The Missions in China (WM621) Course Description and Objectives

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1 The Missions in China (WM621) Fall 2014; Monday: 2:00-5:00 pm Instructors: Dr. Kevin Xiyi Yao, Office Hours: ROM GL 114; Times: (Always best to make appointment) Contact Information: Tel: O); Byington Scholar: Bin Xia Course Website: Log into sakai.gcts.edu and click on the tab labeled WM 621 HA. Course Description and Objectives As China is emerging as a global power, and Chinese Church as a powerhouse in global Christian movement, people are asking what impacts the Church in China will make upon the international evangelical movement. By providing a survey and interpretation of the Christian presence in China from the 7 th century to the present, this course intends to answer this question from various angles. We will draw the lessons from history, point to the characters of the missions and Church in China, highlight the contemporary situation, project the future developments, and discuss the ways the churches from the other parts of the world relate to the Church in China. The experiences of Chinese Church will be examined in the larger context of global Christian movement, and the past and future relationships between the churches in China and the West will be explored. The history of the Protestant movement in the country will receive primary attention and review. The Learning Objectives of this course are stated as follows: Learning Objectives 1. Students will have the opportunities to understand the cultural, social and historical contexts of the missions and the Church in China throughout the ages: whether dominated by Confucianism or Marxism. 1

2 2. Students will examine the historical progress of missions and the Church in China from the 7 th century to the early 19 th century, grasp the characteristics of various mission paradigms involved, and become acquainted with key figures and epochs in the history. The Church s historical interactions with the traditional culture and religions will be reviewed. 3. Students will be guided to pay special attention to the contemporary developments after 1949, and explore such uniquely Chinese phenomenon as the Three-self Patriotic Movement and house church movement, to grasp the current dynamics and trends of Christian movement, to track such significant Chinese mission initiatives as the Back-to-Jerusalem Movement, and to understand the issues (including the government s policy) and challenges the Church are facing in the 21th century. 4. Students will reflect on the significances of the missions and Church in China in relation to the Christian movements in Northeast Asia and the world. We will discuss the lessons Chinese Church can share with the global churches, and the potential contributions it can make to the global missions. Students will be made aware of the mission possibilities and opportunities in nowadays China, and learn how to relate to Chinese Church and to partner with it. 5, this course will help students to develop the appreciation of God s work in China, and to deepen their understanding of the complex history and heritages of Chinese Church. At the end of the class students should be made acquainted with the major literatures and reference tools in the field of the study of Christianity in China. Requirements A, Each student is required to write two book reports. The first one is on Lian, Redeemed by Fire, The Rise of Popular Christianity in Modern China; and the second one on Aikman, Jesus in Beijing. The length of each report: five to six pages, double-spaced. The contents: the summary of the book contents, the impact the book has upon you, and other personal reflections and comments on the book. The hard copies are required. (20% x 2=40%) Due Date: Oct. 27 and Dec. 8 B, One research paper. The topics should be primarily related to Christianity in China, 2

3 but could include Christian communities in East Asian region and overseas Chinese churches. Your topics need to be approved by the instructor. The length: pp, double-spaced, with footnotes and bibliography as needed. Term paper topic due date: Oct. 27; Paper Due date: Dec. 17 A hard copy is required. (50%) D. Presentation and Participation: In Week 14 each student is required to present the results of their research for the term paper to the whole class, and responsible for 25 minutes in one class session, including presentation and Q & A time. Each student can design the format of their presentation, and employ any audio-video means or multi-media to articulate their points.(10%) Students attendance is important. Two or more absences without explanation will lead to deduction of your grade. Students participation in class is strongly encouraged. The interactions between students and teacher or your questions and comments are highly desirable. In order to facilitate class discussion, you may be assigned some readings prior to certain class sessions. A field trip may be organized. Assignment and Grading Summary Assignments should be turned in (hard copy) in class on the due date. Assignment Weight Due Date Two book reports 40% Oct. 27 & Dec. 8 Term paper 50% Dec. 17 Presentation and participation 10% 3

4 Required Textbooks Bays, Daniel H., A New History of Christianity in China. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012 (ISBN ). Covell, Ralph R., Confucius, the Buddha, and Christ, A History of the Gospel in Chinese. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1986 (ISBN ) Lian, Xi, Redeemed by Fire, The Rise of Popular Christianity in Modern China (New Haven, Yale University Press, 2010) (ISBN ) Call No. Global Shelf 211. Peale, John S., The Love of God in China, Can One Be Both Chinese and Christian? New York: iuniverse, INC., 2005 (ISBN ) Call No. Global BR 1285 P Some additional articles and materials will be assigned during the semester. Other Texts Included in Readings Aikman, David, Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power. Regnery Publishing, 2003 (ISBN ). Bays, Daniel, Christianity in China: From the eighteenth century to the Present. Stanford, CA: Stanford University press, 1996 (ISBN ). Burklin, Werner, Jesus Never Left China, The Rest of the Story, the Untold Story of the Church in China Now Exposed. Enumclaw, WA: Pleasant Word, (ISBN ) Call No. BR1288 B Cook, Richard R. and Pao, David W., eds., After Imperialism, Christian Identity in China and the Global Evangelical Movement. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2011 (ISBN 13: ). Sanneh, Lamin, Disciples of All Nations, Pillars of World Christianity, Oxford University Press, (ISBN ) all No. Global Shelf

5 Wickeri, Philip L. Seeking the Common Ground, Protestant Christianity, the Three-Self Movement, and China s United Front. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1988 (ISBN ) Xin, Yalin, Inside China s House Church Network. Lexington, KY: Emeth Press, 2009 (ISBN ) Call No. Global Shelf 200. Yao, Kevin Xiyi, The Fundamentalist Movement among Protestant Missionaries in China, Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 2003 (ISBN ) Topics and Required Readings (The readings will be assigned prior to the opening of the semester.) Part I The Missions in Ancient China Week 1, Sept 8 Introduction: review of syllabus; A sketch of Chinese history and cultural evolutions. Bays, Christianity in China, vii-ix Yao, 1-6, Peale, xv-xxx Week 2, Sept 15 Christianity in Tang and Yuan Dynasties (The 7 th to 13 th centuries): The Nestorian mission approaches and the challenge of indigenization. Bays, 1-16, Covell, ch.2 Week 3, Sept 22 5

6 Catholic Missions in Ming and Qing Dynasties (The 17 th to 18 th centuries): Accommodation or confrontation to the native culture? Bays, ch.2 Covell, ch. 3 Part II The Missions and Church in Modern China Week 4 Sept 29 From Robert Morrison to the Second Opium War ( ) The decades of the preparation Bays, ch.4 Covell, ch.4 & 5 Week 5, Oct 6 From the China Inland Mission to the Boxers Rebellion ( ) Explosion of Missions Hudson Taylor vs Timothy Richard: The Story of two mission approaches; The Taiping Rebellion: An indigenous Christian movement? Bays, ch.4 Covell, ch. 8 & 9 Yao, Week 6, Oct 13-17: Reading Lian,

7 Week 7, Oct 20 Growth and Division of Protestant Missionary Movement ( ) A House Divided: Modernism vs Fundamentalism Bays, ch. 5 & 6 Week 8, Oct 27 The Emergence of Chinese Church and its Initiatives The liberal theology and its impacts; The rise of Chinese evangelical movement Yao, 30-92, Bays, Christianity in China, The first book report due Term paper topic due Part III The Contemporary Trends and Issues (1949 to the Present) Week 9, Nov 3 Adaptation and Survival: 1949 to 1976 The rise of the Three-self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) Bays, ch. 7 Covell, Week 10, Nov 10-14: Reading Wickeri, 3-16, , Week 11, Nov 17 The Rebirth and Revival (The 1980s and 1990s) 7

8 Restoration and witness under a Marxist context Bays, ch. 8 Peale, ch. 1 Week 12, Nov 24 The TSPM: Growth and Stagnation The government s policy and management of religion. Peale, ch. 2-8 Bays, Christianity in China, Week 13, Dec 1 The House Church Movement: From Countryside to Cities Mission Initiatives; The Challenges of the 21 st Century: Unaccomplished Missions, Pluralism, Consumerism, and Religious Freedom; Reflection: Miracle after miracle; implications for the global church; What can we learn? How should we participate? Peale, ch.9,10, 13 Lian, Cook, Sanneh, ch. 8 Week 14,Dec 8: Presentations The second book report due. Dec 17: Term paper due All topics and required readings are subject to change without notice. 8

9 Selected Bibliography Adeney, David, China: The Church s Long March. Ventura, CA: OMF, (ISBN ; ). Call No. BR1288 A , China, Christian Students Face the Revolution (Downers Grove, ILL: IterVarsity Press, 1973). Balcombe, Dennis, One Journey, One Nation: A Autobiography of Dennis Balcombe, Missionary to China (egenco. LLC, 2011). Chan, Kin-kwong, Towards a Contextual Ecclesiology, The Catholic Church in the People s Republic of China ( ): Its Life and Theological Implications (Hong Kong: Phoyotech System Ltd., 1987). Clark, William H., The Church in China, Its Vitality; Its Future? (New York: Council Press, 1969). Daily, Christopher A., Robert Morrison and the Protestant Plan for China (Hong Kong University Press, 2013) ISBN: ; call no. BV3427.M6 D Engen, Charles Van, Mission on the Way, Issues in Mission Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: baker Books, 1996). Gernet, Jacques, China and the Christian Impact, A Conflict of Cultures (Cambridge University Press, 1987). Hamrin, Carol Lee, and Stacey Bieler, Salt and Light, Lives of Faith That Shaped Modern China. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2009 (ISBN ). Hancock, Christopher, Robert Morrison and the Birth of Chinese Protestantism (New York, NY: T & T Clark, 2008). Hattaway, Paul., Back to Jerusalem, Called to Complete the Great Commission. Piquant, 9

10 2003 (ISBN ) Call No. CGC Shelf 28 Hunter, Alan, and Kim-Kwong Chan, Protestantism in Contemporary China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993 (ISBN ) Call No. BR1288 H Hunt, David, ed., No Limitations, Brother Shen Xiao Feng-his Story and Writings (WorldServe Publishing Inc., 2006). Global Call No. Shelf 29. Jenkins, Philip, The new faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South (Oxford University Press, 2006) , The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (Oxford University Press, 2002). Jongeneel, Jan A.B. and others, eds., Christian Presence and Progress in North-East Asia, Historical and Comparative Studies (Peter Lang, 2011). Lambert, Tony, China s Christian Millions, The Costly Revival. Grand Rapids, MI: Monarch Books, 1999 (ISBN ). Call No. Global BR 1285 L , The Resurrection of the Chinese Church (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1991). Call No. Global BR 1288 L Lawrence, Carl and David Wang, The Coming Influence of China (Artesia, CA: 2000). Li, Jieren, In Search of the Via Media between Christ and Marx: A Study of Bishop Ding Guangxun s Contexual Theology (Lund University, 2008). Ling, Oi Ki, The Changing Role of the British protestant Missionaries in China, (London: Associated University Press, 1999). Lutz, Jessie G., Opening China, Karl F.A.Gutzlaff and Sino-Western Relations, (Grand Rapids, MI: 2008). Lyall, Leslie, God Reigns in China (London: Hodder and Stiughton, 1985). Global, Call No. Shelf

11 MacInnis, Donald E., Religious Policy and Practice in Communist China, A Documentary History. (New York: the MacMillan Company, 1972). Sanneh, Lamin, Disciples of All Nations, Pillars of World Christianity (Oxford University Press, 2008). Call No. Global Shelf 211. Starr, Chloe, ed., Reading Christian Scriptures in China (New York, NY: T & T Clark, 2008). Suman, Michael D., The Church in China, One Lord Two Systems (Bangalore, India: SAIACS, 2006). Wang, Kwok Nai, A Church in Transition (Hong Kong Christian Institute, 1997). Global Call No. Shelf 29. Wesley, Luke, The Church in China, Persecuted, Pentecostal, and Powerful (Baguio, Philippines, AJPS Books, 2004). Global Call No. shelf 29. Wickeri, Philip L., Reconstructing Christianity in China, K.H.Ting and the Chinese Church, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2007, ISBN Call no. BR1288 W