Explorations in Asian Christianity

History, Theology, and Mission

Scott W. Sunquist

• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9780830851003
• eBook ISBN: 9780830890859
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Asian History

Asia is the birthplace of Christianity. If Christianity is not usually seen as an Asian religion, that is because the history of Christianity in Asia has long been a difficult one. Whereas Christianity in the West received royal support, Asian Christianity has led a more nomadic and exilic existence. Today it is the least Christianized region of the world.

Scott W. Sunquist is a recognized expert on the history of the Christian faith in Asia. Over the years he has published and spoken frequently on this theme. Explorations in Asian Christianity gathers his key writings on the topic and organizes them into four main categories: surveys that look at Asian Christianity in broad perspective, historical investigations that look at how Christianity shapes our understanding of history and historiography, missiological studies that look closely at issues of place, and finally essays on theological education.

Topics explored in this volume include

• Ecumenism in Asia
• The cruciform nature of Christianity
• A missiology of place
• The Christian view of time
• Global migration

Explorations in Asian Christianity sheds light on one of the most important but least well-known areas in Christian history.

Missiological Engagements charts interdisciplinary and innovative trajectories in the history, theology, and practice of Christian mission, featuring contributions by leading thinkers from both the Euro-American West and the majority world whose missiological scholarship bridges church, academy, and society.

Subject Index

(Page numbers refer to print edition.)

Addai (The Doctrine of Addai), 29, 31, 305

Adiabene, 12

Afghanistan, 12, 76-77, 236, 290-91

Alexandria, 33, 136, 235, 296

Allah, 23

Alopen, 14, 40

Anglican, x, 20, 45, 53, 65, 67, 70, 83, 85, 116, 123-24, 208, 211, 214, 296

anthropology, 55, 110, 265, 310

Antioch, 11, 27, 28, 33

Arab, 2, 35, 37-38, 84, 172, 238, 241, 283, 298

Arabia, 13, 23, 76, 236, 240

Aramaic (language), 27, 233

Arbela, 14, 27, 298

Armenia, 2, 12, 14, 31-32, 39

asceticism, 28, 31-32, 33, 37, 290, 301, 311

Athanasius, 136, 138-39

Augustinian, 16

Azariah, Vadanayagam Samuel (bishop of Dornakal), 20, 43, 67, 213

Bangladesh, 20, 23, 25, 48, 84, 86

baptism, 24, 101, 187, 195-96, 214, 290

unbaptized believers, 24, 149

Bardaisan, 29, 30, 33, 35, 282, 286, 303, 305

Beijing (Peking), 6, 16, 168-69, 191, 253, 273-75

Benedictine, 134

Bhutan, 24, 76

Bible, 3, 5, 18, 23-25, 28, 31, 39, 48, 50-51, 55, 57-59, 61-67, 71-74, 77-78, 82-83, 105, 119, 124, 138, 140, 144, 149, 153, 155, 160, 171-72, 175, 179, 188, 195, 204, 207, 213, 215, 219-20, 223, 225-26, 230, 231, 236, 238, 244, 260, 264, 267-69, 275, 278, 287, 302, 308

borderlands, 7, 227-30, 236

Boxer Rebellion, 77, 185, 255, 267

Buddhism, 21, 39, 69, 79-81, 92, 147, 163, 169-71, 185-86, 284, 312

Burma, v, 19, 21, 25, 49, 59, 62, 79, 80, 86, 137, 229

See also Myanmar

Cambodia, 20, 21, 25, 49, 76, 84, 85, 117, 229

Carey, William, 18, 41, 56-58, 305

caste, 66

Chang’an. See Xian

charismatic, 72, 81, 114-16, 124, 151, 157, 309

China, 6-7, 11-25, 39-40, 41-54, 59-66, 71-86, 117-19, 140-50, 167-71, 179-202, 203-24, 249-55, 256-58, 263-80

China Inland Mission (CIM), 61

Christendom, 1, 53, 111-13, 119, 121, 133, 134, 146, 147, 154, 156, 228, 281, 284, 307

Christology, 28, 44, 143, 296, 297, 299

Church Mission Society (Church Missionary Society), 4, 206, 208

Church of Christ (Thailand, Japan, and USA), 20, 44, 118, 204

Church of North India (CNI), 46

Church of South India (CSI), 20, 45, 83, 158

colonialism/colonization, i, 3, 15, 43, 79, 116, 119, 148, 149, 239, 240, 241, 302, 307, 309

communism, 3, 21, 49, 70, 76, 81, 112, 117, 119, 262, 276

Confucianism, 115, 147, 168-70, 184, 185, 253, 254, 278, 279

conquistador, 17

Constantinople, 13, 14, 17, 27, 207, 297

contextualization (accommodation), 50, 63, 98, 101, 103, 130, 217

Coptic, 63, 123, 144

cosmology, 5, 136, 138

creation, 36, 93, 96, 98, 99, 136-39, 151, 163, 227, 231, 292, 293

cruciformity, 4, 93, 96, 98, 100, 102-4, 106, 130

Cultural Revolution (China), 76, 79, 118, 119

Daoism, 39, 163, 185

decolonization, 45, 76, 228, 262

Dennis, James, 130-35, 139-41, 265

Dominican, 16, 17, 40, 187

ecumenism/ecumenical movement, i, vii, xi, 3, 41, 43, 45, 49, 51, 95, 158, 160, 310

Edessa, 11, 12, 27-30, 34, 35, 292, 298, 305

Edinburgh Missionary Conference (1910), 42, 107-9, 113, 115, 116, 135, 139, 306, 309-11

education, 60, 192, 198-200, 215, 219, 223, 229, 230, 245, 251, 252

Egypt, 35, 157, 232, 235, 281

Enlightenment, 71, 90, 113, 135, 136, 150, 197, 198

Ephrem (the Syrian), 33-35, 286, 290, 293, 300, 308

ethics, 5, 104, 113, 143, 146, 147, 150, 271, 282

Ethiopia, 13, 35, 123, 157, 251, 260, 262

evangelicalism, xi, 3, 53, 54, 56, 59, 62, 63, 65, 67, 70, 73, 75, 78, 81, 83, 85, 86, 123, 308

Franciscan, 15, 16, 40, 187, 188

geography, 6, 11, 180, 190, 197, 199, 271

Georgia, 31, 32, 39

government, 21-23, 30, 44, 45, 183, 210, 221, 270, 276, 277

Greek (language), 27, 256, 293

Guandong (...

Table of contents

• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Asia
• Christianity in Asia
• Ancient Christianity in Asia
• Ecumenism in Asia
• Evangelicalism in Asia
• History
• Missio Dei
• The Century That Changed the Religious Map
• Time, Lectures, and Redemption
• World Christianity
• Missiology
• Underwood, Moffett, and Korean Liberation
• The Importance of Shandong
• Four Theorists, Three Selfs, Two Countries, One Goal
• Mission and Migration
• Education
• Moffett, Mateer, and McClure
• American Theological Education and Mission
• Asian Theological Education
• 303
• Author Index
• Subject Index
• Praise for Explorations in Asian Christianity
• About the Author
• More Titles from InterVarsity Press