Description
Book SynopsisChristianity in Asia brings together a truly international team of contributors to explore the history and development of Christianity across the world's largest and most populous continent.
Trade Review"These praiseworthy books from Bays and Phan will enhance their readers' understanding of the manifold Christianities of China and Asia as well as of the global history of east-west relations." (Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 1 January 2013)
"A stimulating and wide-ranging collection of often valuable introductions. There are also new insights in a range of settings, for student and scholar alike." (Asia Journal of Theology (vol. 26 no. 1, 2012)
"Christianities in Asia is intended to be an accessible book on this subject. . . But overall, the book fulfils its function as an introduction to the various forms of Christianity in Asia." (Swedish Missiological Themes, 2011)
"Leading off an impressive new Blackwell series on global Christianity, Christianities in Asia is a rich collection of essays on various regions by top-ranked names in the field." (The Christian Century, 7 October 2011)
"This is a fascinating book, which corrects our Eurocentric understanding of the earliest Church and what happened during the later missionary eras." (Church Times, 1 June 2011)
"They survey is intended to be accessible to nonspecialists and general readers." (Booknews, 1 February 2011)
"As an introductory text, this volume sets a standard for the field that will not soon be surpassed. Essential. Lower-lever undergraduates through professional/practitioners." (Choice, 1 May 2011)
"Christianities In Asia gives a wonderful sampling of essays written by Asian theologians who present the wide variety of Christianities currently in existence in Asia. Eleven theologians take on the arduous task of presenting the history, the current context, and the practices of Christianity within their own respective countries . . . nevertheless, as it stands, this book will prove invaluable for generations to come as it lays out the historical, social and political identity of Asia, which is imperative to understand Asian Christianity and by relation, the Christianity of the West." (Studies in Religion, 1 May 2011)
Table of ContentsList of Maps xi
Notes on Contributors xiii
Preface xv
1. Introduction: Asian Christianity/Christianities 1
Peter C. Phan
Which Asia? 1
Which Christianity? 2
Introducing Asian Christianities 4
2. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma/Myanmar 9
Elizabeth Koepping
Local Basics 11
The Early Christian Presence in Mainland South Asia 14
The First Attack on Contextualized South Asian Christianity 16
A Second Attack on Contextualized South Asian Christianity 17
Contextualization in Early Roman Catholicism Elsewhere in South Asia 18
Protestant Contextualization – the Pietists 19
The Baptists 21
Laity and the Expansion of Christianity 22
Contemporary Contextualisation in South Asia: Church, State, and People 24
Violent Attacks Against Christian Churches 26
Theological, Ecclesial, and Liturgical Contextualization 27
The Performance of Christianity in South Asia 33
Toward a Conclusion 35
3. Sri Lanka 45
Jeyaraj Rasiah
The Land, its Make Up and the People 45
The Portuguese Period 46
The Dutch Period 47
The British Period 48
Independent Sri Lanka 52
At the Turn of the Century 55
The Present Scenario 56
Process of Inculturation and Contextualized Theology 56
Whither Sri Lanka? 57
4. Indonesia 61
John Prior
Language 61
Cultural Diversity 61
Christian Diversity 62
Outward Form, Inner Spirit 62
Christians and Muslims 63
Papua: Dignity and Identity 63
Ambon: Conflict and Reconciliation 64
Sulawesi: Vibrant and Vocal 64
East Nusa Tenggara: Christian Heartlands 66
Bali: A Minority within a Minority 67
Java: Indigenous Roots 67
Java: Education 68
Java: Art and Music 68
Java: Movers and Shakers 69
Jakarta: Pietism and Social Engagement 70
Sumatra: Local Roots, National Leadership 71
Future Prospects 72
5. Malaysia and Singapore 77
Edmund Kee-Fook Chia
The Countries and Their People 77
Political, Cultural, and Religious History 78
British Imperialism and Racial and Ethnic Politics 79
Christianity: Its Beginnings and Development 81
Christianity: A Foreign Religion 82
The Challenge of an Indigenous Church 84
The Challenge of Islamization 85
The Challenge of Ecumenism 87
The Challenge of Church-State Relations 88
The New and Growing Churches 90
6. The Philippines 97
Jose Mario C. Francisco, S.J.
Transplanting Spanish Catholicism 98
Appropriating Christianity, Resisting Colonial Rule 102
(Re)Building Mission 108
Meeting National Challenges, Engaging the World 113
"In But Not Of This World"119
7. Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand 129
Peter C. Phan
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam 130
Cambodia, Laos, Thailand 141
A Look Into the Future 144
8. Mainland China 149
Ying Fuk-tsang
A New China 149
World Christianity and Chinese Christianity 150
Christianity with Chinese Characteristics 153
Christianity and Chinese Society 161
Christianity's Prospects in China 162
9. Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau 173
Lo Lung-kwong
Taiwan 173
Hong Kong 183
Macau 189
10. Japan 197
Mark R. Mullins
Introduction 197
The Cultural Diversity of Christianity in Japan 198
Roman Catholic Mission in Pre-Modern Japan 198
Persecution and Martyrdom 199
Hidden Christians 200
The Second Phase of Christian Mission: Increasing Diversity 200
State Shinto and the Christian Churches 201
The Place of Nagasaki in Japanese Catholicism 202
Postwar Developments 203
The Wider Impact of Christianity: Education and Social Welfare 204
Christianity as a Japanese Religion: Diverse Appropriations 206
From "Paternal"to "Maternal"Religion 206
Uchimura Kanzo and the Non-church Movement 207
Inculturation and the Ancestors in Japanese Christianity 208
"Christian"Weddings and the Rites of Passage 209
Inter-Faith Dialogue 209
Future Prospects 210
11. South Korea 217
Andrew Eungi Kim
Introduction 217
The Beginning of Christianity in Korea 219
Indigenous Christian Leaders, Past and Present 221
Christianity as an Agency of Modernization 223
The Rise of Christianity Amidst Rapid Industrialization and Urbanization 226
This-Worldly Orientation of Korean Protestantism 227
Individual Religiosity of Christians 228
The Future of Christianity in Korea 228
12. The Middle East 233
Lois Farag
The Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch 234
The Church of the East 240
Missionary Activity of the Syriac Church 242
Churches in Arabia 243
The Maronite Church 245
The Armenians in the Middle East 249
The Last Century 251
Conclusion: Whither Asian Christianities? 255
Peter C. Phan
A Prospective Glance 255
Future Directions: A Triple Dialogue 256
Asian and Pentecostal 259
Index 263
