Easten Law is the Assistant Director for Academic Programs at the Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary (OMSC@PTS). His research focuses on lived theology, public life, and religious pluralism in contemporary China. He completed his PhD at Georgetown University, an MDiv at Wesley Theological Seminary, and an MA in Intercultural Studies at Wheaton College.
Chinese religiosity’s orientation toward cultivating the goodness of human nature in the everyday, societal, and cosmic spheres of life can be found in the diverse threads that make up modern Chinese Christian movements.
To begin this reflective series based on the webinar, “Chinese Christianity in the Modern Era," we consider what it means to see the whole of the Chinese church and what theological lenses are needed to make sense of what we see.
In her book, Yang engages the complexities of Haizi’s personal journey and poetic influences side by side with the life and teachings of Jesus in four parts under the themes of “roots,” “vision,” “journey,” and “arrival.”
Christianity in China and the global diaspora have taken on new layers of complexity, crossing many traditional boundaries. One of the editors of a new book on the subject reflects on what this means for the study of and working relationships in the Chinese church.
When the academy and the field work together, a mutually enriching process of action and reflection emerges that strengthens mind, body, and spirit, both as individuals and as a community.
Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s increasing oversight of Christian life in China today, there is a gray space between the nation’s political tensions, economic revolution, and spiritual revivals that begs for greater reflection and sustained inquiry: the “walled garden” of China’s internet.
The conversation taught me the importance of relational trust and humility in addressing sensitive historical topics and the vital role of self-critique in forming the most important of connections: ones that bring us closer to our shared sense of brokenness and the need for grace beyond what we can muster.
Could Zhuangzi have something to teach us about the gospel?
How Buddhist teachings resonated with China's cultural identity making way for its spread.
Could the entrance of Buddhism into China offer cultural insights on how to share the message of Christ in China today?
In China, the study of religion as an academic discipline has been gaining momentum in recent years. Centers and institutes for the study of religion have been established at numerous top-tier Chinese universities. As research on religion in China grows, indigenous theories regarding the role of religion in Chinese society and culture are also being constructed and debated. One theoretical framework of note is the “religious ecology” model.
The first of two blogs that suggest and discuss three guidelines for developing a public theology for China today.