Madang Journal [Vol 5, June 2006]

Institute for the Study of Theology, Sungkonghoe University

Publication

Madang Journal [Vol 5, June 2006]

Institute for the Study of Theology, Sungkonghoe University

Abstract

"Western Christianity has implanted its denominationalism, including its ecumenical efforts for unity among denominations, in the Asian soil. When the Chinese Christian movement seeks theological clarification and construction of a post-denominational ecclesiology, it immediately faces the obstacle of Western denominationalism in its historical and contemporary church life. A closely related issue is the exclusive attitude of Asian Christianity towards Asian religious experiences, Asian religions and their heritages. So-called Christian dialogue and relations with other Asian religions presuppose and emphasize the distinctness and even exclusiveness of Christianity. The important continuity of Asian Christian religious experiences and the common heritage shared with other Asian religions are underestimated, if not rejected. The process of indigenization and contextualization of Western Christianity has not dealt with this problem. The roots of the Asian Christian movement have not been clarified and established. Now Christianity is becoming a religion of the global empire, as it seeks to build “World Christendom.”Though this is an old vision, inherent in the world mission movement of Western Christianity, now the Western Christian ecumenical movement for church unity and for social and cultural liberation faces serious challenge from the conservative, fundamentalist Christian movement in the West. The impact of this challenge is similar for the “mission churches”and the ecumenical movement outside the West as well, since they are fundamentally rooted in the West. In the second place, the Asian Christian movement is gradually becoming a religion of the middle class, reflecting its Western Protestant mission roots, which originated in the rising bourgeois class of Western societies. Though the Asian Christian movement has lived among the poor, oppressed and alienated people in Asia, and one of its dimensions has been solidarity with the people (the Minjung), this has been marginal; and is becoming even more marginalized today by (Western-inspired) middleclass Christianity. Asian Christianity as a whole has not taken seriously the challenges of social, cultural, caste and racial movements for liberation. It has not taken seriously the Christian movements and Christian religious experiences in the post-capitalist and socialist societies of Asia. The Chinese Christian movement’s proposal for“ construction of Chinese theological thought”is a big challenge to both Asian Christianity an world Christianity. Here we see another dimension of the crisis in Asian Christian identity. Asian Christianity is not a religion of the people and not a religion of liberation. In the third place, Asian Christianity, along with Western Christianity, has failed to cope with Western modernity: with all its manifestations in economy, politics, culture and ecology. The Western chauvinistic penetration into Asian civilization, together with the modernization drive of the Asian nation states, is bringing total disintegration of the order of living beings at micro- and macro-cosmic levels and in the areas of economic, geo-political, political, social, cultural and ecological life of Asia, as in the whole world. This means the disintegration of Asian civilization. Christianity has been an integral part of this process, alongside Western modernity. What is the identity of the Asian Christian movement in this process of erosion of Asian civilization?"(pg 5-6)

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2006-06

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Madang Journal [Vol 5, June 2006]

Institute for the Study of Theology, Sungkonghoe University

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