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Abstracts of CGST JOURNAL Issue No.29 July 2000
Reconciliation with Tradition:
An Inquiry into the Prospect of Chinese Theology (An abstract)
Lai Pan Chiu
Constructing a Theology of Religion in
the 21st Century: A Response to Clark Pinnock's Evangelical Theology of Religion
(An abstract)
Benedict Hung-biu Kwok
A Christian Response to
Philosophical Concepts of Truth (An abstract)
Jason H. Yeung
The Challenges of Postmodern Culture to Christian Worship
(An abstract)
Samuel Sung-him Ho
聖靈的群體───聖靈論的教會向度（中文摘要）
謝正金
Theology of Hearkening (An abstract)
Chin Ken Pa
The Issues of Power and Its Implication
to Christians in Hong Kong (An abstract)
Siu-lun Lau
Reconciliation with Tradition:
An Inquiry into the Prospect of Chinese Theology
(An abstract)
Lai Pan Chiu
Assistant Professor
Department of Religion
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chinese Christians, due to their cultural and religious identities, have to face the question of inheriting Christian theological tradition and Chinese cultural tradition at the same time. The two traditions are in tension with each other and are under the challenge of modernity and post-modern thought.
In Chinese (Protestant) theological circles, the importance of tradition has not been adequately recognized. For those who advocate theological indigenization, tradition seems to be an obstacle that needs to be removed. For the "Cultural Christians" from Mainland China, tradition is far less important than one's life-experience. For those who recommend contextualization, tradition seems to be passe or irrelevant to the contemporary context. The failure of affirming the role of tradition in the methodology of these prevalent approaches indicates that recovery of Tradition is perhaps one of the most pressing issues for the development of Chinese theology in the 21st century.
Through a review of the development of the theological idea of Tradition (paradosis, traditio), this paper suggests that Tradition is vital for our theological thinking, for biblical interpretation and for Christian identity. To stand in the Christian Tradition means to criticize as well as to renew the inherited traditions in the light of the Word of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This can help Chinese Christians to embrace (not uncritically) both their religious and cultural traditions in a harmonious way without becoming traditionalistic. Furthermore, it is only when Tradition plays a crucial role in theological hermeneutics that one can break away from the straitjacket imposed by the modern historical-critical method and overcome the relativistic tendency in the so-called post-modern hermeneutics. The essay ends with an urge to make reconciliation with Tradition? to embrace Tradition after our long estrangement from it.
Constructing a Theology of Religion in
the 21st Century: A Response to Clark Pinnock's Evangelical Theology of Religion
(An abstract)
Benedict Hung-biu Kwok
Formerly Lecturer at Chinese Mission Seminary
The Lausanne Covenant (1973) affirms the necessity of personal conversion for receiving God's salvation. The Manila Manifesto (1989) follows this position and emphasizes the uniqueness of Christ in a society of pluralistic religions. The WEF Manila Declaration, drafted by 85 evangelical theologians in 1992, affirms that Jesus Christ is the only way leading to God's salvation. However, this declaration does not provide a clear-cut answer as to whether non-Christians can be ultimately saved. In recent years, evangelical theologians like J. N. D. Anderson, John Sanders and Clark Pinnock have come to accept the possibility of salvation for non-Christians. Among them, the ideas developed by Pinnock are worth considering as a basis for constructing a 21st century theology of religion.
Pinnock's evangelical theology of religion is constructed out of five convictions: (1) The love of God is for all humankind. From
Pinnock's point of view, God's covenant with Noah symbolizes God's covenant with all human being. Therefore, God wills all humankind to be saved. He criticizes Augustine for concentrating only on the individual dimension of
God's election and overlooking its collective dimension. As a result he rejects the Calvinist understanding of
"limited atonement," and prefers the Arminianist understanding of
"unlimited atonement." However, it is questionable whether the love of God can be taken in isolation from his justice when we contemplate on the salvation of non-Christians. Can we say, after all, that God is unfair when he judges those who reject the Gospel by their own choice? (2) The trinitarian approach takes the place of the christo-centric approach. Pinnock is correct in emphasizing the triune God as the foundation of the theology of religion. However, the trinitarian approach must not rule out the christo-centric one. If Jesus of Nazareth is the essence of Christian faith, we can hardly conclude that non-Christians possess the same faith as Christians do. It is also problematic to say as Pinnock does that faith in God is more important than the substance of that faith. Such a statement infers the relativization of Christian faith. Christology must, therefore, be closely tied in with the doctrine of trinity. (3) Non-Christian religions are not necessarily bad, but are also valuable by themselves. Pinnock supposes that we cannot exclude the possibility of
God's work in other religions. On the one hand, non-Christian religions, as separate religious institutions, are by no means a way to attain
God's salvation, but on the other hand, religious persons can have faith in God. People who were born before the coming of Christ could be saved if they lived out their understanding of the truth. However, Pinnock does not clarify whether non-Christians after the coming of Christ could be saved without having faith in Jesus Christ. (4) Mission and inter-religious dialogue belong together?Pinnock properly strikes a balance between
the two. (5) The understanding of world religions is eschatological. Pinnock thinks that the resurrection of Jesus will bring us transforming powers in human history, culture and religions. On the basis of this universal effectiveness of
God's salvation, Pinnock proposes the idea of "Postmodern Evangelism"
or "Eschatological Evangelism." For Pinnock, the loving God will not let hell be the eternal punishment for non-Christians, but non-Christians will have a second chance to encounter Jesus after death. We must question Pinnock, however, where then is the role of the justice of God in this position?
Pinnock's evangelical theology of religion does contribute to the affirmation of classical Christian convictions, such as the uniqueness of Christ and the universal mission of the church. His proposals are sometimes questionable, but if we are to respond to the challenges of the pluralistic religious society of the 21st century, we should find them interesting and insightful.
A Christian Response to
Philosophical Concepts of Truth
(An abstract)
Jason H. Yeung
Associate Professor
China Graduate School of Theology
This paper attempts to review the concept of truth from the perspective of evangelicalism. Various schools of philosophy have been challenging the validity of the claim of universal truth in Christianity. This paper begins with introducing the concepts of truth held by Hume, Kant, Saussure and Quine. Hume argues that truth must never be segregated from sensuous experience, which is the foundation of science. Kant stresses the power of subjectivity and claims that knowledge should be formed only by reason. Saussure rejects the eternal meaning of language, and maintains that the meaning of language is conventional. Quine eliminates the difference between the world of metaphysics and that of science. To him there is no difference between science and opinion. Thus, different schools of philosophy uphold different concepts of truth. This is where the spirit of pluralism lies.
In response to the aforementioned, the author sets forth the views of three theologians, namely, Lindbeck, Gunton and Barth. Lindbeck thinks that the "Cultural-linguistic" approach is the best approach to understand Christianity in a pluralistic society. The truth of religious claim is intra-systematic, which means, it must be coherent but it does not necessarily point to ontological truth. Religions are free to uphold different truth claims, but claims are valid only within their own communities.
Gunton elaborates his concept of truth in terms of metaphors. He believes that reality and metaphor should have some kinds of inter-relationship. He disagrees with McFague's idea that the meaning of metaphor is constructed only by subjectivity. For him, reality can be revealed by metaphors through which the reality of transcendence can be grasped by human mind.
Barth recognizes the cognitive ability of man in knowing God. When Barth says that "God is known only by God," he means actually that man is capable of knowing God. Yet Barth is concerned that human language should not create a counter-image of God. To defend the transcendental reality of God, he maintains the hiddeness of God in human knowledge. This hiddeness of God does not mean that God cannot be perceived by man, but that man must not try to know God in his own way. Man's knowledge of God should always be confined to the limits of revelation.
All these three theologians are noteworthy in making our evangelical considerations of truth claim. However, we should never compromise with pluralism at the expense of diminishing our claim of universal truth.
The Challenges of Postmodern Culture to Christian Worship
(An abstract)
Samuel Sung-him Ho
Assistant Professor
China Graduate School of Theology
The church as an institution is facing various challenges in a postmodern age. As a community, the church is no longer the only institution that provides spiritual directions and social identities. As an ethical guardian, the church has to face all sorts of specific problems that enmesh human life. The church also has to face difficulties in making religious proclamations relevant to social conditions. We cannot understand the church without first laying hold of her faith and practice, in particular, the worship service. There are two revolutionary forms of worship that many churches today have adopted: "Worship and Celebration," and "Seeker Sensitive Service." They are well embraced by our youth. Yet, I believe, the many postmodern cultural elements embodied in these worship formats will anesthetize our life of worship. Under the guise of pop culture, a spirit of consumerism is silently promoted through the melodies and ideas of many of the modern short hymns, to which worshippers are encouraged to conform. I will demonstrate in this paper the negative side of the characteristics of pop cultures that would affect our life of worship, in both public and private settings.
聖靈的群體───聖靈論的教會向度
（中文摘要）
謝正金
本文從聖靈論及三一論的角度，分四部分闡釋一個由聖靈帶動的教會觀。
在第一部分，作者首先強調基督論、聖靈論及教會觀三者的正確關係，說明我們不能離開教會觀去理解基督論及聖靈論，而一個以聖靈為核心的教會觀，亦不能沒有基督論作為基礎。作者指出，基督的道成肉身及救贖使聖靈得以在五旬節降臨，展開嶄新的工作模式，讓神聖的生命得以進到人裏面去。從這角度看，在教會觀的範疇內，基督論的位置應在聖靈論之上。然而，我們絕不能因此降低了聖靈論對教會觀的重要貢獻，因為是聖靈的工作使基督能有一個「身體」（教會）。
基於上述理解，作者在第二部分論及聖靈與教會的關係，指出一方面兩者可說是密切無間，另一方面兩者又存有本體上的巨大差異，必須加以區別。作者強調，聖靈對教會絕對擁有無上的主權，任何教義、教令、聖統、禮儀、宣言以至聖職，都不能迫令聖靈以甚麼方式、在甚麼時候行動。這種警覺是極重要的，因今天的教會正呈現一種難以覺察的「神聖化」（sacralisation）現象，就是教會自視為聖靈的化身，以為自己這個群體就是基督，就是神的國度，結果高舉了自我的榮耀，拒絕謙卑和自承不足。
除此之外，作者還指出我們需提防兩種極端。第一種極端關乎聖靈與個別信徒及教會整體之間的關係。羅馬天主教強調聖靈與教會整體的關係優先於與個別信徒的關係，因為聖禮、聖品階級和聖統制度都在教會而非個人身上；更正教神學卻認為聖靈與個人的關係更為基要，因為主的靈居住在個人心內。作者認為，從聖靈整體的工作來看，教會確比個人優先存在（pre-exist），但絕不能將個人的重要性貶低至教會之下；個人和教會也不應被二分化，因為聖靈是既住在群體之中，也住在個人裏面。第二種極端與恩賜和聖統的優次有關：羅馬天主教崇尚聖品制度而輕視恩賜，五旬宗或靈恩派的神學卻高舉恩賜過於制度。作者表明兩者其實都同樣重要。
第三部分論及教會的使命。作者指出，令教會這個群體與別不同的，在於其見證和宣講，而不是其根源、傳統、身分、歷史或成就。惟有當教會靠著聖靈的大能，以其一切言行竭盡所能地去宣揚那位獨一的救主，忘我地超越了她自己的存在，教會才能成為一個與別不同的群體。因此，一個宣教的教會要榮耀的不是自己而是她的主；要反映的也不是自己的能力和智慧，而是自己的軟弱、無能與卑微。當教會向世人反照出十字架的軟弱和愚拙，並甘願忍受俗世智慧的嘲諷和羞辱時，教會就見證了神的大能。必須緊記的是，使教會能夠翻天覆地的，不是她自己的才能和謀略，而是聖靈的大能。作者在剖析聖靈在教會中的工作之餘，同時強調基督論的重要，並說明兩者的相互關係：基督藉著聖靈，繼續與祂的門徒同在；聖靈將一切作為都指向基督，見證基督，為的是榮耀基督。為此，靈恩派或五旬宗的教會觀須提防高舉聖靈論而輕忽基督論的偏差。
在最後一部分，作者論及教會的末世意義。聖靈在五旬節降臨，標示了末世事件－－－教會－－－的誕生，教會的存在因此見證了神已展開祂在人類現今歷史中的末世統治，並且這統治會在將來祂的國在地上圓滿降臨時完全實現。由這角度看，教會可說是一個未來的象徵，這在教會的敬拜和聖禮（浸禮及聖餐）的意義上尤其可以明顯反映出來。
（此摘要由編者撰寫）
Theology of Hearkening
(An abstract)
Chin Ken Pa
Assistant Professor
Graduate School of Religion on Christian Studies
Taiwan Chung-Yen Christian University
The "logos" of Christian theology should be understood as the Word of God. Within this "Word," God is more than the object of human discourse. It is only on the ground of the Word of God that humankind could possibly be speaking about God. In Christianity, revelation being the ground and object of theology, theology is no more than listening to the Word of God. As God has been gracious in disclosing himself to humankind through his words, theology can take place only within God-talk or Divine discourse. Theology that relates to faith is one that receives grace within the Word of God.
In this sense, theology comes close to God by way of "listening." On the contrary, philosophy stresses the way of "seeing." In the first part of this article the author seeks to define a "Theology of Hearkening" in various terms, such as, listening, seeing, discourse, speaking, light, love, etc.
Whilst "earkening" implies a certain attitude towards "language," the possibility of "earkening" depends entirely on humankind's understanding of the form of language. In the second part of this article the instrumental view of linguistic is criticized from the perspective of this "Theology of Hearkening." To dismantle the instrumentalisation of language, the author examines the use of symbolic discourse, poetic language, words of prayer and the word of silence. This is to loosen up our mode of language and prepare us for hearkening to the Word of God. It is pointed out in the final section of this paper that the most important "language" is none other than "love," because "God is Love." For all who would listen to the Word of God, there is no other possible means of listening to him apart from loving his Word.
The Issues of Power and Its Implication
to Christians in Hong Kong
(An abstract)
Siu-lun Lau
Assistant Research Officer
Chinese Culture Research Centre
China Graduate School of Theology
What is politics? What kinds of issues should be regarded as political issues? Our concept of politics, that is, our political view, will have serious implication on our interpretation of and participation in social and political issues. If it is important for Christians to interpret, to comment on and to get involved in social and political affairs, one key question that must be asked is: what then is our political view?
In answering this question, the author believes that one's view on politics is closely related to one's conception of power. By looking at the ways power is exercised, we can have a better grasp of the political view we have been holding. It is in light of this perception that the author brings into focus a basic concept in political science: power.
Using Stephen Lukes' theory on power as the basic framework, this paper goes on to give a concise picture of power in operation and discuss its various implications. According to Lukes, views on power can be classified in three main categories: the one dimensional view, the two dimensional view, and the three dimensional view. It is in these views that the exertion of power can be detected either explicitly or implicitly to be on three different levels of political contests. Power is exercised not only in formal political institutions like congresses, legislative councils and armies, but also in social and economic organizations such as families, schools, companies and factories. Even more subtle and far-reaching is the exertion of power in the areas of cultural, ideological and real life activities. Among the three different views on power as classified by Lukes, however, what matters to us most is not which one should be chosen over the others. What concerns the author most is whether we can keep an overall picture of power in mind in considering political issues, without being one-sided in our understanding of power exertion.
Finally, this paper seeks to reflect on the situation of the society of Hong Kong in light of the above discussion, stressing its implication on Christian social concern and action.
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