A deep dive into conscience's nature and its reliability is made through a contrast between Christianity and Chinese culture. Both Christianity and Chinese culture value the role of conscience in guiding moral behavior, they differ significantly in their views on its source, nature, reliability, and relationship to authority and redemption.
This essay produces a dialogue between different disciplines, clarifying some of the modern confusion and misunderstandings regarding resurrection, the body, and human nature. It points out from biblical theology and dogmatics that human nature, while limited, is not a bondage that prevents freedom. The problem is rather due to sinfulness. The body, identity, and person, though distinct, are interconnected. Early Christian beliefs about bodily resurrection not only involve material bodies but are related to the entirety of human nature. While they may be channels for sin and death entering the world, the incarnation of Christ transforms them into bridges for transmitting grace. Therefore, soteriology must be based on a proper Christian anthropology. The opposite of the Holy Spirit is not the body or human nature; rather, the Holy Spirit is actively working within them, bringing freedom and ushering people into God's new creation.
The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven (Ru Jiao Shi Yi), written in the early 18th century by French Jesuit missionary Joseph de Pr & eacute;mare (Ma Ruose), presents his interpretation of "Ru" (Confucianism) through a question-and-answer format. It explores three key dimensions: the transcendental aspect of "Heaven" (Tian), the transformation of religious emotion within the ethical subject, and the tolerant attitude of the subject in ritual relationships. Ultimately, it defines "Ru" as a "religion" - Ru Jiao (Confucian religion). If we consider the Jesuits' concept of "Heaven" as representing transcendence, and the Confucian concept of "Ru" as representing subjectivity, then Pr & eacute;mare's interpretation lies between transcendence and subjectivity: he uses "Heaven" as a starting point to reinterpret and add value to Confucian thought. This "value-added" approach creates a unique mode of existence - one situated in the tension between "Heaven" and "man." Pr & eacute;mare's interpretation not only inadvertently shaped a kind of "Confucian believer" (different from the traditional Confucian ideal of harmony between Heaven and man), but also deepened the question - first raised by Matteo Ricci - of whether Confucianism can be considered a religion. In this way, Pr & eacute;mare's work explores the depths of the idea of "integrating Christianity and Confucianism" and contributes to our understanding of the intellectual and existential condition of the "Christian Confucian."
Hunan was renowned for its anti-Christian sentiment during the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. Zeng Guofan, a notable figure from Xiangxiang, earned his reputation as a minister of revival for suppressing the Taiping Rebellion, which controversially used the banner of Christianity. However, his handling of the Tianjin Incident tarnished his reputation. Zeng's aversion to Christianity was not entirely passed down within his family, one of the most influential Confucian families at the time. After the Xinhai Revolution, several of his descendants converted to Christianity, taking it as a means for self-salvation and national redemption. They hoped to fulfill Zeng Guofan's dream of national rejuvenation by embracing and spreading Western learning and Christianity. This study of their religious choices may help clarify the perceived strengths and weaknesses of Confucianism in their minds.
The "Hainan News Letter" was an English-language magazine founded by American Presbyterian missionaries during the Republican era in China. The magazine served as an inter-cultural observation record of the American Presbyterian missionaries' evangelistic activities on Hainan Island. It not only detailed the living conditions and progress of the missionary work of the American Presbyterians in the local area, but also deeply reflected their observations and thoughts on the unique customs, religious beliefs, and social changes in the Hainan region. The readership of the "Hainan News Letter" was both the other missionaries working in China and readers in the United States, making it an important bridge for information exchange between China and the United States. At the same time, this magazine also provided valuable primary source material for domestic and foreign scholars to study the cultural exchange between China and other countries during this specific historical period.
