This book provides an itinerary for studying political theology in Chinese society, including mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It explores the changing role of religion in Chinese history, from the rise of Buddhism alongside Confucianism and Daoism, through the arrival of Christianity and Islam, to the suppression of religion under communism. Since the reform and opening period beginning in 1978, China has experienced a resurgence of religiosity, with powerful societal implications. Governing authorities have sought to regulate religious practice in line with their governing system. Political theology in Chinese society is very much in flux and the chapters in this volume provide an array of windows through which to view the evolving reality. They include historical approaches and descriptive analyses, with an interdisciplinary and international range of perspectives by contributors based in and outside China. The book will be of particular interest to scholars of theology, religious studies, and contemporary China studies.
Part 1 Historical Perspectives
1. A New Interpretation of Classical Confucian Political Philosophy
Chung-Yi Cheng
2. Christianity, Politics, and the "Century of Humiliation"
Alexander Chow
3. Protestantism in Twentieth-century China: Social, Political, and Theological Developments
Christopher White
4. Politics of Religion under Maoism
Xiaoxuan Wang
5. Buddhism and Politics in Hong Kong: A Study of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association before 1997
Yu Xue
Part 2 Contemporary Analyses
6. Tripartite Control of Religion: Reconceptualizing State–Religion Relations in China
Jieren Hu and Joshua Mauldin
7. Worship Bricolage and the Characterization of Protestant Congregations in Contemporary China
Mark McLeister
8. Theological Paternalism: Politics of Bearing through Emergency Time in Muslim China
Ruslan Yusupov
9. Theology and Politics in Taiwan
Samuel H.H. Chiow
Part 3 Constructive Approaches
10. A Politics of (Re-)existence: Christianity and Social Protest in Hong Kong
Lap Yan Kung
11. Hearing the Context: Political Theology in Post-2019 Hong Kong
Celine S. Yeung
12. Christ, Man, and Woman: An Attempt to Understand 1 Corinthians 11:3–15
Jing Cheng
13. Confucian "Pragmatic Ethics" and the "Ruler–People" (民-主) Relationship: A Comparative Perspective of Confucian Political Wisdom
Haiming Wen
Biography
Joshua Mauldin is Associate Director of the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, New Jersey.
