Chinese Christian witness: identity, creativity, transmission and poetics / edited by Xiaoli Yang and Daryl R. Ireland

Includes bibliographical references and index.

This groundbreaking book brings Chinese missiology to the forefront, offering a rare insider's perspective on the rise of Chinese Christianity. It explores the diverse expressions of the missionary impulse that have driven Chinese Christians for centuries-across continents and theological traditions-to share their faith with remarkable dynamism and impact. Interdisciplinary, intergenerational, interdenominational, and ecumenical in scope, this book showcases the depth and breadth of Chinese Christian witness in both local and global contexts. By delving into themes of identity, creativity, transmission, and poetics, it draws on unpublished data, archival sources, and rare images to offer fresh insights and perspectives. Readers will discover how Chinese literary pioneers, bold missionaries, and visionary artists are transforming individuals, cultures, and societies worldwide through their vibrant and enduring faith.

Contributors are: Tobias Brandner, Michel Chambon, Chen Yongtao, Christie Chui-Shan Chow, Michael Copeland, Dao Zi, Aleksandrs Dmitrenko, Jacob Chengwei Feng, Gu Li'an, Hu Jie, Ji Jingyi, Jiang Yuanlai, John T.P. Lai, Joseph Tse-Hei Lee, Lü Xiaomin, Grace Lung, Alex Mayfield, Dirk Moench, David Ng, Antoine Ren, Shi Wei, Joshua Dao Wei Sim, Jue Wang, Ye Weilin, and Xiaoli Yang"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents Acknowledgments:

Acknowledgments xi

List of Figures and Tables xiii

Notes on Contributors and Artists xiv

Introduction 1

Xiaoli Yang and Daryl R. Ireland

PART 1 Identity

1 Making the South Seas a “Chinese” Mission Field: Chinese Evangelical Missionaries to Southeast Asia, 1920s to 1950s 15 Joshua Dao Wei Sim

2 The Influence of Ideologies and Commitments on Mission: An Example from the Anti-Christian Movement 35 Jue Wang

3 Constructed Identities and Potent Imaginaries: A Missiological Reflection of Mainland Chinese Ethnic and Racial Identity in a Divided and Broken World 63 David H. F. Ng

4 Remaking the Church Catholic in Post-Maoist China: The Outward Movement of Chinese Catholics and Their Collaborations with the Paris Foreign Missions 79 Michel Chambon

5 “The Hatred in My Heart”: Challenges and Opportunities of Han Christian Identity in Engaging Uyghur Muslims 94 Michael L. Copeland

6 Internalized Oppression in Chinese Australian Christians and Its Mission Impact 111 Grace Lung 

PART 2 Creativity

7 Reshaping the Modern Chinese Literary Landscape: Chinese Christians’ Pioneering Attempts in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century 133 John T. P. Lai

8 Screening Faith and Family: Hong Kong Christian Cinema 156 Joseph Tse-Hei Lee

9 Chinese Theological Education in a Post-Denominational Era: The Example of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary 174 Chen Yongtao

10 Embedding the House of God: Confluences of Place, Mission, and Tradition in China’s Atypical Churches 197 Dirk U. Moench

11 Silent and Vocal: Christian Funerals, a Unique Way of Mission 214 Ji Jingyi PART 3 Transmission

12 The Chinese Orthodox Christians and Their Involvement in Church Life and Missionary Activities, 1858–1917 233 Aleksandrs Dmitrenko

13 Fighting for Souls in the Latter Rain: Eschatology and Early Chinese Pentecostal Witness 255 Alex R. Mayfield

14 Contextualizing Mission Radio: The Chinese Seventh-day Adventists in Hong Kong (1977–2003) 273 Christie Chui-Shan Chow

15 Chinese Overseas Missionaries: A Chinese Mission Century? 294 Tobias Brandner

16 From Inculturation to Interculturation: The Past and Future of Chinese Catholic Theology 313 Antoine Ren 

17 Missio Dei and the Universal Priesthood of All Believers: Watchman Nee and the Mission of the Local Church Movement 334 Jacob Chengwei Feng PART 4 Poetics

18 Chinese Christian Artists’ Reflections 357 Hu Jie, Gu Li’an, Jiang Yuanlai, Shi Wei, Dao Zi, Ye Weilin, and Lü Xiaomin

19 Lived Poetics of Contemporary Chinese Art: Remembering, Reimagining, and Responding 394 Xiaoli Yang