Analyzing the Relationship Between Chinese Society and Christianity
2023-05-18 • Education
▲Professor Ying’s first lecture (March 28)
[Provided by the Department of Religious Studies]
In March 2023, the Fu Jen Catholic University Department of Religious Studies invited Professor YING Fuk Tsang, who is currently teaching at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Department of Cultural and Religious Studies and Pommerenke Lectureship in Christianity and Chinese Culture in the Divinity School of Chung Chi College), to hold three lectures on the topic of “Contemporary Chinese Society and Christianity.”
In his first lecture, which was held on March 28 from 13:00 to 15:00 and titled “Politics, Religion and Freedom in Contemporary China,” Professor Ying used the concept of state-church relationships to gradually introduce the audience to the relationships between the state and the church, including the relationship between the state/government and religion, the relationship between the state/government and religious organizations, the relationship between religious organizations and politics, and finally the way contemporary China deals with religious freedom.
Professor Ying’s second lecture (March 29)
The second lecture was held on March 29 from 10:00 to 12:00, and titled “Conflicts and the Integration of Christianity and China: An Exploration of Modern History.” The lecture, which was held in the International Conference Hall on the 9th floor of the FJCU Fahy Library and moderated by the Dean of the FJCU College of Liberal Arts Chen Fang-chung. In this lecture, Professor Ying explored the acceptance of Christianity in contemporary China from the perspective of Christian salvation. As Ying pointed out, by looking at the struggles and reflections of various Chinese believers in contemporary China, we can see that even though contradictions exist between the Christian doctrine of “righteousness by faith” and the traditional Confucian concept of affirmation of morals and good deeds, the emphasis of Christianity on external salvation can be a response to the overly optimistic nature of Chinese humanism. Dean Chen of the FJCU College of Liberal Arts expressed his agreement with Professor Ying’s analysis, and further expanded on the topic by looking at the history of Catholic missionary work in China.
Professor Ying’s second lecture attracted great interest
The third lecture was held on March 31 from 13:30 to 15:30, and titled “Protestantism under China’s urban and rural changes since its reform and opening up.” In this lecture, Professor Ying his research on rural Chinese churches in recent years, explaining how they have adapted to the impact of a changing demographic brought about by the reforms, and in particular how they support rural members who have migrated to the cities to work.
Professor Ying’s third lecture (March 31)
The three lectures attracted a large audience of faculty members and students who were interested in issues surrounding contemporary Chinese society and Christianity, including those from the Department of Religious Studies, the Department of History, the Department of Philosophy, Fu Jen Academia Catholica, and the Faculty of Theology of St. Robert Bellarmine, as well as faculty and students from various other Taiwanese universities and religious groups. The various questions asked by the audience indicated that many listeners were concerned about freedom of religion in China as well as the development of Christianity in China.
The series of lectures given by Professor Ying analyzed the historical development of Christianity in China from different perspectives. As religious organizations are part of civil society, understanding their situation in China can be very helpful in understanding the difficulties and challenges in the development of modern and contemporary Chinese society. As such, Professor Ying’s lectures not only addressed the questions that the audience hoped to understand, but could also be used as a model for Taiwan’s own experience.
