Chinese Theology as Global Theology: Dynamics and Dialogue

Principal Investigators

Dr Simeon Xu & Dr Dingjian Xie

Project Description

The dramatic growth and expansion of Christianity among Chinese communities represents a significant development in world Christianity and has generated increasing interest in the development of Chinese theology. Yet defining Chinese theology is far from straightforward. Every theology is necessarily contextual and is required to reckon with contextual elements, such as culture, history, philosophy, and literature. Viewed from this perspective, the adjective Chinese signifies the particular context(s) in which theologizing is undertaken. Moreover, rather than denoting a single, stable reality, Chinese embodies multiple and often contested implications. The term Chinese is polysemous in English, referring not only to language and culture but also to history, territory, the nation-state, ethnicity, and identities. The multilayered aspects of Chineseness complicate the definition of Chinese theology, while simultaneously illuminating the historical complexities, cultural tensions, and shifting dynamics that shape the diverse and global dimensions of theological reflection in Chinese contexts.

To understand Chinese theology as a form of global theology is to widen its map by recognizing the plurality of Chinese Christian communities not only in mainland China but also across the global Chinese diaspora. This also turns our attention to the dynamics that shape theological discourse between centers and peripheries, forcing us to ask the questions of why some voices are privileged and why others are marginalized. This themed special issue explores how Chinese Christian theology resonates with the vicissitudes in the social and political spheres related to Chinese communities, especially in the modern period, as well as how it engages with the diverse Chinese religious and intellectual traditions, such as Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. At the same time, it envisions Chinese theology as an ecumenical and intercultural conversation to include dialogue with Western, African, Orthodox, and other theological traditions. By doing so, the themed issue is intended to demonstrate that Chinese theology is shaped by a double commitment to locality and catholicity, as well as that theological reflection must remain rooted in particular contexts while participating in the universal life of the Christian faith.

Output

A themed issue to be published in Modern Theology