Chinese Christianity: The Study of Indigenous Theology in Twentieth-Century China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Scholars have been discovering the rich and diverse cultures in Asia and their possible contribution to the study of world Christianity today. The present article is an attempt to explore Chinese Christianity by studying two indigenous theologians in early and mid-twentieth-century China, Francis Wei and T. C. Chao. Attention is given to expounding their theologies on cultural and religious diversity and their understanding of indigenous Christianity in an Asian context. Special references are made to what they said in mid-twentieth-century China that may be traced back to the Jerusalem Conference of 1928. It is found that the work and theology of Wei and Chao are still of great relevance to our recent discussions on world Christianity, especially with regard to the interpretation of Christianity through Chinese culture, illustrating a typical example of using ethnic cultures almost a century ago.