FTESEA News
Remembering Myanmar
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New Leaders of CCC/TSPM
(extracts from the email message of Rev. Cao Shengjie dated Feb
2, 2008)
The 8th National Conference of CCC/TSPM held January 9-13, 2008
has elected new leaders to guide the ministry of CCC/TSPM for
the next 5 years. "The new leadership is younger and active.
Rev. Gao Feng, president of CCC is a graduate from Nanjing Union
Theological Seminary and St. Paul Theological Seminary (M. Th.
) in USA. He has served as chair of Shandong provincial CC/TSPM
for many years. Elder Fu Xianwei, the chairman of TSPM has served
the Shanghai municipal TSPM and Mu-en church in the last 2 decades.
The General Secretary of CCC is Rev. Kan Baoping (STM of McGill
University in Canada), former vice president of Yanjing Theological
Seminary, and the Secretary General of TSPM is Rev. Xu Xiaohong,
former vice president of Shanxi Bible School".
FTESEA congratulates these new leaders and looks forward to cooperate
with them in the task of theological education in China.
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News item provided
by the Amity Foundation, Hong Kong office
17th Communist Party
Congress and Religion
The Chinese Communist
Party convenes a Party Congress every five years. It is a major
event during which the ruling party sets the direction for both
the party and the country for the next five years. The 17th Party
Congress took place 15-21 October 2007 in Beijing, attended by
2,235 delegates.
At the conclusion of
the 17th Congress of the Communist Party in China recently, most
analysts observed that Hu Jintao, the President, was unable to
establish indisputable control of the Politburo in terms of the
choice of its members. They surmise that it would mean he would
be less inclined to introduce reforms, especially political ones,
that would be seen as rocking the boat. On the other hand, the
Party seems to be taking more measures to win over different sectors
of the population. More than 150 non-party members, many of them
representatives of the National Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference (CPPCC), were invited to witness the proceedings of
the Party Congress as observers.
In what was described
as significant by the China Daily, religion was mentioned in the
Communist Party Constitution for the first time in its 86-year
history. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-10/22/content_6194537.htm
According to the article of Oct. 22,
" For the first time in its history, the Communist Party
of China (CPC) has mentioned the word 'religion' in an amendment
to its Constitution adopted on Sunday at the closing session of
the 17th CPC National Congress. For the text of the Party's constitution
go to http://www.chinaview.cn/17thcpc/)
The Communist Party of China upholds and promotes socialist ethnic
relations based on equality, solidarity, mutual assistance and
harmony, actively trains and promotes cadres from among ethnic
minorities, helps ethnic minorities and ethnic autonomous areas
with their economic, cultural and social development, and ensures
that all ethnic groups work together for common prosperity and
development. The Party strives to fully implement its basic principle
for its work related to religious affairs, and rallies religious
believers in making contributions to economic and social development."
A resolution on the
amendment to the Constitution said "To incorporate into its
Constitution the principles and policies the Party has formulated
for guiding efforts to strengthen the work related to ethnic and
religious affairs, among others, is conducive to their full implementation
and getting better results in the Party's work in this area."
It said the insertion has been made in light of the new circumstances
and tasks. Ye Xiaowen, Director of SARA (State Administration
for Religious Affairs) was quoted as saying "With the new
elaboration on religious work, the Party is determined to enhance
the active role of the religious circle and faithful in boosting
social and economic development."
Interviewed by China
Scope magazine at the time of the Party Congress, Rev. Cao Shengjie,
President of the China Christian Council, said that there is still
room for Christianity to grow in China. She added that the growth
of Christianity is hindered by constraints from within, and some
interference from outside. There is a shortage of formally trained
personnel, leading to misinterpretations of Christian teachings.
This has resulted in some social problems. Cao said that the biggest
challenge facing Christianity in China is good management and
training so that talented people can get up-to-date with today's
society.
Some observers say
it is too early to tell what effects the 17th Party Congress will
have on religious policy and practice. However, there is little
doubt that the Chinese government is paying much more attention
to religion than in the past. In recent months, numerous religious
delegations have visited China, many at the invitation of the
State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA). Christian delegations
that have visited Beijing and Shanghai have come from Europe,
Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Africa. In September,
Cardinal Pham Minh Man of Vietnam visited China at the invitation
of the Chinese government. Observing that state officials were
interested in Sino-Vatican relations, Cardinal Man told them that
the Holy See is eager to establish diplomatic ties with China.
In his interview with Sunday Examiner, Man said he told Chinese
officials that Pope Benedict XVI had expressed a wish to establish
diplomatic ties between the Holy See and both China and Vietnam
during the early years of his papacy. He assured them that the
Holy See will not hesitate to break its ties with Taiwan, as it
is only an administrative post. (Sunday Examiner, front page,
4 November 2007.)
In October, at the
invitation of the Director of SARA, nine members of the Primates
of the Global South of the Anglican Communion representing Africa,
Asia and the Middle East made a visit to Beijing, Xian, Nanjing
and Shanghai. The delegation discussed national religious policies
and state-church relations. As the group's visit coincided with
the 17th Party Congress, it issued the following statement welcoming
the mention of religion in the Party's constitution: "We
wholeheartedly commend the Chinese government for its openness
and desire to extend sustainable support to the work of the churches
here (in China). This was expressed in concrete terms by a very
significant amendment to the Constitution of the Communist Party
of China during the recent 17th National Party Congress. The amendment
mentioned the word 'religion' in (the) Constitution for the first
time in the history of modern China, and resolves to strengthen
the work for the full implementation of the policy of freedom
of religion in China." (Source: Francis Wong, ENI writer,
Hong Kong.)
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Book announcement:
Off the Menu:
Asian and Asian North American Women's Religion and Theology,
coedited by Rita Nakashima Brock, Jung Ha Kim, Kwok Pui-lan,
and Seung Ai Yang, has been published by Westminster John Knox
Press in 2007. The publication is based on more than twenty years
of dialogue within the network Pacific, Asia, and North American
Asian Women in Theology and Ministry (PANAAWTM). FTESEA has supported
the work of PANAAWTM for many years and funded the book project.
With 16 chapters, the book showcases current Asian and Asian North
American women's theological work and indicate future theological
directions for this growing theological movement. The book is
divided into 4 parts: history and identity; reinventing spiritual
traditions; reorienting we-self; and embodied agency. It discusses
feminist biblical interpretation, interreligious environmental
movements among Taiwanese women; sexual violence and trafficking
of women in Thailand; women and sexuality in India; and possibilities
for collaboration across Asia Pacific. Contributors include leading
scholars in the field as well as emerging scholars from a variety
of cultural, national, and geographical backgrounds. This groundbreaking
volume will be useful for seminaries, clergy, as well as laypersons
who are interested in the religious life and prophetic witness
of Asian women.
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|
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Honorary Trustee
Letty Russell, Professor Emerita at Yale Divinity School,
died on July 12th after a long illness.
Tributes
to Letty
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We congratulate FTESEA
Trustee Dr. Sze-kar Wan on his new teaching position as Professor
of New Testament at Perkins School of Theology. We wish him all
the best as he and his family make the move to Texas. Dr. Wan's
new address is:
Professor of New Testament
Perkins School of Theology
Southern Methodist University
P. O. Box 750133
Dallas, TX 75275
Email: swan@smu.edu
Phone: (214) 768-3553
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The next FTESEA
Executive Committee meeting will be held on Monday, December 10,
2007 and the Annual Board meeting will be on Tuesday, December
11, at the Brossman Learning Center of the Lutheran Theological
Seminary at Philadelphia. For more information about LTSP, please
refer to their web site : www.ltsp.edu.
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The FTESEA
Executive Committee met at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at
Philadelphia from June 18-19, 2007. The following representatives
of FTESEA partners attended the meeting:
Dr. Thu En
Yu (Chair ATESEA and Principal, Sabah Theological Seminary, Malaysia)
Rev. Bao, Jiayuan (Associate General Secretary of China Christian
Council)
Ms. Zhang, Jing (Cathy) (Nanjing Union Theological Seminary)
Dr. Wati Longchar (World Council of Churches)
Ms. Deborah DeWinter (World Council of Churches)
