Surely, there is a worldwide crisis of faith as we begin the 21st century. Today we are going to think about what sort of faith can give our lives direction, meaning, and hope.
China Rising in Historical Perspective, Part II
China Rising in Historical Perspective, Part I
We shall ponder the rise of China in the context of history, in order to reflect upon our possible responses and roles in this tectonic geo-political shift. Moving quickly over continents and centuries, I shall make five observations about rising China, and conclude with some suggestions for both Western and Chinese Christians.
Confronting Confucian Understandings of the Christian Doctrine of Salvation
Confronting Confucian Understandings of the Christian Doctrine of Salvation will now be required reading for anyone seeking to understand why Chinese intellectuals have accepted, rejected, or modified the Christian message since the time of Matteo Ricci. Paulos Huang has given us a fine, clearly-organized study with a great deal of thought-provoking findings and suggestions.
China’s Brightest and the Gospel: Case Studies
The Chinese Puzzle: Putting the pieces together for a deeper understanding of China and her Church
Though certain to stir up controversy, this book contains a message which should be pondered by Western, especially American, Christians with a burden for China. Falkenstine seeks to “clarify perceptions of China and her church,” so that Western Christians may understand the current situation and serve more effectively.
Shame
Students of anthropology are fond of drawing a distinction between “guilt” cultures and “shame” cultures. In the former, you feel bad when you have violated an objective moral standard, while in the latter you are ashamed when you fail to measure up to some norm of family or society. An oversimplified distinction would be that shame results from “failure” while guilt comes from “sin.” Western society is – or used to be – an example of a “guilt” culture, and China is a prime exhibit for the “shame” cultures.
