书城外语ChristianityinChina
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第31章 Actively Promoting the......(2)

rule, care, and love pervade the entire universe‘。 He thought thecreation, maintenance, redemption, perfection and the end ofuniverse was a whole process, in which God engaged himselfvia Jesus, so that all of the virtues in the world were of Jesus‘concern and all matters created by God were protected by Jesus.

Christians should be more modest and forgiving, and care forpeople and society with love. As for humanity, while thetraditional Christian Churches stress people"s sins and are inclinedto negate people"s value, Bishop Ding, after having assimilatedthe traditional Chinese ideology of "human nature is good‘,contended that "human beings were created by God according tohis own profile‘ and "were semi-finished work’。 He not onlypointed out the necessity of redemption, but also emphasized the moral duty of human beings as well as their potential fordevelopment. Besides, he gave his own answers in many of hisarticles to such problems as how to treat the virtues outsideChristianity, and how to treat atheists, etc. The advancement,openness, and tolerance in his thoughts represent a treasure ofthe Chinese churches.

Currently, the construction of Christian theology has drawnthe attention of many priests and Christians. Theologicalsymposiums and discussions have been held in many places toexchange views and opinions, which had greatly expanded theirknowledge and understanding in this regard. Many clergymen thought it was the best period for the development of ChineseChristianity now, and the most urgent question during this periodwas how to adapt the theology to current conditions when facingthe social climate of reform and opening up to the outside world.

They thought theological discussion was not only a means toadapt the churches to society so that evangelism could be spreadin a better way, but also an important approach to operating thechurches well in the three-self principle. The discussion wasrequired by the current situation and the clergymen themselves.

Many clergymen also maintained that the theological base of theChinese churches was relatively weak and clergy quality was not high overall. Consequently, on the one hand, they were notable to guide the beliefs of those intellectual Christians in urbancities who had broad knowledge, and on the other hand, neithercould they lead those Christians in rural places who had beendeeply poisoned by superstition or passive ideologies due todistorted faith. The quality of the Chinese clergy must beimproved and the theology with Chinese characteristics must beestablished before the churches can obtain a footing in opensociety and in the churches of the world. The theologicalconstruction was neither decided by an individual"s disposition,nor inflicted by the government or a senior official, but was an inevitable stage that the Chinese Churches must go though.

Everyone in Christian circles should pay sufficient attention inthis regard and actively participate in these efforts. Somesymposiums held discussions on problems that were of commonconcern of the churches, such as how to handle the relationshipbetween the churches and society, between faith and reason, howto treat material property, and how to help Christian believers toface ethics, etc. These symposiums achieved sound effects.

Since the launch of the construction of theologicalideologies, Chinese Churches have evolved a fashion of studying,thinking and discussing, in which Christians in different places,at different ages or with different experiences can exchange viewsand learn from each other. And this fashion has pushed forwardthe development of the construction. Bishop Ding remarked: "Ihope after a long period of development, a new ChineseChristianity with reason, intelligence and sense of justice canrise on the oriental horizon. It will hold firm Jesus Christ andmorality, and present us with a loving and beautiful God, not atyrannical one. Chinese Christianity will bring to the whole worlda significant signal.