探討建構華人處境神學的一些評議

A Review on the Discussion of Doing Contextual Theology

Chun LAM

This paper is on the one hand, an attempt to affirm the endeavours of Chinese missiological scholars, especially Dr. Enoch Wan, the prominent scholar who recently wrote a book named Sino-Theology: A Survey Study, which seeks to provide a comprehensive survey of Chinese contextual theology. On the other hand, this paper argues that the survey still needs to evolve and develop in some other important and basic areas in doing contextual theology in order to give a more structural and comprehensive review suitable to the Chinese culture and context.

Before going on to the main discussion, the author states that two main articles (written by invited scholars) printed in a journal for Christian pastors and ministers, mainly derived from Dr. Wan’s book, do not constitute a sufficient base or platform for discussion. Therefore, the discussion can only be limited to its methodology, and some general concepts.

The first thing that the author wonders is why Dr. Wan does not rethink the method of classification followed in western theological circles, which has resulted in missiology being marginalized in theological studies and pastoral practice in the last century. Classifying the discipline under the category of Practical Theology may be due to the Christian context in the western world. The classification should be altered when we are thinking about contextual theology for the third world, where people’s current faiths are other world religions or indigenous religions. The Christian church should take up her responsibility to share the gospel and the witness of Jesus Christ among these peoples. Scholars have to consider a new theological classification to situate missiology in a proper way in order that the church can be equipped as the witness of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, Dr. Wan’s rejection of traditional western theology cannot justify his attempt at doing a new kind of contextual theology for the third world. It cannot be considered as an objective review that is able to keep pace with the new status of western theology. To this extent, the author is concerned that the innovation in his theology does not go beyond western theology. His achievement consists of proposing some creative ways of doing contextual theology. According to the author, a good contextual theology has to reflect on the whole context and culture of the target people. Only then will such a theology be fruitful for the indigenous church.

Finally, to accomplish a contextual theology for the Chinese and other third world people, the author prefers the model of Christ’s incarnation in terms of a theology relevant to the total context of the culture. This implies that doing contextual theology in terms of processing translation in language, concept and cultural adaptation is not sufficient for a fast changing world. The preferred model also requires an aptitude for mutual enrichment of both sides in the form of partnership as a way of doing Contextual Sino-theology.