Confronting Confucian Understandings of the Christian Doctrine of Salvation

Confronting Confucian Understandings of the Christian Doctrine of Salvation - A Systematic Theological Analysis of the Basic Problems in the Confucian-Christian dialogue.Confronting Confucian Understandings
of the Christian Doctrine of Salvation ---- A Systematic Theological Analysis of the Basic Problems in the Confucian-Christian dialogue
Paulos Huang
Helsinki 2006
Confronting Confucian Understandings
of the Christian Doctrine of Salvation ---- A Systematic Theological Analysis of the Basic Problems in the Confucian-Christian dialogue
Paulos Huang
Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed,
by due persmission of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki
in Auditorium XII, on October 28th, at 10 o’clock am.
Department of Systematic Theology, University of Helsinki
Helsinki 2006
Cover: Johanna Huang
Helsinki, Finland 2006
1.5 Motivation ………………………...……………………………………………..41
1.5.1 Confucians as the main dialogue partner to Christians in China ……. …. 41
1.5 2 The contemporary cultural regeneration bring Confucianism
and Christianity to the same agenda ……………………………………..44
1.6 Structure and notational convention …………………………..……………….. 49
2. The preconditions for the dialogue ..…………………………… ………….… 51
2.1 The legacy of Matteo Ricci for the Confucian-Christian dialogue …..………. 53
2.2 Confucianism ………………………………………………………….…….…. 57
2.3 The Confucians who have mostly commented on the Christian
doctrine of salvation ………………………………………………….... 61
in this study ……. ………………………………………….…......... 61
representatives in this study…………………………….………….… 65
2.3.3 The Modern Confucians (1980-) and the representatives in this study….. 68
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2.4 The Christian concept of God in Chinese terms ……………………………….. 78
3. Confucian ideas of the Saviour in Christianity: The assimilation of God to the
Chinese concepts of Shangdi and Tian .. ……...……..….………….… 88
3.1 Neo-Confucian ideas of the assimilation ………………………………………..91
3.1.1 Affirmative responses to the assimilation ………………………….… 91
3.1.2 Negative responses to the assimilation ………………………….….. 106
3.2 Cultural Nationalist Confucian ideas of the assimilation …………………. .... 117
3.3 Modern Confucian ideas of the assimilation ……………………………...….. 123
4. Confucian ideas of the object of salvation in Christianity:
created humanity and its status ……………………………………………. 131
4.1 Human beings as part of creation…………..………………………………… 131
4.1.1 Neo-Confucian arguments …………………………………….…… 133
4.1.3 Modern Confucian arguments ………………………………… ..…. 152
4.2 The status of human beings ……………………………………. ……………. 165
4.2.1 Neo-Confucian arguments…………………………………..….…… 166
4.2.2 Cultural Nationalist- and Modern Confucian arguments ….… …… 170
5. Confucian ideas of the means of salvation in Christianity…… . .…….….... 183
5.1 The existence of transcendence in Confucianism …………………………...... 187
5.1.1 Neo-Confucian arguments ………………………………………….. 188
5.1.2 Cultural Nationalist Confucian arguments ……………………......... 193
5.1.3 Modern Boston Confucian arguments …………………………….... 197
5.1.4 Modern Christian Confucian arguments …………………….…..…. .205
5.2 The transcendence of the Christian God and that of the Chinese Heaven …..... 210
5.2.1 Neo- and Cultural Nationalist Confucian arguments:
The Chinese Heaven as internal transcendence. …..……………..…. 212
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5.2.2 Cultural Nationalist and Modern Confucian arguments:
The Christian God as external transcendence ………..……..…….... 219
5.3 The superiority of the internal transcendence to the external transcendence … 232
5.3.1 The arguments of Cultural Nationalist Confucians ……………….... 233
5.3.2 The arguments of Modern Non-Christian Confucians .………… 240
5.3.3 The arguments of Modern Christian Confucians ………………….. 245
6. Basic Problems in the Confucian-Christian dialogue …………………..…. 259
6.1 The tacit difference of the ways of thinking …………………… …..… …….. 260
6.2 Four obstacles in the Confucian-Christian dialogue …………… ……….…... 264
6.2.1 The theological perspective:
6.2.2 The spiritual viewpoint: the Christianity as spiritual opium ……. 267
6.2.3 The political viewpoint:
Christianity as an element of political turmoil ………………..… 268
6.2.4 The ethical viewpoint: the Christian concept of God conflicting with
Confucian ethics ……………………...…… … …………………... 271
Summary ……..……………………………………………..…………...………. 279
Appendices ………………………………………………………………….…… 284
III. The eleven quotations of Ricci ……………………………………….…….….289
IV. The degeneration from theism to humanism ……..……………… …….…... 291
V. The nine horizons of Tang Junyi’s Confucianism ………………………..….... 297
VI. The Taiji ……………………………………………………………..…. 300
VII. The Li and Qi …………………………………………………….…. 303
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Bibliography …………………………………………………………………...… 307
Abstract
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The aim of the present study is to analyze Confucian understandings of the Christian
doctrine of salvation in order to find the basic problems in the Confucian-Christian
dialogue.
I will approach the task via a systematic theological analysis of four issues in
order to limit the thesis to an appropriate size. They are analyzed in three chapters as
follows:
1. The Confucian concept concerning the existence of God. Here I discuss
mainly the issue of assimilation of the Christian concept of “God” to the concepts of
“Sovereign on High” (Shangdi ) and “Heaven” (Tian ) in Confucianism.
2. The Confucian understanding of the object of salvation and its status in
Christianity.
3. The Confucian understanding of the means of salvation in Christianity.
Before beginning this analysis it is necessary to clarify the vast variety of
controversies, arguments, ideas, opinions and comments expressed in the name of
Confucianism; thus, clear distinctions among different schools of Confucianism are
given in chapter 2. In the last chapter I will discuss the results of my research in this
study by pointing out the basic problems that will appear in the analysis. The results
of the present study provide conclusions in three related areas: the tacit differences in
the ways of thinking between Confucians and Christians, the basic problems of the
Confucian-Christian dialogue, and the affirmative elements in the dialogue.
In addition to a summary, a bibliography and an index, there are also eight
appendices, where I have introduced important background information for readers to
understand the present study.
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Writing a dissertation is a major adventure and this is doubly so when it is my second
one. Around sixteen years ago when I first got to know Christianity, I started a desire
to write something on Chinese Christianity. Life has its interesting twists and turns
and so before I could write a dissertation on the Christian theology, I have had the
opportunity to spend over ten years in East Asian studies (especially Chu culture and
Daoism). In addition to my academic life, I have experienced many sweet memories
and also tears with Chinese Christians in Finland. I have dedicated my heart and
energies to church life here. However this busy life has not stopped me desiring to
develop a theological reflection to aid practical solutions to various tensions in the
Chinese Christian life. These tensions have brought me pain, but also excitement and
joy. The more I study Christian theology, the more I have become convinced of how
deeply Confucianism is embedded in my spirituality, my soul and my body. Subtly
and powerfully, Confucianism works inside me. “Self-transcendence”, “self-
cultivation” and “to do good” have always been my native religious language.
However, I am a Lutheran Christian, who stresses always sola gratia and sola fide.
How can a self-cultivation-seeking-Confucian be a Lutheran Christian? Therefore,
this religious dialogue is not a purely theoretical issue for me, it lives in me with tears
and joy.
When I started to study Christianity in China, my initial title was “Can China
accept Christianity?” My experience of church life led me later to focus on the
doctrine of “salvation”. As a Lutheran Christian, theoretically I understand well that
“salvation” is absolutely the work of God rather than the result of human merit.
Nonetheless, it has really not been easy to grasp the relationship between justification
and sanctification in real life. Confucian self-transcendence seems so natural and
normal to me and for many other Chinese Christians. Justification by faith and
through grace becomes so easily just a mere theory. Therefore, like so many other
Chinese Christians, in practical life, I am afraid of being lazy in fulfilling my own
duty, which has been endowed to me by Heaven/God. Every time when I focus on my
own deeds, I realize that sola gratia is my hope. Once I have peace and certainty with
salvation, I will again paradoxically try to self-cultivate. I have been longing for
peace and certainty, but once they become true in my life, I will immediately doubt
and try to avoid it. Such a paradoxical tension has become the basic reason for me to
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choose the present title “Confronting Confucian understandings of the Christian
Doctrine of Salvation”. It is my hope that through this systematical theological
analysis of the issue, to discover the basic problems in the Confucian-Christian
dialogue.
Writing a dissertation is just one adventure in life's journeys, and every
experience is only an individual one. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
God’s ways higher than human ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts.
During the past years, I have been privileged to meet a number of people who have
contributed to this study intentionally or non-intentionally in one way or another.
Some of them have challenged me in church life so much that I could not sleep before
I tried to find some answers theologically. Some of them have provided me with
indispensable insights. Some of them have been bravely standing together with me,
and some of them have been silently praying for me. I cannot mention all their
names, but I would like to thank especially the following people and institutions who
have helped me to accomplish this thesis.
Professor Miikka Ruokanen (Helsinki), as my supervisor, has supported my
research in various ways. Without his supervision and endorsement, the result might
have been very different.
Professor Pauli Annala (Helsinki), as another supervisor of mine, has read
carefully my drafts at various stages, and he has been helping me to improve my text
concretely. Docent Tommi Lehtonen (Helsinki), as the opponent in the public
discussion of my licentiate dissertation, has offered valuable critiques and
suggestions. As the reviewers of my licentiate thesis, in addition to many discussions,
Professor Annala and Docent Lehtonen have also offered written statements.
Professor Zhuo Xinping (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
) and Professor Pauli Annala examined my text during the final process of
approving it as a doctoral dissertation for the University of Helsinki.
Many of the materials for the present study were collected from the library of
the Institute of Oriental Culture (IOC) at the University of Tokyo during my stay
there from 1998 to 2000. Professor Robert Cumming Neville (Boston) has kindly sent
me his publications by mail. Professor Luo Bingxiang (Ping-cheung) (Hong
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Kong Baptist University ), Professor Lai Pinchao (Pan-chiu)
(Chinese University of Hong Kong ) and Dr. Keith Chen Jiafu (Chan
Ka Fu) (Institute for Sino-Christian Studies ) have
kindly offered me their recent publications on the Confucian-Christian dialogue,
which have been very useful in revising my dissertation.
It was in the Dogmatic seminars led by Professors Ruokanen and Annala that
the plan of this study and certain parts of this manuscript were discussed and received
helpful comments. Docent Mika Vähäkangas (Helsinki) and Ms. Marketta Anttola
(Helsinki) have commented on some of my presentations.
Mr. Kenny Ding (Helsinki) has helped me in word-processing
techniques. Mr. Richard Croft (from England) has proofread the English of my
dissertation. Docent David Jenkins (from the USA) has also proofread the whole
book. If there are any mistakes or stylistic faults, they are certainly due to my lack of
attention.
Finally, I remain grateful to my wife Johanna, my three children Joonatan
Anming , Elias Aiming and Aliisa Yiming , my parents Huang Xiuli
and Zhang Xiuzhen , my elder brother Huang Jian , and other
relatives both in Finland and in China, for their love and support, without which this
study would not have been possible.
Paulos Huang Helsinki, 2006
1. Introduction
1. Introduction
1.1 Aim
Although the two terms salvation and God are not present in Confucianism itself, I
aim to explore how Confucians 1 understand the Christian doctrine of salvation.
Through such a study I believe one can identify the basic problems in the Confucian-
Christian dialogue, and it is these which I shall clarify and discuss in this work.
The term “Salvation” as we find it in the New and Old Testaments of the
Bible derives ultimately from the Greek word "Soteria" and the Hebrew word
"Yshuwah", respectively. It includes a panoply of meanings, including deliverance,
protection, preservation, prosperity, safety, soundness, healing, and the ministry of
angels. Etymologically, the word “salvation” more proximally appears in Middle
English and in Old French, coming from the Late Latin salvation-, salvatio, from
salvare (to save). Semantically, this word “salvation” can be understood from three
aspects: first, it is an act of delivering someone or something from harm or from an
unpleasant situation. For example, “the salvation of his party was the president’s
major concern”. In Christianity it refers to redemption, i.e., deliverance from the
power or penalty of sin. Secondly, it refers to the effect of salvation, i.e., preservation
from harm or unpleasantness. For example, "tourism was their economic salvation";
"they turned to individualism as their salvation". Thirdly, it refers to the states of
salvation: on the one hand, from which state someone or something is saved or
preserved, and, on the other hand, that state to which someone or something is
saved.2
There are different understandings concerning salvation among Christians. In
this study I will refer mainly to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and to the
Augsburg Confession as representatives of major Christian understandings. In
Christian terms, understanding the Gospel is a general prerequisite for understanding
1 The thorough definition of Confucianism and Confucians in this study will be given in chapter 2. 2 The American heritage dictionary of the English language 2003: “Salvation”, and WordNet 2.0 2003 by Princeton University.
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salvation, because understanding the Gospel is foundational to salvation itself as well
as to any reflective understanding of it. Briefly, the Gospel--the good news--is that
each person, through Jesus Christ, can be forgiven of sin, brought back into
fellowship with God, and filled with God’s Spirit for newness of life. Salvation is the
stock of benefits3 received by the person who believes in the Gospel and entrusts his
or her life to Christ. In speaking about salvation among Christians, four main
elements are commonly involved:
1) God is the one who saves people through Jesus Christ the Savior.4 This
issue concerns God as savior. According to Jewish-Christian understanding, God
reveals Himself through his deeds in the history of salvation, which He has done and
is still doing through the history of Israel. God is, thus, according to Jewish-Christian
understanding, primarily an active and personal being who chooses the nation of
Israel as an object of salvation both as collective and as individual realities. For
many Confucians such a historical and personal concept of God is strange. Therefore,
the first important challenge for the Confucian-Christian dialogue is for both sides to
find a common understanding concerning God, His nature and His works.
2) Individual persons are the objects to be saved.5 This is the issue concerning
created humanity as the object to be saved. The question must be raised concerning
whom or what God desires to save. What has made humanity the kind of being who
seeks salvation? In the environment of the Old Testament the nation of Israel is the
object of Yahweh’s salvation, both collectively and individually. In the context of the
New Testament, however, the object of God’s salvation emphasizes individuals more
than collectives (John 3:16). I will focus mainly on created humanity and its status as
seeking and requiring salvation.
3 For example, for the Protestants, the "benefits" include forgiveness of sin, a totally right standing with God, heaven instead of hell upon physical death, new life (the Spirit of the life of Christ Jesus), awesome joy and contentment, and power to change bad habits. See the Augsburg Confessions: Its meaning for our day 1980, 29. Roman Catholic theology does not embrace the interpretation of salvation and justification as that presented by the Protestant Reformers. 4 God saves human beings through Jesus Christ the Savior, see Article IV of the Augsburg Confession. See the Augsburg Confessions: Its meaning for our day 1980, 29. See also Allbeck, Willard Dow 2002, Studies in the Lutheran Confessions. Wipf & Stock Publishers. Maurer 1976/1978, Historischer Kommentar zur Confessio Augustana. 2 Bde., Gütersloh. 5 The Catechism of the Catholic Church 1997, 526 reads: “1949 Called to beatitude but wounded by sin, man stands in need of salvation from God.” This Cathechism is the official result of the Vatican II Council (1962-1965), where Pope and all the important Catholic Bishops were presented.
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1. Introduction
3) Human beings are in the state (or situation) i.e., status lapsae, from which
salvation is needed,6 and they are going to be saved for the state which God has
prepared for them.7 This is the issue concerning that from which salvation is needed.8
For we must raise the question concerning from what situation God desires to save
human beings. In the Christian tradition no one can avoid the starting point of
Christian soteriology, i.e., original sin and the human situation of fallenness (status
lapsae). What is necessary for a Christian soteriology, however, is not inevitably the
same as that for the Confucian side of the dialogue. The question concerning that
from which man is saved is understandably important to Confucians, as they lack
what they count as the “strange” doctrine of original sin.
4) The fourth issue concerns the means of saving, i.e., media salutis, which is
justification by faith and through grace (sola gratia/sola fide).9 The concept “faith”
6 The word salvation indicates that the Christian is saved from something. Saved from what? In short, they are saved from death—spiritual death. More specifically, they are saved from the following: Hell, ourselves (bad habits, destructive lifestyles, sinful tendencies, and poor character qualities, self- centeredness and discontentment, performance-based acceptance), slavery to circumstances, and Satan and his evil helpers. Article II of the Augsburg Confession reads: “Also they teach, that since the Fall of Adam, all man begotten according to nature, are born with sin, that is, without the fear of God, without trust in God, and with concupiscence; and that this disease, or vice of origin, is truly sin, even now condemning and bringing eternal death upon those not born again through baptism and the Holy Ghost. They condemn the Pelagians and others, who deny that the vice of origin is sin, and who, to obscure the glory of Christ’s merit and benefits, argue that man can be justified before God by his own strength and reason.” See the Augsburg Confessions: Its meaning for our day 1980, 17. 7 The new state, to which the human beings are saved, has many "benefits" such as forgiveness of sin, a totally right standing with God, heaven instead of hell upon physical death, new life (the Spirit of the life of Christ Jesus), awesome joy and contentment, and power to change bad habits. Article V of the Augsburg Confession reads: “… the Gospel … that God … justified those who believe that they are received into favour for Christ’s sake.” See the Augsburg Confessions: Its meaning for our day 1980, 35. Thus, a Christian is a person who has decided to trust in Jesus Christ for a right standing before God, and to turn the reins of his or her life over to Christ. After expressing this decision in prayer, the Christian receives salvation. This new state is also called “the final goal” or “religious end”. See Heim 1995 and Heim 2001. 8 “The state from which salvation is needed” will be analyzed in Chapter four, when the object of salvation is studied. “The state for which God saves human beings” will be mentioned briefly but will not be studied in detail, since the concept of the spiritual destiny of man in Christianity and Confucianism are profoundly different and the exploration of such a large issue requires more space. Therefore, I will concentrate on three elements related to salvation: the Savior, the object of salvation, and the means of salvation. 9 Sola gratia means "by Divine Grace alone". That…