Nationalism, Nation and Sacrifice in the Chinese Church
- 日期
- 10 November 2023 (Fri)
- 时间
- 5:00 – 6:30pm
- 地点
- CEC911, Ho Sin Hang Campus
- 讲者
- Prof. Chloë Starr, Professor of Asian Theology and Christianity, Yale Divinity School
- 语言
- English
- Date: 10 November 2023 (Fri)
- Time: 5:00 – 6:30pm
- Venue: CEC911, Ho Sin Hang Campus
- Speaker: Prof. Chloë Starr, Professor of Asian Theology and Christianity, Yale Divinity School
- Respondent: Dr. Kwok Wai Luen, Head of Department of Religion and Philosophy, HKBU
- Language: English
- Organizer: Department of Religion and Philosophy, HKBU
- Co-organizer: Centre for Sino-Christian Studies, HKBU ; Faith and Global Engagement (FGE), HKU
- Target: HKBU Students, Staff and Public
Abstract:
What are we to make of Christian nationalism in China, and its biblical and theological justifications? This talk begins with understandings of “nation” in the early twentieth century as the dynastic empire was reinvented as a nation state, and Christian nationalism developed as both a constructive cause—building a new republic, creating a citizenship that could take charge of its own destiny—and a reaction to foreign imperialism. Using a series of articles from Tian Feng 天风 in 1950-53, the talk focuses on the new discourse on nation and Christian sacrifice that emerged among liberal Protestants in the early People’s Republic of China. Sacrifice was a central motif in Christian writings in this time of war, as believers were called on to sacrifice old ways and old ideas, as well as to make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, in the name of the nation.
About the speaker
Professor Starr’s latest book, Chinese Theology (2016), is a study of Chinese theological texts and their ties to literary forms. She is currently editing and translating a reader in Chinese Christian theology and working on a volume on Chinese Christian Fiction. Prof. Starr’s courses explore a range of approaches to East Asian theology, including theological survey, Chinese and Japanese Christian literatures, China Mission, and Asian American theologies. She taught previously at the universities of Durham, where she was Senior Tutor of St. John’s College, and Oxford, where she taught classical Chinese literature. Other works include Red-light Novels of the Late Qing (2007); a coedited volume, The Quest for Gentility in China (2007); and an edited volume, Reading Christian Scriptures in China (2008).
Speaker