The transformation of the Wang Yangming scholarship in the West,ca. 1960–1980: a historical essay

Students of Ming philosophy and the thought of Wang Yangming likely know that the 1960s–1970s was a period during which many scholarships in this field of study were produced in the English language. Indeed, it has been almost half a century since a group of scholars came together at the University of Hawaii to present papers on Wang Yangming in commemoration of the fifth centenary of his birth. That group included, for example, Wing-tsit Chan, David Nivison, and Du Weiming. These scholars, along with two others not present—Julia Ching and Carsun Chang—played a transformative role in introducing Wang Yangming to an English-reading audience. But, the history behind their achievement, as well as how they interpreted him for that audience, has yet to be written. This paper provides a synopsis of that history, explaining why the scholars chose to write about him and what they said about his life and ideas.     

Water,Plant, Light,and Mirror: On the Root Metaphors of the Heart-Mind in Wang Yangming’s Thought

Clarifying Wang Yangming’s thought through a study of his root metaphors of heart-mind is an important step toward explaining his further concepts of the human world. Along with the root metaphors of water and mirror, the metaphors of plant and light work together for Wang to form a coherent theoretical and practical system of xin (heart-mind). This method is also a good way to unravel the various theories of the “three teachings” that are intermingled in his thinking. By using this methodology Wang’s attempts to harmonize several ancient traditions of heart-mind that appear as possibly polarized to modern readers, are illuminated (though they did not appear contradictory to the Neo-Confucians).     

The Anglican–Methodist Covenant: differences in the belief patterns of Anglican clergy and Methodist ministers

The Covenant between the Church of England and British Methodism now in place looks forward to a closer relationship between the two churches. An empirical study, carried out in the late spring of 2003, indicates differences in patterns of belief among the working clergy and ministers of both churches which might help or hinder further moves towards church unity.     

Relief and rehabilitation of Jewish DPs after the Shoah: the Hachsharot in Italy (1945–48)

In the aftermath of the Second World War, thousands of Jewish DPs reached Italy on their way to Palestine or other countries and received assistance by UNRRA and other organizations. Many joined the hachsharot that were established all over the country between 1945 and 1948. This article analyses the differences between UNRRA and the Joint in providing relief and rehabilitation to the DPs and the role of hachsharot, discussing to what extent they provided better opportunities for rehabilitation compared to DP camps.     

‘Learning From’ the Concept and Concepts of a Religious Tradition: Jainism in the RE curriculum

Against a background of recent developments in religious education in England, this article argues for the inclusion of Jainism in the RE curriculum. Questions of the representation of religion in general and Jainism in particular are examined. It is claimed that when it comes to the ‘personal development’ side of religious education ('learning from'), pupils may best be served by drawing on a wider range of traditions than is customary in English RE, and that pupils need to engage with the ideas in a religious tradition as well as gain an authentic picture of the lives of practitioners. It is argued that much of personal and spiritual value can be gained from even an imperfect construction of a religious tradition, and this is illustrated from some of the teachings of Jainism and the author's experience of approaching a less familiar tradition.     

A Positive Relationship Between Religious Faith and Forgiveness: Faith in the Absence of Data?

Religious faith and beliefs appear to play an important role in the lives of many individuals and are the topic of much research. The present study investigated the relationship between religious faith and forgiveness in a sample (n = 196) of college students. Students were asked to complete the Heartland Forgiveness Scale and the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire. Analyses of scores on both measures revealed a positive, significant correlation between these constructs, suggesting that there is a meaningful relationship between religious faith and the tendency to forgive. Implications and directions for further research are discussed.     

Problems in Measuring Diachronic Religious Behavior,or Using Indicators to ‘Make a Virtue of Necessity’: the Case of the Netherlands (1975–2005)

The aim of this study is to show the different advantages and drawbacks of the main quantitative indicators used in research on diachronic religious behavior. We will demonstrate that religious affiliation has to be used in long-term studies; although it is extremely imprecise, it is often available over long periods of time. Instead, the best solution for medium-term studies is to use frequency of attendance at religious services. This indicator is more accurate than religious affiliation, but is only widely available from the 1960s–1970s onwards. Finally, the most suitable indicator for short-term analysis is obtained from diary-based time-use studies. It is the most precise of the three indicators, but the source is less readily available as these surveys have only been conducted in most countries in the last 30 years. This study is based on data from Time Use Surveys conducted in the Netherlands every 5 years from 1975 to 2005.     

Luke's Portrayal of the Social Dimension in the Ministry of Jesus and the Apostles (Luke-Acts) According to Isaiah's Message of Social Justice in Chapters 61:1–2 and 58:6

ABSTRACT

This article seeks to explore the manner in which Luke depicts the social aspects of the ministry of Jesus and the apostles in Luke-Acts based on his citations from Isa. 61.1–2 and 58.6. In essence, it demonstrates that Luke's appropriation of Isaiah motifs was not just spiritual but also practical. In doing this, the author appraises the dominant interpretive rubrics with which scholars have discussed the influence of Isaiah on Luke's account, namely, jubilee and second exodus. While acknowledging that these are prominent Isaiah themes in Luke, the author argues for a third—the kingdom of God as the controlling theme in Luke, to which both jubilee and second exodus are subsets. Exodus is necessary for the formation of a new nation or kingdom but it is not in itself the kingdom. Jubilee is the governing principle of the kingdom of God, a theme that runs through Luke-Act.     

Jews and Judaism in the rhetoric of popular preachers: The Florentine sermons of Giovanni Dominici (1356–1419) and Bernardino da Siena (1380–1444)

The article deals with the perceptions of Judaism of Savonarola's most important predecessors, the Dominican preacher Giovanni Dominici andthe Franciscan preacher Bernardino da Siena, who were active in fifteenth century Florence. These preachers offer two distinct models of mendicant preaching regarding the Jews: Dominici based his views on theological arguments, while Bernardino focused on contemporary Jewish moneylenders and their destructive dangers. The preachers' opposition to the Jews was grounded in their political ideal of Florentine republic as a purified sacred body where there was no place for polluting outsiders as the Jews.Both preachers succeeded in influencing the fate of the Jews. Dominici might have had a hand in the banishment of Jews from Venice and there is circumstantial and linguistic evidence that he was responsible for the change in Florentine policy against the Jews in the legislation of 1406. Bernardino caused the banishment of Jews from many Italian towns and was responsible for measures taken against them, such as segregation. Both preachers were successful in keeping the Jews out of the city of Florence, although they failed in their attempt to havethe Jews expelled from the Florentine territories. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Assessing the Quality of the Parent–Child Relationship: Validity and Reliability of the Child–Parent Relationship Test (ChiP-C)

The ChiP-C is a clinically oriented questionnaire for assessing the quality of the child-parent relationship according to the child’s subjective appraisal. The ChiP-C is based on family systems theory and a cumulative vulnerability model. The questionnaire consists of 36 items representing three resource scales, five risk scales, and one additional scale. This article presents the theoretical framework and main psychometric properties of the ChiP-C. A school-based sample of 1,377 youth (ages 10–20; M = 14.4) and a clinic-referred consecutive sample of 197 patients (ages 10–18, M = 14.0) were surveyed. Construct validity was determined by confirmatory factor analyses. The mean of the internal consistencies was 0.79. Systematic correlations between the ChiP-C scales and the German EMBU confirmed the convergent and discriminant validity of the ChiP-C. Moreover, all ChiP-C scales were shown to be significantly correlated with psychopathological symptoms as measured by parent and youth questionnaires. The ChiP-C can be considered an economical screening instrument for a reliable and valid assessment of strengths and disturbances of the child-parent relationship according to the child’s subjective appraisal.     

Multiple Variations: Perspectives on the Religious Psychology of Buddhist and Christian Converts in the People’s Republic of China

Based on questionnaires and in-depth interviews, this article describes and systematically analyzes the psychology of the religiosity of contemporary Chinese Buddhist and Christian converts. People convert to a religious faith for a variety of reasons that range from seeking a means of escape to a practical way of coping with life. Religious belief contains subtle and complex factors, such as the interactions between believers and their beliefs, a sense of community among religious believers, conversion of mind and personality, and influence of the religious beliefs on religious believers’ mental health and behavior. This paper seeks to provide an overview of research conducted in the People’s Republic of China about the various motivations and paths to conversion.     

Trends in the creativity literature: An analysis of research in the journal of creative behavior (1967–1989)

Abstract

Many have noted a renewed interest in creativity. However, even with a 40‐year history, little effort has been directed at the study of changes in the field, and no effort has been made to develop a historical perspective of the work being conducted. Which topics have consistently been examined? Which have gone out of favor, and which have shown surges of interest? The present investigation addressed these questions by examining 311 articles, representing a 23‐year span (1967–1989). This span began in 1967 with the founding of the Journal of Creative Behavior. Predictions were based on previous literature reviews and similar studies conducted in other areas of the social sciences. One prediction was that there would be increases in the number of authors per article (women authors in particular) and in the total number of references. Furthermore, empirical articles were expected to be on the rise, as were articles focusing on social and educational issues. The number of articles concerned with personality and related topics were expected to show a decrease. Results generally supported the hypotheses: The number of authors, number of female authors, number of references, and social and educational articles all showed upward trends. However, the number of empirical articles did not increase during the 23‐year period. Overall, the findings suggest that trend‐analytic research is viable and informative. It tells us not only where the field has gone, but also gives hints as to where it may be going.     

How to Make Sense of the Claim “True Knowledge is What Constitutes Action”: A New Interpretation of Wang Yangming’s Doctrine of Unity of Knowledge and Action

No one denies the importance of applying knowledge to actions. But claiming identity (unity) of knowledge and action is quite another thing. There seem to be two problems with the claim: (1) the identity claim implies that the sole cause for one to fail to act on what one judges to be right is ignorance, but it is obviously false that the sole cause of failure in moral actions is ignorance. (2) The identity statement implies non-separation of knowledge and action. But knowledge does not necessarily lead to action. However, the identity of knowledge and action is what a famous Ming Confucian scholar, Wang Yang-ming, proposed and the concept became the central doctrine of his teaching. Though there are several major interpretations of Wang’s doctrine in contemporary literature, it is not clear to me how they deal with the above mentioned difficulties. In this article, I will discuss these interpretations of the doctrine and propose a new interpretation. My purpose is to give an interpretation of Wang’s doctrine that has the capacity of dealing with these challenges to the doctrine and also captures the essence of his teaching.     

Between Literature and Psychology: Konishi Masutaro (1862–1940) in the History of Russo–Japanese Scientific Connections

The aim of this paper is to describe some episodes from the life of Konishi Masutaro (1862–1940), a Japanese scholar and psychologist who obtained his theological and psychological education in Russia and who played a role in the development of psychological science in Russia. Masutaro is mostly known as a translator of Lev (Leo) Tolstoy, and the psychological side of his biography is not well studied. Masutaro's life and work in Russia occurred in the context of great political and cultural changes. He was one of the first authors who translated fragments from Eastern philosophy (works by Laozi and Confucius) into the Russian language. Personal and scientific details of the life of this educated scholar are also given in the present paper.