From Missiological to Political Theology:A Critical Reflection on the Paradigm Shift of the Theologies in the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Eno Huang, 黃以諾
• Other Authors: Li-Jen Ou
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2005
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/87416283330186399564

碩士 === 中原大學 === 宗教研究所 === 93 === 　　Since 1970s, in face of political turbulence in Taiwan and abroad, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, which has been carrying out missionary work in Taiwan for over 100 years, has made declaration on the involvement of social movements to express its love toward the nation, people, and land. As the interaction between the Church and society changed, Christian theology with Western culture and introduced to Taiwan by foreign missionaries also faces challenges of social transition and wakening of the native consciousness. Therefore, a group of theological workers from Tainan Theological College and Seminary has raised questions concerning the Western theological tradition based on the predicament and repression in the missionizing experience of churches in the third world, Asia, and Taiwan, and attempted to pass on the gospel through reinterpretation of the Bible and history, listening to the voices of the suffered, identifying the Asian image of Jesus Christ, telling the stories of people, and other approaches that put the objective into context. 　　This study discussed and commented on the four representative figures from Tainan Theological College and Seminary in this theological movement, specially, the theological arguments of “missionary theology” by Shoki Coe, “Asian theology” by Choan-seng Song, “Homeland theology” by Hsien-chih Wang, and “Chhut Thau Thiⁿ theology” by Po-ho Huang. This study analyzed the works of the four figures with examples of “Reading the Bible with New Eyes” and “Community Mission” programs promoted by the Presbyterian Church. It not attempted to present the evolution of the mainstream trend of thoughts in the Presbyterian Church but also intended to highlight the actions that the Presbyterian Church had taken, based on the abovementioned theologies, to identify with the history, society, and people of Taiwan, in order words, its transformation from a Western church to a local church. Lastly, Based on religious belief and concern for the church, the researcher urges the necessity to review and retrospect on the development of the theological orientations that had significant influence on the church, and believes that only in the context of Christian belief could the truth of Christianity be reflected.