In my February 2017 list of “old strategies for new realities,” I said that we should do “all we can . . .” to counter the rising influence of liberal theology and syncretistic teaching among Chinese Christians and academic scholars, and to produce and promote solid biblical, theological, and cultural resources.
By “liberal” theology, I mean teaching that does not see the Bible as fully inspired and authoritative, either for Christian doctrine or for ethical instruction.
By “syncretistic” teaching I am referring to repeated attempts to place non-Christian belief systems, such as Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, or Marxism, on an equal level with the Bible. It can also take the form of deploying these worldviews to interpret the Scripture, rather than starting with the Bible and using it to evaluate other systems.
Theological Drift in Evangelical Churches
These trends have already made huge inroads into Western evangelical theology. Along with 2,500 others, I belong to the Evangelical Theological Society, which requires belief in the inerrancy of the Bible and the Trinity for membership.
Within the ETS, however, functional departure from biblical inerrancy takes various forms, and some theological and ethical viewpoints are now tolerated that would have been unthinkable when the ETS was founded by Carl Henry and others in the 1950s.
Though to a lesser extent, the same is true among Chinese evangelical theologians.
One senior Chinese theologian told me that many of today’s Chinese theologians (1) are “not serious enough about the inerrancy of the Scripture”; (2) they “have a post-modern tendency. Lacking a belief in the absolute truth of Scripture, they “emphasize the relevancy of the Chinese culture and mindset” and “minimize the universality of Christian doctrine.”
These tendencies are even more marked in the many Chinese academics who study and teach Christianity in universities.
What Can We Do?
Of course, only God can persuade people, especially theologians, of his truth as it is revealed in Scripture. Still, we must strive “to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
Writing
Over the past several decades, the Lord has enabled me to edit or compose books and articles that seek to clarify, re-state, and show the current relevance of biblical truth.
Carl Henry: Theologian for All Seasons, introduces Henry’s magnum opus, God, Revelation, and Authority. A Chinese edition has just come out.
My abridgment of the first four volumes of the Chinese translation of God, Revelation and Authority was published in 1997. Thousands of copies were circulated in China and among overseas Chinese. The last two volumes have been translated and are to be published in early 2022.
Carl Henry powerfully defended the inspiration and authority of Scripture and showed how the Bible addresses, and critiques, all cultures. His work has great relevance for Chinese Christians.
Wise Man from the East: Lit-sen Chang (Zhang Lisheng) includes a translation of his Critique of Indigenous Theology, which speaks directly to current trends.
Truth and Life: Doctrinal and Ethical Notes on the Bible. You can read the completed portions of this work- in- progress at Books — China Institute.
Articles on the evangelical reception of Karl Barth and on Augustine’s doctrines of Grace focus on issues of particular concern to Chinese theologians.
Lectures and papers. I am to give a lecture on Carl Henry to Chinese church leaders and university professors at the end of this month, and present a paper on Henry for the Chinese Evangelical Theological Fellowship on November 5th. Both are by Zoom.
Please pray that God will mightily use my writings and presentations.