MACMILLAN Ecclesial Diversity in Chinese Christianity (Pathways for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue)

This volume explores Chinese Christianity―or Chinese Christianities―in a variety of forms and expressions, including those from outside the geopolitical boundaries of mainland China. Advancing a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese churches, the essays collected here engage many historical, sociological, cultural, and theological contingencies. The collection includes historical discussions of the early-20th-century encounters of Protestant and Catholic missionaries in China and the rise of Christianity among Malaysian Chinese and British Chinese communities. Essays examine the thinking of K. H. Ting (or Ding Guangxun), often remembered for his leadership in the Three-Self Patriotic Movement in the 1980s–90s, by revisiting his earlier theology and approach to the Bible in the 1930s–50s. These retrospectives give way to contemporary explorations into how Chinese churches negotiate their urban identities amidst the complexities of globalization in Chengdu and Shanghai, as well as in Vancouver, Canada. Taken as a whole, this collection offers close examinations into various aspects of Chinese Christianity’s complex picture, helping readers to recognize the many shades and colors of the global Chinese Church.  Review Ecclesial Diversity in Chinese Christianity is a contributed volume about the diverse manifestations of Chinese Christianity. Review “This work critically examines China’s Christian legacy both inside and out of China’s geopolitical margins by convening an impressive array of scholars and disciplines. Prodigiously researched and filled with nuanced insights, this volume brings into sharp focus the historical, theological, and cultural contrasts that emerged from and flowed into China’s diverse Christianities.” ― Anthony E. Clark, Professor of Chinese History, Whitworth University “Highlighted in a single volume is the heterogeneity of Chinese Christianity―as it is perceived and conceived by centers of power in London and the Vatican, as it morphs into distinct spaces in Shanghai, or as it reinvents itself as enclaves in Malaysia, Vancouver, and the UK. Anyone dissatisfied with old linear models will welcome this complex yet more authentic account of Chinese churches. Not to be missed are the magisterial introduction and the hopeful afterword.” ― Sze-kar Wan, Professor of New Testament, Southern Methodist University From the Back Cover This volume explores Chinese Christianity―or Chinese Christianities―in a variety of forms and expressions, including those from outside mainland China. Advancing a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese churches, the essays collected here engage many historical, sociological, cultural, and theological contingencies. The collection includes historical discussions of the early-20th-century encounters of Protestant and Catholic missionaries in China and the rise of Christianity among Malaysian Chinese and British Chinese communities, and revisiting K. H. Ting (or Ding Guangxun) from his theology and approach to the Bible in the 1930s–50s. These retrospectives give way to contemporary explorations into how Chinese churches in Shanghai and Vancouver negotiate their urban identities amidst the complexities of globalization. As a whole, this anthology interrogates Chinese Christianity’s complex picture, helping readers to recognize the many shades and colors of the global Chinese Church. Alexander Chow is Senior Lecturer in Theology and World Christianity in the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, UK, and Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of World Christianity. Easten Law is Assistant Director for Academic Programs at Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC) at Princeton Theological Seminary, USA.  Alexander Chow is Senior Lecturer in Theology and World Christianity in the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, UK, and Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of World Chr