Thursday 9 October 2014
Lessons from China and the Social Gospel: The Canada China Programme's Fort Qu'Appelle Conference, 1979
Critics would at times assail the Canada China Programme as too close to the official government-approved Protestant church, the China Christian Council. CCP staff and board members, for their part, located their work in the Canadian social gospel tradition: a link they tried to make explicit with a conference on the social gospel on the Canadian prairies and the challenge of China for Canadian Christians held in 1979 in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan. The 80-person gathering, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and church donors, portrayed “a church challenged by the Chinese
revolution and the protests in Canadian society” and struck a note of
repentance in focusing on areas where the church, organizers thought, had been
a barrier to change: the social gospel on the Canadian prairies and the quest
for social justice in China, held back too often by missionary strictures. This post reproduces Elizabeth
Smillie, “Lessons from China and the Social Gospel,” Catholic New Times, 1 July 1979.
Wednesday 7 May 2014
CCP China & Ourselves 18.4
This issue opens with a
transcription of a speech given by Bishop KH Ting at the Spring Festival Tea
Party for Religious Leaders (hosted by Li Ruihuan in Beijing) on January 29th,
1994. It also transcribes the regulations for religious activities of
foreigners with borders of the PRC, regulations of managing premises for
religious activities. Regarding changes and developments in religious policy,
it features a text by Jian Woo, titled “Is the Cup Half or Half Empty?” The CCP
then makes a statement on solidarity with Christians in China and excerpts the
statement on human right in China (1993) made by the Canada Asia Working Group.
CCP China & Ourselves 18.2-3
In this issue, the editor
begins with a tribute in memory of Dr. Katharine Boehner Hockin, highlighting
her life and work in China, and provides some short news updates on China and
the CCP. In honour of Hockin, two pieces of hers are excerpted: “Servants of
God in People’s China” (1962) and “Some Random Missiological Musing”
(1983). It then features reflections on
the life and witness of Dr. Hockin from Church officials in China (Nanjing
Theological Seminary, Theresa Chu in Shanghai) and Canada (family and
colleagues). It then provides a review by Siu May Kuo on a biography on the
life of Dr. Hockin by May Rose Donnelly and Heather Dau. The issue proceeds
with a text introducing Bishop Shen Yifan, including his education, work and
publications. It features an extensive paper by Bishop Shen, titled “Religious
Liberty: A Chinese Perspective.” It contains an extensive report by Cao
Shen-jie (first published in 1985) on the process of editing a new Chinese
hymnal, which is part of the self-propagating mission of the Chinese church. A
report is given of a visit of a delegation of six members of the China
Christian Council from May 17th to June 21st. The issue
concludes with a series of news vignettes for the Catholic Church in China.
CCP China & Ourselves 18.1
This issue opens with a report
on Protestant Christianity in China, surveying its history in the twentieth
century and the work of the Three-Self Movement. It features a report on the
Nanjing Theological Seminary, highlighting the levels of training, the
syllabus, and enrolment; this report is followed by a glossary of terms
pertinent to the Chinese Christian Church. It contains a summary and update on
the activities and projects of the Amity Foundation, especially its development
work and focus on Christian education. An update for the Canada China Programme
for the year 1993 is also provided, setting out the challenges expected for the
1990s.
CCP China & Ourselves 17.4
This issue opens with the
editor’s comments on the “Christ and Culture: A Sino-American Dialogue” at
Columbia Theological Seminary. It features an extensive report on the
conference by Philip L. Wickeri, titled “Making Connections: Christianity and
Culture in the Sino-American Dialogue,” touching on the American Christian
understandings of China and the role of the session in opening dialogue. It
also provides short news vignettes on religious events and developments in
China, organized by Protestant and Catholic. It concludes with reviews of
several recent publications on China and the Chinese Church.
CCP China & Ourselves 17.3
In this issue, the CCP
reports on the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China, focusing on
an announcement by its president for a new open Church. It reports on the
training of lay leaders in China to form parish administrative councils and
provides a report of a trip to China by Theresa Chu. It contains news and
reflections from students of Zhong Wan Seminary, Wuhan, who visited Canada in
the summer of 1992, written by Rev. Ge Baojuan. It also features an
introduction of Ms. Gao Shi-ning (a sociologist of religion by Dean Chen Zemin
(Nanjing Theological Seminary). It concludes with an interview conducted by Tan
Liying (Assistant to the General Secretary of the Amity Foundation) with Dr.
Wenzao Han (General Secretary of the Amity Foundation, Executive Vice-President
of the China Christian Council).
CCP China & Ourselves 17.2
This issue features the
complete resolution on Church order for trial use in Chinese Churches, passed
by the Standing Committee of the Chinese Christian Three-Self Patriotic
Movement and the China Christian Council. It contains resolutions on the
organization and management of churches, including meeting points. It features
a text by Li Baoluo, titled “How I Organise a Blackboard Newspaper,” on his
initiative to help preach the Gospel to literate people who do not want to hear
a complete sermon. It provides a series of vignettes on Protestant and Catholic
news in China, as well as general news and publications.
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