The rapidly growing Chinese Protestant Church faces a significant challenge: it must adapt itself to the unique dimensions of Chinese culture, leaving behind the trail of old missionary theology and molding an authentically Chinese approach to biblical interpretation and Christian life — an approach that works within both the traditional and the contemporary dimensions of Chinese society. Rising from an extraordinary 2003 Sino-Nordic conference on Chinese contextual theology — which brought Chinese university scholars and church theologians together for the first time — Christianity and Chinese Culture addresses ways in which the church in China is responding to that challenge. The essays collected here highlight both the stunning complexities confronting Protestant Christianity in China and its remarkable potential. “This is a most timely publication on the current issues and research on Christianity and Chinese culture in the PRC — previously unavailable in English. The list of scholars in the collection reads like a Who’s Who? in Christian studies in China, including both secular academics and Christian theologians. The final part on ‘theological reconstruction’ is of particular interest, given its importance for the Protestant churches in the last decade. This book should be on the shelf of any scholar interested in the subject.” — Edmond Tang Director, East Asian Christian Studies University of Birmingham, UK Contributors: Zhao Dunhua, Zhang Qingxiong, Diane B. Obenchain, Svein Rise, He Guanghu, Wan Junren, Lo Ping-cheung, You Bin, He Jianming, Lai Pan-chiu, Jorgen Skov Sorensen, Jyri Komulainen, Gao Shining, Zhuo Xinping, Notto R. Thelle, Yang Huilin, Thor Strandenaes, Li Pingye, Vladimir Fedorov, Wang Xiaochao, Choong Chee Pang, Zhang Minghui, Li Qiuling, Fredrik F�llman, Birger Nygaard, Deng Fucun, Chen Xun, Gerald H. Anderson, Zhu Xiaohong, Sun Yi, Chen Yongtao, Lin Manhong, Wu Xiaoxin.
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Consumer Detox: Less Stuff, More Life Consumer Detox: Less Stuff, More Life
Consumerism is everywhere. It shapes the way we eat, shop, rest, think, love and believe. We can't escape it, but how can we live well in the midst of it? We are daily seduced by a 250 billion dollar marketing machine. But how often do we consider how this might influence us? The current prevailing orthodoxy is that life should be lived to the max. By contrast, Jesus modeled a life of joyful limitation -- free to do; free not to do. Consumer Detox, complete with the Detox Diary in the back of the book with suggestions for each chapter, encouraging stories, and space for writing personal reflections, is for those who want to break out of a lifestyle dominated by consumerism and journey toward a richer, simpler, more generous life. Consumer Detox, written out of Mark Powley's experience of making a change in his own life, is a three part book that will help you break out of the consumer mindset, slow down to enjoy the natural rhythms of life, and live a life of generosity. This book isn't about living a smaller life but having a bigger vision, which can help you become everything you were made to be.