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cepts with the needs of today.
The Director of the centre is Dr. Peter Lee, who succeeded to the post previously held by other notable scholars in the field pioneered by Reichelt, such as Professor Robert Kramers, now Professor of Sinology at Zurich University, Dr. Richard Bush, now teaching at Oklahoma University, and Dr. Winfried Gluer, now in Germany.
What was it that helped Reichelt to succeed so remarkably in an area of Asian religious belief that many would have dismissed as being antagonistic to the deeply held Christian views of so many other missionaries?
Dr. Lee explained: “First, Reichelt is recognised for his accomplishments in the study of Chinese religion, which were quite considerable. As a Christian he struggled with the theological tensions all his life. He remained an evangelist and wanted to preserve the Christian message. In that sense he was a typical evangelist but he was unusual in that he saw something in Buddhism that many missionaries were not able to acknowledge. There was a tendency to look down on non-Christians, to impose Christianity on others regardless of background. Reichelt understood the value of Buddhist piety. It was a remarkable achievement for one to make who belonged to another religion. He was well ahead of his time for one with a Christian church background. His society in Norway were horrified when they knew of his approach but he was totally dedicated to the course of meeting Buddhists and he succeeded in converting some to Christianity he became a legendary figure.'
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That Reichelt succeeded where others faltered may be due to his philosophy of mission, which was based on the so-called Johannine method. His understanding of the missionary task involved the theory of a pre-existent logos, or word of God, which had been active in the creation of the world. Reichelt believed that in spite of what he saw as superstitious and perverse elements marring non-Christian religions "grains of truth and beams of light are to be found in them”. Reichelt believed that these factors could be used as points of contact.