The Christ within (or sometimes ... Within) is a family of related
theological
Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...
terms emphasized in a number of
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
-oriented religious traditions.
The first use may be
o be">[to be
/nowiki> closely united with Christ within you in Imitation of Christ">o be
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[to be
/nowiki> closely united with Christ within you in Imitation of Christ, generally attributed to Thomas à Kempis (died 1471).
It is especially associated with the Religious Society of Friends (largely in English-speaking countries, arising about 1650), where it is often equated with Inner Light, the Inner Light.
The American denomination Church of the Truth, emphasizing "empower ngall people to awaken the Christ within", was founded in 1913.
Alfred H. Ackley composed the hymn " He Lives" in 1933, including the lyric "He esus
Christlives within my heart".
Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda (born Mukunda Lal Ghosh; January 5, 1893March 7, 1952) was an Indian and American Hindu monk, yoga, yogi and guru who introduced millions to meditation and Kriya Yoga school, Kriya Yoga through his organization, Self ...
created his Self-Realization Fellowship
Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) is a worldwide religious organization founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda, the Indian guru who authored '' Autobiography of a Yogi''. Before moving to the United States, Yogananda began his spiritual wo ...
in 1920, and died in 1952; "... The Resurrection of the Christ Within You ..." appears in the title of a work attributed to him and first published, posthumously, in 2004.
Christian theological movements
Christian terminology