Introduction: An Integrated Model
The conference, “Chinese Christian Scholarship and the Church in Global Perspective: Review and Prospect,”organized by the Institute of Advanced Studies of Chinese Christianity (IASCC), was certainly a fruitful event. This is not just because the event was organized in Yau Ma Tei, one of the most vibrant areas of Hong Kong, but also because of its meaningful vision to build an integrated model of academic research, theological education, and frontline churches’ applications—bridging the long-term gap between the three sectors in the context of China, as addressed repeatedly throughout the conference by the leaders of IASCC.
My Struggle as a Young Scholar and a Church Elder
I am a graduate of the Divinity School of Chung Chi College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), where I earned a master’s degree in divinity and am currently pursuing a PhD in Religious Studies. In addition, I am an appointed elder of my local church and advisor to the Christian communities at Lingnan University with the responsibility of providing spiritual guidance to the people I serve. At the same time, I am a researcher of the Christian history of Lingnan University (Lingnan), with the aim of contributing to both academia and the local Christian communities consisting of young Lingnan Christian students and graduates. Given these complex identities—as both a church leader with pastoral responsibilities and training, and an emerging scholar pursuing a PhD and an academic career—the struggle is apparent.
I remember when I graduated from divinity school, the church expected me to become a full-time pastor while deep down in my heart, I had the strong passion to dive into the historical research of Lingnan University—one of the many Christian colleges established by the American missionaries during the late Qing period. I believe through the product of such research, current readers can be inspired towards how they act as a Christian now. The gap between the two sides is significant for the fact that the church or the congregants sometimes find it difficult to see the necessity and value of such research, while academia sometimes finds it unprofessional and non-academic to adopt a layman’s approach that congregants may more easily understand and benefit from. I remember quite vividly when one of the professors in CUHK said he would not value my published Chinese book on Lingnan simply because it was not published by an academic publisher. Such kind of dualistic attitude, although widely accepted nowadays in academic circles, sometimes deters the important vision to bridge the gap between the churches, the seminaries, and the academic world.
During the conference, we were given the valuable opportunity to talk with different people from both churches and the academic world. For example, while having lunch, I met a professor who was also an ordained pastor in his church in the United States. He shared with me how he managed to fulfill both roles, especially when the research work could be quite time-consuming. In fact, when I realized Dr. Ximian Xu was a pastor of his church in China while being the Co-Director (with Prof. David Fergusson) in the Cambridge Center for Chinese Theology, I found it encouraging to see what a busy but meaningful career could look like.
The Historical Case of Lingnan and its Pastoral Vision
In fact, the panel presentation I gave in the conference had a similar vision. I shared how I was inspired by the crucial financial risk faced by the Lingnan Christian community and how I started the historical project with the hope to strengthen their Christian identity. I also shared how a non-denominational spirit was formed and practiced because of the trajectory of various factors at the frontline of the missionary field in Canton (now known as Guangzhou). I argued that instead of establishing Lingnan as an American Presbyterian Christian college, the financial burden, the ecumenical soil among Western missionaries in Canton and the lack of initiative from the American Presbyterian Foreign Mission Board all pointed to an establishment of Lingnan as a non-denominational and independent Christian college that was not under the control of one single denomination. After all, the college was founded by Rev. Andrew P. Happer (1818–1894), an American Presbyterian missionary during the late Qing dynasty and it was logical that such an evangelical college in China would be under the control of Presbyterian management. The non-denominational character was further strengthened by Lingnan’s active cooperation with the nearby Canton Union Theological College, London Missionary Society, YMCA, YWCA and so on.1
The Ecumenical Legacy Today in Lingnan
Interestingly, such cross-denominational tradition remains today, even after approximately 140 years, under the current supervision of the Christian Activities Committee and the Chaplain’s Office of Lingnan University in Hong Kong. The traditions of the Fellowship of Evangelical Students, Campus Crusade for Christ, Every Nation Churches, Youth With A Mission, the ecumenical churches, the Pentecostals, and the Evangelicals all come together peacefully to serve on the campus of Lingnan with a common aim to serve God and spread the gospel in spite of the doctrinal differences they may have. Such a beautiful picture echoes not just the picture of early church in which denominational differences and schisms were not that common, but also the early picture of the establishment of Lingnan University during the difficult days of missionary work in the late Qing period.
The presentation was further encouraged by the interesting questions and comments by the participants. Duringone of the presentations, I met a scholar who graduated from the former campus of Lingnan University without knowing any of this history. Besides, I was encouraged by another respondent to republish my research in simplified Chinese to serve the greater number of Chinese readers and churches around the world. Such republication is now in progress with the introduction by Rev. Luke Cheng.
The Concluding Remarks: Do Not Forget Our Mission as Christian Scholars
In his concluding remarks, Dr. Ximian Xu encouraged scholars not to forget the mission to serve the Chinese churches with our academic output and narrow the gap between them. We could, of course, divide our time proportionally, but we should never forget the call from God to serve the churches. The conference ended with prayer, a simple but meaningful act that distinguished it from many academic gatherings I have attended and embodied the conference’s vision of integrating scholarship, ministry, and spiritual formation. I was inspired not just academically, but spiritually by the conference. At the invitation by Andrea Lee, I am writing for ChinaSource for this very reason, which certainly echoes the call of the conference to bridge the gap between the academic world and the Chinese churches.
