Sino-Christian theology ( or , literally meaning "Christian theology in the Chinese language") is a
theological movement in
Mainland China and
Hong Kong.
Definition
There are two generally recognized senses of the term Sino-Christian theology. In the broad sense, it belongs to the tradition of
indigenous theology Las Abejas () is a Christian pacifist civil society group of Tzotzil Maya formed in Chenalhó, Chiapas in 1992 following a familial property dispute that left one person killed. When members of the community took the injured man to the nearest tow ...
which stretches as early as the works during the time of the
Jesuit China missions
The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a si ...
, until the present day. However, these indigenizing efforts are often critiqued for a lacking in their assessments of traditional Chinese culture, particularly as found in
Confucianism. In the narrow sense of the term, Sino-Christian theology is associated with
cultural Christians
Cultural Christians are nonreligious persons who adhere to Christian values and appreciate Christian culture. As such, these individuals usually identify themselves as culturally Christians, and are often seen by practicing believers as nomina ...
like
Liu Xiaofeng and
He Guanghu
He Guanghu (born 1950; ) is a Chinese scholar of philosophy of religion and Christian theology. He is considered one of the leading "cultural Christians" in China, intellectuals who see Christian culture as a key to rebuilding Chinese civilizatio ...
who have challenged the indigenizing approach and have proposed the greater need to articulate a critically reflective theology using the Chinese language.
In recent years, it has been observed that there has perhaps been the growth of a younger generation of scholars in Sino-Christian theology. While the earlier generation included so-called "
cultural Christians
Cultural Christians are nonreligious persons who adhere to Christian values and appreciate Christian culture. As such, these individuals usually identify themselves as culturally Christians, and are often seen by practicing believers as nomina ...
" () who often used methodologies within the
humanities and
social sciences, the younger generation includes individuals who identify themselves as “Christian scholars” () with a greater commitment to the Christian faith and believe the use of the human sciences is inadequate for articulating Christian theology. Many have become elders and pastors in
urban churches, and often gravitated towards
Calvinism as a means to offer a
public theology Public theology is the Christian engagement and dialogue within the church and especially with the larger society. It seeks the welfare of the state and a fair society for all by engaging issues of common interest to build the common good. This is ...
for the
Chinese Christian
Christianity in China has been present since at least the 3rd century, and it has gained a significant amount of influence during the last 200 years.
While Christianity may have existed in China before the 3rd century, evidence of its existe ...
church.
Theological themes
Much of the writings within this field have looked at Christian theology as a means to engage China, in its pursuit for
modernity. Often, this has focused on comparing Western culture, shaped by
Christianity, with Chinese culture, shaped by
Confucianism and
Daoism.
One areas of discussion has been around the Christian doctrine of
sin.
Liu Xiaofeng and
Zhuo Xinping, for instance, have described China as having a "culture of joy" whereas the West has a "culture of sin." In a post-
Cultural Revolution context, they explain how the doctrine of
original sin
Original sin is the Christian doctrine that holds that humans, through the fact of birth, inherit a tainted nature in need of regeneration and a proclivity to sinful conduct. The biblical basis for the belief is generally found in Genesis 3 (t ...
is useful in explaining the social ills that exist in contemporary Chinese society.
Another area is with regards to
morality. Whereas Confucianism is often understood as fundamentally a system of ethics, some have written about how the Christian understanding of morality has been shaped by the two commands of loving God and loving neighbor.
Yang Huilin
Yang may refer to:
* Yang, in yin and yang, one half of the two symbolic polarities in Chinese philosophy
* Korean yang, former unit of currency of Korea from 1892 to 1902
* YANG, a data modeling language for the NETCONF network configuration pr ...
has gone as far as to compare
Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
with the
Cultural Revolution, and speak of how the Christian virtues of love and forgiveness may benefit the Chinese context.
See also
*
Chinese names for the God of Abrahamic religions
*
Chinese theology
Chinese theology, which comes in different interpretations according to the classic texts and the common religion, and specifically Confucian, Taoist and other philosophical formulations, is fundamentally monistic, that is to say it sees the w ...
*
Chinese Rites Controversy
*
Political theology in China
*
Centre for Sino-Christian Studies
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is a publicly funded tertiary liberal arts institution with a Christian education heritage. It was established as Hong Kong Baptist College with the support of American Baptists, who provided both operatin ...
*
Milton Wai-yiu Wan Milton Wai-yiu Wan (born 1952, ) is a scholar of Christian spirituality and Sino-Christian theology and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Divinity School of Chung Chi College (DSCCC). He has been Assistant Professor at , Chinese University of H ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
* {{cite book, title=Sino-Theology and the Philosophy of History, year=2015, publisher=Brill, location=Leiden, author=Liu Xiaofeng
External links
Institute of Sino-Christian Studies
Christianity in China
Religion in Hong Kong
Christian theology