WHAT TIME IS IT?
Mainland Chinese Intellectuals in Historical Perspective 

Samuel Ling 


I.  Stirrings of the Present Moment: The Birth of a Movement of Chinese Intellectuals 

1.  Cross-cultural missionaries - 300 in 1989, how many in 1996?  
2.  Conversions - 5 to 10 %  out of 300,000?  
3.  Baptisms - 0ver 90% of Mandarin baptisms in NA (compare w/ Taiwan Chinese)  
4.  Seminarians and training programs (STEMI, ITS, etc.) 
5.  Full time workers - 20 at the November 1996 retreat... 
6.  New churches - 8? more? 

Comparison with OBC’s -- 1972   NACOCE
Comparison with ABC’s -- 1978   FACE
What time is it?  movement?  -- 1996 ...


II.  Chinese Intellectuals and Christianity in Modern Chinese History, 1800-2000 

1.  Christianity’s attempts to understand Chinese intellectuals  - Jesuits, 16th/17th century 
2.  Christianity’s attempts to modernize Chinese society - 19th century 
3.  Chinese intellectuals contact with, and misunderstanding of Christianity - 19th century
4.  Chiniese intellectuals’ recognition of, and rejection of liberal Christianity - 20th 
century 
5.  Chinese intellectuals’ isolation from fundamentalist Christianity 
6.  Chinese intellectuals’ exile (Taiwan, Hong Kong) and openness to Christianity - 
1960’s
7.  Chinese intellectuals’ exile (PRC’s) and openness to Christianity - 1980’s, 1990’s 
 
Conclusion:  2nd of 2 unique “waves” or “windows” of openness 
                    Residue of misunderstanding, rejection, opposition 
                    Rich heritage ... Learn from mistakes also 


III.  Chinese Intellectuals and the Chinese Church, 1800-2000 

1.  Chinese church’s (western) anti-intellectual foundations, 19th century
2.  Chinese church’s (Chinese) moralistic foundations, 20th century 
3.  Chinese church’s (contemporary) experiential foundations (suffering), 20th century 
4.  Chinese church’s (contemporary) pseudo-intellectual foundations, 20th/21st century 
 
Conclusion: An ecclesiologicall crisis 
                   At heart, a theological crisis 


IV.  Chinese Intellectuals and the Kingdom of God, 1996-2016 

1.  Goals of mission: 
      a.  Evangelism - conversion       II Corinthians 10:4-5 
      b.  Discipleship - maturity as a church/movement 
      c.  Transformation - China, the world (mission movement) - the present crisis in 
world 
           history  
      Footnote: One mandate (Gospel/Culture) 
2.  Special foci of discipleship: creation mandates  
      a.  Family reconstruction 
      b.  Church model
           (1) The suffering tradition: the search for healing 
           (2) The dialectic tradition: the search for truth 
           (3) The Chinese local tradition: search for community and celebration 
           (4)  The evangelical tradition: the road to the Cross 
      c.  Work-business-management (see V.3.)    


V.  Chinese Intellectuals and the Imitation of Christ 

1.  Approach to the Mind and Heart 
      a.  Proper use of intellect: regeneration, love God with mind, body of 
          doctrine/worldview, subjection to Scripture
           Danger: pride, false intellectualism   
      b.  Proper use of heart: healing by Holy Spirit, total commitment, waiting and 
           obedience, in subjection to Scripture
           Danger: anti-intellectualism, mysticism, spiritual pride 
2.  Community 
      a.  Openness to each other - transparency 
      b.  Accepting each other - love 
      c.  Working with each other - teamwork 
      d.  Trusting each other - faith 
      e.  Deference to each other  - obedience 
3.  Money and Management 
      a.  Structure as necessity, tool and servant
      b.  Money as tool, resource and gift 
      c.  Accountability - a must 
      d.  From learning about structures to creating structures 
4.  Mission 

  
Presented at a retreat for PRC Christian leaders, Lake Forest/Highland Park, Illinois 
November 15, 1996 
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