He Guanghu (born 1950; ) is a Chinese scholar of

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning ph ...

and Christian theology. He is considered one of the leading "

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 nomin ...

" in China, intellectuals who see Christian culture as a key to rebuilding Chinese civilization.

Biography

Born in Guiyang, he was sent to the countryside to work during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

. After the resumption of tertiary education in China in the late 1970s, he pursued studies in religion, completing a PhD in 1989 from the Institute of World Religions,

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) is a Chinese research institute and think tank. The institution is the premier comprehensive national academic research organization in the People's Republic of China for the study in the fields of ...

. He was a researcher at the Institute of World Religions from 1989 to 2001, and was a Professor of Religious Studies in the School of Philosophy at

Renmin University of China The Renmin University of China (RUC; ) is a national key public research university in Beijing, China. The university is affiliated to the Ministry of Education, and co-funded by the Ministry and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. RUC ...

from 2001 until his retirement. He is considered one of the leading "cultural Christians" in China. He has argued for Christianity's significance in the religious pluralism of China, and for the importance of Christian theology articulated in one's mother tongue. He signed the human rights manifesto

Charter 08 Charter 08 is a manifesto initially signed by 303 Chinese dissident intellectuals and human rights activists. It was published on 10 December 2008, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopting its name and style from ...

and the Oxford Consensus 2013.

References

1950 births Living people 20th-century Chinese philosophers 21st-century Chinese philosophers People's Republic of China philosophers Educators from Guizhou Philosophers from Guizhou Chinese Christian theologians Political theologians Philosophers of religion Renmin University of China faculty {{reli-philo-bio-stub