Pentecostals in the Public Sphere
Between Counterculturalism and Adaptation (Observations from the Chinese Context in Hong Kong)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/ptcs.27309Keywords:
public theology, history of Pentecostalism in the Chinese context, Pentecostalism, Citywide Renewal Hong Kong, Christian counterculturalism, prosperity theology, Christianity in Hong KongAbstract
This paper analyses the public theology of Pentecostalism in the Chinese context of Hong Kong by discussing Pentecostal Christians’ public involvement. It asks whether Pentecostal Christians actively shape society or are rather shaped by the surrounding culture and absorb and reflect dominant trends within a culture. The essay explains the different aspects of a Pentecostal public theology in the Chinese context by first giving an overview of different historical forms of Pentecostalism in the Hong Kong and Chinese context, each of them expressing a different pattern of public expression and engagement with public issues. The essay then presents some cases of how Pentecostalism engaged in public issues in Hong Kong. A third part identifies motifs of Pentecostalism that are particularly prominent in the Chinese cultural context. The article suggests that these cultural elements shape the engagement with public spheres and push Pentecostals in the Chinese context towards a public theology that is similar to that of conservative Evangelicals.
References
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Au, H. Y. C. 2011. “The Pentecostal Holiness Church’s Mission in the Anti-Christian Movement in China (1920–1930)”. Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 14.1: 27–55.
Bays, D. H. 1993. “Christian Revival in China, 1900–1937”. In E. L. Blumhofer and R. Balmer (eds), Modern Christian Revivals. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press: 161–79.
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— 2011. “Premillennial and Countercultural Faith and its Production and Reception in the Chinese Context”. Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 14.1: 3–26.
Chan, J. 2006. “Hong Kong Christians Vote for Democracy”. Hong Kong Christian Council News and Views (Fall). Retrieved from www.hkcc.org.hk/news_views/old/ NV_2006_103.pdf (accessed 14 March 2016).
Coleman, S. 2000. The Globalisation of Charismatic Christianity: Spreading the Gospel of Prosperity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/ CBO9780511488221
Cox, H. 1995. Fire from Heaven. The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-First Century. Reading, MA: Perseus Books.
Crawford, M. K. 1933. The Shantung Revival. Shanghai: China Baptist Publication Society, 1933.
Deng, Z. 2005. “Indigenous Chinese Pentecostal Denominations”. In A. Anderson and E. Tang (eds), Asian and Pentecostal: The Charismatic Face of Christianity in Asia. Costa Mesa, CA: Regnum: 354–78.
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Martin, D. 2002. Pentecostalism: The World Their Parish. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
McConnell, D. R. 1995. A Different Gospel. A Historical and Biblical Analysis of the Modern Faith Movement. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
McGee, G. B. 2004. People of the Spirit: The Assemblies of God. Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House.
Meyer, B. 2010. “Pentecostalism and Globalization”. In Anderson et al. (2010): 113–32.
Miller, D. and T. Yamamori. 2007. Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Pentecostal Holiness Church Incorporation (ed.). 2007. Hong Kong Pentecostal Holiness Church Centennial Celebration Special Edition. Hong Kong: Pentecostal Holiness Church Incorporation.
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. 2011. Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. Retrieved from www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-china. aspx (accessed 14 March 2016).
Robeck, C. M., Jr. 2006. The Azusa Street Mission and Revival. The Birth of the Global Pentecostal Movement. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Rubinstein, M. A. 1996. “Holy Spirit Taiwan: Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in the Republic of China”. In Bays (1996a): 353–66.
611 Bread of Life Christian Church. 2014. “Exposé of the Mercy Seat Sanctuary.” 611 Bread of Life Christian Church Magazine (11 June): 437–66.
Tan-Chow, M. L. 2007. Pentecostal Theology for the Twenty-first Century: Engaging with Multi-faith Singapore. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Wai, L. M. 2012. “??????????”. Christian Times (31 October). Retrieved from http://christiantimes.org.hk/Common/Reader/News/ShowNews.jsp?Nid=69222& Pid=1&Version=0&Cid=837&Charset=big5_hkscs (accessed 14 March 2016).
Willems, E. 1967. Followers of the New Faith: Culture Change and the Rise of Protestantism in Brazil and Chile. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press.
Yang C. K. 1961. Religion in Chinese Society: A Study of Contemporary Social Functions of Religion and Some of Their Historical Factors. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Yong, A. 2010. In the Days of Caesar: Pentecostalism and Political Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.
— 2014. An Introduction to Pentecostalism. Global Charismatic Christianity, 2nd edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
—, M. Bergunder, A. Droogers and C. van der Laan (eds). 2010. Studying Global Pentecostalism: Theories and Methods. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Archer, K. J. 2004. A Pentecostal Hermeneutic for the Twenty-first Century: Spirit, Scripture and Community. London: T & T Clark, 2004.
Au, H. Y. C. 2011. “The Pentecostal Holiness Church’s Mission in the Anti-Christian Movement in China (1920–1930)”. Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 14.1: 27–55.
Bays, D. H. 1993. “Christian Revival in China, 1900–1937”. In E. L. Blumhofer and R. Balmer (eds), Modern Christian Revivals. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press: 161–79.
— (ed.). 1996a. Christianity in China: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press
— 1996b. “The Growth of Independent Christianity in China, 1900–1937”. In Bays (1996a): 307–16.
— 2012. A New History of Christianity in China. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
Bergunder, M. 2010. “The Cultural Turn”. In Anderson et al. (2010): 51–73.
Brandner, T. 2009. “Mission, Millennium, and Politics: A Continuation of the History of Salvation—from the East”. Missiology: An International Review 47.3 (July): 317–32.
— 2011. “Premillennial and Countercultural Faith and its Production and Reception in the Chinese Context”. Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 14.1: 3–26.
Chan, J. 2006. “Hong Kong Christians Vote for Democracy”. Hong Kong Christian Council News and Views (Fall). Retrieved from www.hkcc.org.hk/news_views/old/ NV_2006_103.pdf (accessed 14 March 2016).
Coleman, S. 2000. The Globalisation of Charismatic Christianity: Spreading the Gospel of Prosperity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/ CBO9780511488221
Cox, H. 1995. Fire from Heaven. The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-First Century. Reading, MA: Perseus Books.
Crawford, M. K. 1933. The Shantung Revival. Shanghai: China Baptist Publication Society, 1933.
Deng, Z. 2005. “Indigenous Chinese Pentecostal Denominations”. In A. Anderson and E. Tang (eds), Asian and Pentecostal: The Charismatic Face of Christianity in Asia. Costa Mesa, CA: Regnum: 354–78.
Droogers, A. 2001. “Globalisation and Pentecostal Success”. In A. Corten and R. MarshallFratani (eds), Between Babel and Pentecost: Transnational Pentecostalism in Latin America and Africa. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press: 41–61.
Goh, D. P.S. 2010. “State and Social Christianity in Post-colonial Singapore”. Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia 25.1 (April): 54–89.
Hollenweger, W. J. 1997. Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.
Johnson, T. M. and G. A. Zurlo (eds). 2017. World Christian Database. Leiden: Brill.
Khong, L. 2000. The Apostolic Cell Church: Practical Strategies for Growth and Outreach from the Story of Faith Community Baptist Church. Singapore: Touch Ministries International.
Kung, L. Y. 2003. “Globalization, Ecumenism and Pentecostalism. A Search for Human Solidarity in Hong Kong”. Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 6.1: 97–122.
Lian, X. 2010. Redeemed by Fire: The Rise of Popular Christianity in Modern China. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.12987/yale/ 9780300123395.001.0001
Love Singapore. 2008. 40 Days 08 Beyond Words. Singapore: Love Singapore. Retrieved from www.lovesingapore.org.sg/40day08.pdf (accessed 14 March 2016).
Ma, L. 2003. “A New Thing”. Speech to the pastors, 5 September, Royal Plaza Hotel. Retrieved from www.cityrenewal.com.hk/English_web/vision_sharing.htm (accessed 14 March 2016).
— 2010. “Statement Regarding Incident Involving Protesters at the GDOP (HK) on May 23rd [2010]”. Retrieved from www.cityrenewal.com.hk/English/home.html (accessed 12 February 2014).
Marsden, G. 2006. Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of Twentieth Century Evangelicalism. 1870–1925, 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Martin, D. 2002. Pentecostalism: The World Their Parish. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
McConnell, D. R. 1995. A Different Gospel. A Historical and Biblical Analysis of the Modern Faith Movement. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
McGee, G. B. 2004. People of the Spirit: The Assemblies of God. Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House.
Meyer, B. 2010. “Pentecostalism and Globalization”. In Anderson et al. (2010): 113–32.
Miller, D. and T. Yamamori. 2007. Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Pentecostal Holiness Church Incorporation (ed.). 2007. Hong Kong Pentecostal Holiness Church Centennial Celebration Special Edition. Hong Kong: Pentecostal Holiness Church Incorporation.
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. 2011. Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. Retrieved from www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-china. aspx (accessed 14 March 2016).
Robeck, C. M., Jr. 2006. The Azusa Street Mission and Revival. The Birth of the Global Pentecostal Movement. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Rubinstein, M. A. 1996. “Holy Spirit Taiwan: Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in the Republic of China”. In Bays (1996a): 353–66.
611 Bread of Life Christian Church. 2014. “Exposé of the Mercy Seat Sanctuary.” 611 Bread of Life Christian Church Magazine (11 June): 437–66.
Tan-Chow, M. L. 2007. Pentecostal Theology for the Twenty-first Century: Engaging with Multi-faith Singapore. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Wai, L. M. 2012. “??????????”. Christian Times (31 October). Retrieved from http://christiantimes.org.hk/Common/Reader/News/ShowNews.jsp?Nid=69222& Pid=1&Version=0&Cid=837&Charset=big5_hkscs (accessed 14 March 2016).
Willems, E. 1967. Followers of the New Faith: Culture Change and the Rise of Protestantism in Brazil and Chile. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press.
Yang C. K. 1961. Religion in Chinese Society: A Study of Contemporary Social Functions of Religion and Some of Their Historical Factors. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Yong, A. 2010. In the Days of Caesar: Pentecostalism and Political Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.
Published
2017-05-24
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Brandner, T. (2017). Pentecostals in the Public Sphere: Between Counterculturalism and Adaptation (Observations from the Chinese Context in Hong Kong). PentecoStudies, 16(1), 117–137. https://doi.org/10.1558/ptcs.27309
