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 "

" () 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.

Notes

References

External links

Institute of Sino-Christian Studies
Christianity in China Religion in Hong Kong Christian theology

Definition

Theological themes

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links