Book Launch: Chinese Public Theology

On March 6, 2018, we will be launching my new book, Chinese Public Theology (Oxford University Press, 2018).

The event is co-sponsored between the Centre for the Study of World Christianity and the Centre for Theology and Public Issues and will be held in the Martin Hall, New College. It will include a discussion with Edmond Tang (University of Birmingham) and James Eglinton (University of Edinburgh).

The event will be followed by a reception and is open to the public. For more details, please see the advertisement flier.

Carl Kilcourse’s Taiping Theology – A Book Review

Taiping Theology: The Localization of Christianity in China, 1843–64. By Carl S. Kilcourse. New York, NY, USA, Palgrave Macmillan 2016. Pp. xvii+281. $100.00.

As Christians around the world have been commemorating the quincentenary anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, many have reiterated one of its most famous dicta: sola Scriptura. These two Latin words have been used to summarise the spirit of Protestantism, especially as found through the reading of the vernacular bible. However, one often forgets that many of the translations were accompanied by copious notes to clarify words and expressions, and to comment on ‘correct’ Christian doctrine.¹ While the Protestants behind each of these bibles held to the principle of sola Scriptura, they also held to a very strong sense that the bible read ‘incorrectly’ could be wielded — not as a sword of truth, but as a sword of blasphemy. In many ways, the book under review offers a profound case study of the power of the bible and the attempts of a religious leader in asserting his ‘correct’ reading of that vernacular text. Carl S. Kilcourse has provided a magnificent study of ‘Taiping Theology’ and the thinking of the main leader behind it, Hong Xiuquan.

Understanding and Misunderstanding between the Far East and the West – Call for Papers

Understanding and Misunderstanding between the Far East and the West
Conference on East Asian studies in Remembrance of 210th Anniversary of Dr. Rev. Robert Morrison’s Arrival at China

13–14th October 2017, University of Glasgow
Deadline: 1st May 2017 11th June 2017

Robert Morrison, the first Protestant missionary to China and the Far East, had contribution not only to the evangelisation, but also the study of East Asian studies and even the modernisation of Far East. When Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox missionaries had freer entrance to China (from 1842 to 1949), Japan and Korea, transcultural communication was strengthened, which resulted in not only understanding but also misunderstanding. How do such understanding and misunderstanding affect the West and the Far East in 19th and 20th century? This inter-disciplinary conference aims to explore the question in different aspects so to acknowledge and recognise the academic contributions by the Christian missionaries in the Far East in the 210th anniversary of Dr. Rev. Robert Morrison’s arrival at China.

Is Confucianism a Religion?

This, of course, is a highly contested question. Google searches on this question bring up a variety of answers. But here, I propose to offer the definitive answer – not really. What I really want to do is ask the questions that are behind the question. Why is this even a question to begin with, and how are the ways this can be answered? In particular, should Christians (Chinese or otherwise) be concerned about this question at all?

Christianity as a Chinese Religion

I have been reviewing a number of very exciting proposals for the Chinese Christianities Seminar for the upcoming meeting of the American Academy of Religion, in November 2015.  They cover so many areas of Chinese Christianities – from various contexts around the world, to various conditions within a given locale.  Though I have tried arguing this in the past, it is important to recognise Christianity as not simply a ‘foreign religion’ or ‘foreign teaching’ (yang jiao 洋教), but in many ways also a Chinese religion.