Confronting Confucian Understandings of the Christian Doctrine of Salvation ─ A Systematic Theological Analysis of the Basic Problems in the Confucian-Christian Dialogue

Noting that neither salvation nor God are present in Confucianism, Huang (Institute of Sino-Christian studies, Hong Kong) explores how Confucians understand the Christian doctrine of salvation, and some basic problems with dialogue between the two faith systems. He discusses the preconditions for the dialogue, the assimilation of God to the Chinese concepts of shengdi and tian in the Confucian understanding of the Christian Saviour, the object of salvation as related to created humanity and its status, and Confucian ideas of the means of Christian salvation. Among the problems in the dialogue he identifies are the monistic unity between heaven and humanity, Christianity as spiritual opium, Christianity as an element of political turmoil, and the Christian concept of God as conflicting with Confucian ethics. The study is expanded from his dissertation for a 2006 doctorate in theology at the University of Helsinki, Finland. It is no indexed. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Paulos Z. Huang, Ph.D. (1996, Helsinki), Post-doctor (2000, Tokyo), Th.D. (2006, Helsinki) in Sinology and Theology, is professor at the Insitute of Sino-Christian Studies (Hong Kong) and Adjunct-professor in the University of Helsinki (Finland). He has published extensively on Daoism, Chu culture, Theology and religious dialogue.