On China by Tremper Longman III

In the past year I had the incredible privilege of teaching a course on Torah and Wisdom at the University of Peking in Beijing and then to travel a few months later to Hong Kong to speak at an International Theological Consultation sponsored by Evangel Seminary (Hong Kong), China Evangelical Seminary (Taipei), and Trinity Evangelical Seminary (Chicago). In the process, I also had the opportunity to speak to a number of house church leaders as well as pastors in the Three-Self Church in the mainland.

Needless to say, two trips don’t make anyone an expert on the Chinese church, but I did have my understanding expanded, so I thought I would share some of my observations that are subject to change through discussion and further experience.

One impression is the tremendous work and influence that a number of U.S. and British seminaries have had on many of Chinese theologians, biblical scholars, and church leaders. I had the wonderful opportunity of reconnecting with some of my doctoral students from my Westminster days and to see how much they have grown in their thinking and ministry. Of course, many other seminaries have trained Chinese scholars and my colleagues from Fuller, Dallas, Trinity, Denver, Gordon-Conwell would have had a similar experience as mine.

On the other hand, Western theological institutions have to be extremely careful not to stifle Chinese theological development by forcing the church there to think the way we do and deal with the same questions we do. I was deeply impressed with the quality of the theological education in Hong Kong and Taipei (and other parts of the Chinese world). I think it is still a very good thing that Western books (including my own!) are translated into Chinese, but my hope is that the future will see more works by Chinese theologians translated into English to get us to consider new categories and ideas and to help us from being blinded by our own cultural myopia. For instance, I have worked for many years on the theme of the divine warrior, the subject about which I was asked to speak. If I am honest, I probably haven’t learned more on this subject in the past few years. However, I was paired with David Pao who gave a wonderful talk on the subject that expanded my horizon on the concept in the book of Acts. He also provided an insightful perspective on the insidious misuse of this theme in the Western colonization of China (without being bitter). Gregory Wong of Evangel Seminary in Hong Kong responded to both of our papers with important criticism. These types of scholarly dialogues are crucial to the growth of both Western and Eastern Christian theologians.

Connected to the above, I also came away from China with the fear that if mainland China ever opens up to more public Western church influence, there will be a rush (as we saw in Russia twenty years ago) to simply build our denominational and para-ecclesiastical structures over in China without a proper regard for a contextualized Chinese theology and church. Fortunately the mature Chinese seminaries in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and elsewhere are aware of the problem and will take what steps they can to prevent that.

I look forward to my next trips to China in the winter and summer of 2009. In the meantime, the questions I am asking myself and now ask you include:
1. How can western churches best come to the side of our Chinese Christian brothers and sisters?
2. Do we think it would be a good thing if in the future there were a Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist…church of China?
3. How can we learn from our Chinese counterparts?
4. How would a Chinese orthodox Christianity differ from a western orthodox theology?
5. Kierkegaard stated that the church thrives much better during periods of persecution than in times of cultural acceptance. The church in China strikes me as incredibly vibrant, while the church in the west is anemic. How should that affect our prayers for the relationship between the government and the church in China?

Tremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University) is the Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies and the chair of the religious studies department at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California where he lives with his wife, Alice. He is the Old Testament editor for the revised Expositor's Bible Commentary, An Introduction to the Old Testament, and numerous other articles, books, commentaries, and Bible Studies.

Comments

[Josh Mann]

I have often thought about how to answer question number five. As I read through the New Testament, the endurance of persecution seems to be a primary means of growth (and even assurance) for the believer. Dr. Longman, did you get an impression of how the Chinese church leaders would answer this question? How do they pray in regard to the relationship between the house churches and the government?

[Tremper Longman]

Great question. They pray that the government allow them to worship freely and without being harrassed. Of course, they don't want to get arrested, but they are strong in their faith and willing to endure hardship for the Lord. They also pray that the hearts of their leaders turn to the Lord.
Indeed, even though I think it is right to believe that the church often grows during times of persecution, I think it would be wrong to pray for it or to refrain from praying for the conversion of those who persecute. We should also pray that we don't fall into complacency if we live in a basically tolerant society.

[Brian]

This is a really great article Dr Longman - thank you for it. While I am a pastor of a small church and have an MDiv (nothing special), I am a missionary at heart and fear greatly that the Western church merely transports its theology and culture rather than being agents of transformation in the world at large.

It excites me to see theological formation taking place in the Chinese church - and only deepens my sadness over how certain parts of the American Church is tightening its boundaries rather than remaining flexible yet faithful to the biblical witness.

[Tremper Longman]

Brian,
As someone who taught at a seminary for 18 years, let me say there is something very special about an M.Div. I appreciate your humility though. And thanks for the note.

[Truth Unites... and Divides]

1. How can western churches best come to the side of our Chinese Christian brothers and sisters?

Do what you did, Dr. Longman. Specifically, teach them NT Greek. In addition, teach them hermeneutics, particularly the grammatical-historical method. (To be transparent, I'm not enthused with the historical-criticism method).

Also, I have a preference for Grudem's text on Systematic Theology as a text from which to teach Chinese pastors and church leaders.

3. How can we learn from our Chinese counterparts?

How to persevere in suffering joyfully for the Lord?

That the church is the people and not the steeple?

5. How should that affect our prayers for the relationship between the government and the church in China?

Pray for my government persecution?

;-)

[Tremper Longman]

A lot of helpful comments here. Hope they do continue to read Grudem (and Longman) but also am enthused about the fact that there are theologians in the Chinese world that are (and are going) to surpass us in theological and biblical insight. I enjoy and look forward to interacting with them as they think about the Bible from their cultural perspective.

[Brian]

Wouldn't having our non-western brothers and sisters read Grudem or anyone else be "westernizing" them? I agree with teaching the biblical languages but I worry if teaching hermeneutics from a western perspective would only further the transporting of culture rather than the transforming of culture? Much of our "systematic" theology is based on a particular Western way of thinking whereas I am not sure our non- western brothers and sisters would approach theology in a similar manner.