An Emergent Threat: Christian Clergy Perceptions of the Emerging Church Movement

Although there have been several attempts to study the dimensions of the Emerging Church movement (ECM) through close observation and survey data, we know little about its diffusion into American religious cultures. We undertook this project by attempting to capture whether Christian clergy thought about the movement and how consistently they considered it. Our analysis of survey data from several denominations suggests that the ECM is less well known among the clergy they are reacting against (evangelicals). Opinions turn not on partisan identity, but on religious authority, which is precisely the ground on which the ECM presents its challenge to evangelicalism. In this way, the ECM appears to be following a path paved by the decline of denominationalism.     

The temporal dimension of national identification: An empirical investigation in South Korea and Australia

We argue that national identification can be framed temporally, such that people may differently identify with their nation's past or present. Further, we argue that temporal national identification has important consequences for attitudes towards social changes. Within this new theoretical framing, we tested the empirical separability and predictive utility of past national identification and present national identification in South Korea and Australia. Results showed that, in both countries, past and present national identifications are correlated but empirically distinct constructs, which independently contribute to general national identification. Past and present national identifications were also shown to be grounded in distinct notions of national continuity. Most importantly, in both countries, present national identification positively predicted favourable attitudes towards social changes and globalization, whereas past national identification negatively predicted these attitudes. These findings suggest that temporally framed national identification is an important construct in the domain of social identification and in research on social changes and globalization.     

Unconsciously Poisoning the Roots: Psychological Dynamics of the Bible in Jewish/Christian Conflict

The persistence of antisemitism in Christian cultures despite the irrationality and destructiveness of its myths and attitudes has led more than one writer to consider that it may be deeply rooted in psychological dynamics, both individual and social. Likewise, much has been written about how the New Testament writings, especially certain passages in the Gospels, reflect a bitter split between the emerging Christian community and other Jewish groups. Seldom, however, are these two avenues of exploration brought together, asking how psychological mechanisms of defense and the formation of the biblical texts interact. In a recent book, The Jew and Deicide: The Origin of an Archetype (Davis, 2003), psychologist Frederick B. Davis attempted to do just that. Unfortunately, his presentation is deeply flawed by his lack of familiarity with basic New Testament studies and methods. His fundamental premise is sound—that the interplay of the texts, the communities that created them, and their subsequent interpreters evidence psychological dynamics that fuel an ongoing conflict. In this paper, I will suggest how those dynamics were active within the first century Christian community and were expressed in New Testament writings, and how those same dynamics are stimulated in later readers.Paper originally presented March 22, 2004. In D. MacDonald (Chair), New Testament Texts and Traditions. Session conducted at the Western regional meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Whittier, CA     

从中国社会和谐发展看基督宗教与儒家精神

本文从中国社会和谐发展来探究基督宗教与儒家精神的意义及作用,对之展开比较研究。基于"和谐"这一核心观念,文章一方面将对作为中国"和而不同"这一社会共在及相互交往之基础的儒家精神修养及其"仁爱"观念进行分析,另一方面则对基督宗教所追求的精神超越及其信仰传统中神人关系的"彩虹"之约所展示的"和谐"蕴涵加以阐述。本文认为,"和谐"观念作为中国基本社会交往的理论、及其所指导的历史实践,在一定程度上有着内在的宗教境界及情趣,因此,不应该将儒家精神与宗教精神截然区别开来;并进而指出,儒家"仁"、"礼"观念体系中均有"宗教性"的因素,其"仁爱"之说亦与基督宗教"上帝是爱"的观念有许多相似之处,因而二者可以比较、对话。本文为此阐述了儒家精神修养与基督宗教精神超越的不同,从界说新儒家的"心性之学"来解析其"内在超越"的追求及意义,由此说明了其"现实关照"与"终极关切"的不同意趣,并对"现实性"向"终极性"的升华、以及"圣爱"与"人爱"之互动、"超然"与"内在"之呼应在当代儒家精神复兴与革新中的作用和意义进行了论证。基于这些分析,本文指出,人类所追求的"和谐世界"的确需要"从心开始";而要真正实现"世界和谐",则也应朝向人性修养所想达到的"超越自我"之升华境界。     

韩国甑山教思想解析

本文通过对韩国甑山教思想的解析,探讨了甑山教的宗教思想,指出韩国新兴宗教的萌动与迸发与传统因素息息相关,而且也只有发掘普通民众心中的传统因素,这些新兴宗教才有可能生根。不仅如此,甑山教的活力还在于对于宗教思想的创新。传统与新兴思想交叉形成了甑山教特有思想体系。     

Holy Movement and Holy Place: Christian Pilgrimage and the Hajj

Abstract : This article uses a comparative theological model to explore the concept of pilgrimage—holy movement and holy place. It examines Christian pilgrimage exemplified by John Paul II's pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 2000 and Islamic pilgrimage exemplified by the Hajj. It then re‐visions Christian pilgrimage by suggesting how three features of the Hajj (danger and hardship, ritual nature, and gathering) can be used to deepen the Christian experience and understanding of pilgrimage.     

文学视角下的圣经 浅析圣经对英美文学的影响

作为基督宗教的经典,圣经对英美文学产生着重要影响。英美文学从圣经中汲取丰富的营养,英美文化中,众多诗人、作家的作品都与圣经中的观念和意象紧密相关。客观、中肯地探寻圣经对英美作家作品的各种影响,对于全面、准确地理解英美文学,把握世界文学发展的脉络和规律,具有重要的理论意义和实践意义。     

The Postsecular Turn in Education: Lessons from the Mindfulness Movement and the Revival of Confucian Academies

It is part of a global trend today that new relationships are being forged between religion and society, between spirituality and materiality, giving rise to announcements that we live in a ‘postsecular’ or ‘desecularized’ world. Taking up two educational movements, the mindfulness movement in the West and the revival of Confucian education in China, this paper examines what and how postsecular orientations and sensibilities penetrate educational discourses and practices in different cultural contexts. We compare the two movements to reveal a new quality of hybrid modernization in that they react, in different ways, to certain pathologies that are identified as consequences of secular modernity. Burnout syndrome, the sense of a spiritual void, but also the loss of a spiritual and cultural identity are being perceived as correlating to a one-sided push towards a modernity that emphasizes secular rationalization over mindfulness and Westernization over cultural particularity. The two case studies mark a critical insight on the present condition and limits of secularism and highlights the ongoing negotiations of values and modes of self-cultivation in schools. In an increasingly pluralistic world, the entanglement of the secular, spiritual, religious and wisdom traditions provides the opportunity to rethink education as a creative realm and an impossible possibility to re-engage the minds and lives of those in the hybrid pedagogical time.     

The South Asian Presence in the Ecumenical Movement

This article surveys the distinct role South Asian Christianity played in the modern ecumenical movement. It explores how the longevity, vitality, and diversity of Christianity in South Asia, coupled with the pluralistic ethos and inter‐religious context of the region, provided a conducive atmosphere for the ecumenical movement to take root in the early decades of the 20th century. The article argues that while there were outstanding ecumenical thinkers and path‐breaking church unity efforts in the region, what was most important was the emergence of new theological trends that reverberated across the ecumenical world, such as Dalit theology, tribal theology, and Urban and Rural Mission. While discussing these developments from a historical perspective, this article also tries to identify contemporary issues and challenges in these areas. Today, as the forces of religious nationalism, sectarianism, and fundamentalism are gaining ground in South Asia, the task before us is to realize anew the meaning of ecumenism.     

身与身外:儒家的一个未决问题

Fei Xiaotong's thoughts on the Confucian system of interpersonal relationships actually indicated that the Confucian theory of social cooperation leads itself to an unsettled paradox, that is, there is a lack of universal theoretical construction in the Confucian moral system. Confucian theory does not extend beyond practical circumstances. Instead, its universal principles always disappear in specific circumstances. Because of its long established position in mainstream dialogue, Confucianism failed to reflect on its flaws, but this paradox has been revealed in the face of modern challenges. Translated by Yan Xin from Zhongguo Renmin Daxue Xuebao 中国人民大学学报 (Journal of Renmin University of China), 2007, (1): 15–21     

The Three‐Component Model of Organisational Commitment: An Application to South Korea

We conducted two studies to determine whether the three‐component model of organisational commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1991) is generalisable to a non‐Western culture using data from South Korea. In Study 1, we found that when the 6‐item versions of the scales (Meyer, Allen, & Smith, 1993) were translated into Korean, the psychometric properties of the Affective Commitment Scale were similar to those found in North America, but problems were identified in the Continuance and Normative Commitment Scales. In Study 2, we found that these problems could be overcome by adopting a revised set of items written in North America. The new scales demonstrated good psychometric properties in terms of factorial validity, internal consistency, and criterion‐related validity with respect to turnover intention. We concluded that the three commitment constructs are likely to generalise to non‐Western cultures, but that there might be a need to refine the measures for cross‐cultural research.     

The Ecumenical Movement in Asia and Emerging Challenges: The Christian Conference of Asia at 60 and Beyond

As the Christian Conference of Asia marks the 60th anniversary of its founding in 1957 at an Asian church leaders’ consultation in Prapat, Indonesia, this contribution seeks to analyze the contemporary challenges facing the ecumenical movement in a situation characterized by a lack of coherence and coordination. In a continent where the number of Christians is profoundly small, division makes Christian witness even more difficult and fragmented, and less effective. In such a situation, concerted efforts for dialogue and communication with mutual accountability should be a priority, in order to address the emerging challenges more efficiently. The specific responsibility and role of the ecumenical movement in Asia is to search for the expression of the common faith of the Asian churches through engagement in a pluralistic Asia, and to work for visible unity despite doctrinal differences and confessional barriers. The need to revitalize the ecumenical movement in Asia and regain the ecumenical vision of Asian churches should be a priority for all those who are concerned with the common witness and future of the ecumenical movement in Asia.