attempt to examine the history of a rapidly growing Christian movement in the Philippines today, the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) or the Church of Christ. The INC was formally founded in Manila in 1914 by Felix Manalo. As the founder and first Executive Minister of the church, Felix Manalo exercised charismatic leadership over his members through a highly-centralized organizational structure. Believing in the doctrine of Sugo, which identifies Felix Manalo as The Last Messenger of God prophesied in the Book of Revelation, members are convinced that there is no salvation outside the INC. The INC had a remarkable growth in membership after World War II, and by 1950 members were found in almost all provinces of the Philippines. Felix Manalo died in 1963 and was succeeded by his son, Erano Manalo, as the Executive Minister. The 1970 Census of the Philippines registered 475,407 (1.3% of the population) as INC members. Since 1968, the church has also established congregations abroad, mainly among Filipino immigrants. The INC is one of the few indigenous new religious movements to have successfully survived in the predominantly Catholic Philippine society. One of the major factors accounting for this has been the ability of the church to meet the needs of its constituents.
This paper examines the history of the movement in four periods : formative period, 1914-1921; prewar and wartime period, 1922-1945; postwar period, 1946-1962; and the period since 1963.
