The early Catholic search for the name of God -- The Protestant Bible and the birth of the Taiping Christian movement -- The Taiping challenge to empire -- Worship and witness in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom -- The Taiping legacy and missionary Christianity.

"In this study, Reilly emphasizes the Christian elements of the Taiping faith, showing how Protestant missionaries built on earlier Catholic efforts to translate Christianity into a Chinese idiom. Prior studies of the rebellion have failed to appreciate how Hong Xiuquan's interpretation of Christianity connected the Taiping faith to an imperial Chinese cultural and religious context." "This book makes a major contribution to the study of the Taiping Rebellion and to our understanding of the ideology of both the rebels and the traditional imperial system they opposed. It will appeal to scholars in the fields of Chinese history, religion, and culture and of Christian theology and church history."--Jacket.

Another copy Gleeson Library plus e-book via Gleeson Library or on-campus direct to ebrary.

Missions and localization in Chinese history -- The Taiping vision of world salvation -- The heavenly father and his non-divine sons -- A Confucianized Christian ethic -- Sacrifice and charisma in the heavenly kingdom -- Poetry and patriarchy in the heavenly palace.

Dedication ; Acknowledgments; Contents; Abbreviations; List of Figures ; Note on Sources; Chapter 1: Introduction; The "Distortion" of Christianity in the Taipings' Religion; The "Conflict" of Christianity and Confucianism; The Politicization of Hong's Early Religious Message; Vernacularization: The Cultural Impact of Christian Missions; Glocalization: A New Theoretical Framework; Chinese Sources; Structure of the Study; Chapter 2: Missions and Localization in Chinese History; Early Tang: The Nestorian Way in China; Late Ming: Ricci's Re-presentation of Christianity.

Early Qing: Dominican Exorcists in FujianStrategies of Adaptation and Instruments of Localization; Late Qing: The Protestant Missions to China; Protestant Missionary Work: The Foundation for a Localized Christianity; Chapter 3: The Taiping Vision of World Salvation; From Failed Scholar to the "True Ordained Son of Heaven"; The Problem: China's Departure from the "Great Path" of God; The Source: The "Serpent Devil" and His "Demonic Followers" on Earth; The Solution: Hong's Mission to "Destroy the Demons" and "Save the People"; Biblical Inspiration for Hong's Demon-slaying Mission.

The "Collective Enjoyment of Great Peace" on EarthThe Great Peace Utopia as a Confucianized Kingdom of Heaven; Implications of the Taipings' Localized Soteriology; Chapter 4: The Heavenly Father and His Non-divine Sons; The Two Natures of Christ and the Doctrine of the Trinity; An "Imposter" and "Anti-Christ": Missionary Reports on the Second Son of God; Taiping Anthropomorphism: The Heavenly Father and the Heavenly Wives; Taiping Monotheism: "The Heavenly Father Alone Is the One True God"; God, Jesus, and Hong: The Roots of the Heavenly Hierarchy.

Taipings and Missionaries: Different Theological PrioritiesChapter 5: A Confucianized Christian Ethic; Confucius Kneels Before Jesus: The Anti-Confucian Rhetoric of the Taipings; "Uprightness Is the Original Nature of Humankind"; The Heavenly Commandments: The Laws of the Upright; The Chief Transgressions: Licentiousness and Opium Smoking; A Christianized Doctrine of Filial Reverence and Loyalty; A Confucianized Christian Ethic or a Hybrid Moral System?; Chapter 6: Sacrifice and Charisma in the Heavenly Kingdom; Taiping Sacrifices: Animals, Delicacies, Rice, and Tea.

Yang Xiuqing: The "Holy Spirit" and "Wind of the Holy God"Charismatic Communications: The Heavenly Father "Instructs the Multitude"; The Healing Powers of the "Lord Redeemer of Sicknesses"; God Confronts His Son: The Politicization of Charismatic Authority; Yang's Charismata: A Model of Localized Christianity in China; Notes; Chapter 7: Poetry and Patriarchy in the Heavenly Palace; Poems of the Heavenly Father: Context of Production and Significance; The Taipings as "Liberators" of Chinese Women; The Feminine Ideal: Quiet, Submissive, and Chaste.

"This book examines the theological worldview of the Taiping Rebellion (1850-64), a Chinese revolutionary movement whose leader, Hong Xiuquan (1814-64), claimed to be the second son of God and younger brother of Jesus. Despite the profound impact of Christian books on Hong's religious thinking, previous scholarship has neglected the localized form of Christianity that he and his closest followers created. Filling that gap in the existing literature, this book analyzes the localization of Christianity in the theology, ethics, and ritual practices of the Taipings. Carl S. Kilcourse not only reveals how Confucianism and popular religion acted as instruments of localization, but also suggests that several key aspects of the Taipings' localized religion were inspired by terms and themes from translated Christian texts. Emphasizing this link between vernacularization and localization, Kilcourse demonstrates both the religious identity of the Taipings and their wider significance in the history of world Christianity"--Source other than Library of Congress.

Local access dig.pdf. [Kilcourse-Taiping Theology.pdf]