1. The Importance of John Calvin for the Protestant Church in China
- Author
-
Wang, Aiming and Wang, Aiming
- Abstract
"The image Calvin has left in the Chinese world since the missionary era of the nineteenth century is very vague, sometimes controversial or even paradoxical. There are several images of Calvin existing side by side, at least three. The first image depicts Calvin as one of the founders of the historical Protestantism, as the most influential source of the world-wide missionary movements for the past five centuries. The second image calls to mind a terrible dictator incapable of humor, the spiritual source of fundamentalism mixed with the doctrine of predestination. The third image is that of the founder of modern democracy in the form of reasonable capitalism. Right at the outset I would like to affirm that a correct interpretation of John Calvin is of vital importance for the building up of the Protestant Church in China. The present interpretation will take account of these three images which have been prevailing in the Chinese world for a long time. By way of conclusion, I will explore the significance of Calvin’s heritages for the Protestant Church in China.", p. 179
- Published
- 2009