Skip to content

Sivin Kit's Garden

Planting Seeds for a Better World

Menu
  • About
  • Church
  • Disclaimer
  • Education
  • Writing
Menu

eMo 2006.6 Notes: A Post-Colonial Kind of Christian

Posted on 25 June, 2006 by admin

emergent_malaysia.jpg

Alwyn Lau is always the fastest and well-articulate participant and blogger of our conversations thus far. Here is his blog post A Post-Colonial Kind of Christian for yesterday (check out the comments too).

“Well, that’s two firsts for me today at the Emergent Malaysia meeting in BLC.

I’ve never met an Orthodox monk before, so it was a pleasure to hear Father Daniel Toyne’s succint outlining of the Orthodox position and distinctiveness. I plan to blog more on this later, but this post will be more about the second ‘never before’ of my Saturday: Listening to Sherman Kuek speak on post-colonial orthodoxy.

Post-colonial orthodoxy is about rethinking what it means to live, think, work and witness as Christians in post-colonial territories (there was one British and two Americans among us, which added to some of the humourous dynamics cropping up here and there), yet doing so within the acceptable bounds of Christian orthodoxy.

Sherman explained upfront – after showing some eye-catching slides of depictions of Jesus throughout the world, very nice! (see the Chinese and African depictions above) – that he intends to raise more questions and problems than give concrete answers and solutions, given that post-colonialism is very much an evolving consciousness far from any hint of a final form, especially in theology. He also noted that post-colonialism is itself not exclusively Asian i.e. African and South American theologians will doubtless think differently. And even within Asia itself, we find a kaleidoscope of beliefs and worldviews (which forms the basis of why Sherman thinks that focusing on post-modernity may be somewhat premature in Asia: How can one talk about what comes after the phenomenon called “modernity” when this phenomenon is as superficial, “washed ashore on Asia’s coasts” as Sherman puts in, as it’s manifestations are manifold?)

But to get straight into the discussion, Sherman offered three guiding principles to rethink theology within an Asian context (and at this point I’ll note that whilst I wish to see how “Asian post-colonial theology”, as Sherman has introduced it, differs from “Asian theology” or the significance if these are in fact two synonymous terms, I still appreciate the term and look forward to its further development) :

1. The first principle is pluralism, almost a ‘bad word’ in evangelical traditions, but a necessary (missional?) trajectory if one is build bridges to Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists and Confucionists with their unique understanding of monotheism, karma, enlightenment, cosmic balance, social order and so on. If nothing else, perhaps this is a call for us to frame our questions and answers in ways which makes sense to the worldviews (and worlds) of our listeners.

If I could throw in a pence or two here, I recall reading Joel Green and Mark Baker’s insightful Recovering the Scandal of the Cross: Atonement in Contemporary Contexts, where the authors suggest that the ‘Western’ account of sin would have received far less attention in Japan, than would the Asian idea of shame. Pitching Anselm, Calvin or what-have-you in the Land of the Rising Sun may be akin to trying to convince sushi-eating people that fish-‘n-chips is what they really should be going for (maybe that’s a bad analogy but I think you get the idea).

I’m manipulating (helpfully, I hope) some of Sherman’s thoughts here, but I’d like to suggest that the call to incorporate (cautiously, no doubt) pluralism into Christian theology resonates well with the call to reexamine evangelicalism’s evangelistic paradigms and scope of engagement (two of four points on ‘Evangelical Shifting’ blogged by Sherman earlier).

Over against an over-emphasis on conversion, numerical growth and factory-like efficiency which tend to objectify persons as mere ‘souls’ to be won, Sherman proposes a comeback to dignifying people. I recall a non-Christian friend telling me many years ago that he doesn’t want to become an evangelistic project. Wow. That such terminology could arise from people outside the church ought to be cause for reflection and, maybe, repentance on our part.

The Christian offer of salvation also should go beyond, well, the ‘Christian’ offer of salvation which has usually meant being saved for heaven and little else. Reconciliation with God also entails reconciliation with creation and community. Positive moves here might include combining a talk on Jesus’ Lordship and the call to surrender to it with a strong ecological message? Or moving social, health or political concerns (instead of personal sin) to the top of the agenda of an evangelistic rally?

2. Sherman then talked a little about the multi-faceted nature of Asian thinking. This is the part which resonated most with my post-modern explorations (despite the dissimilar priorities he and I have regarding post-modernism). Western thinking is more linear, either/or; Asians think in circular, parallel manner, accepting both/and. The West treasures propositional dogma and system over and above relational authenticity and intuition. Asian values the latter over the former.

Whilst such pairings are controversial and doubtless some would say that Sherman is dealing with false dichotomy here, I found myself nodding, especially given the boundary-making tendencies prevalent in Western theological mindset: “A Christ-like life isn’t worth much if you don’t believe the right things, we’ll still consider you a heretic.” (along with the requisite appeal to Galatians, no less) On the contrary, I suspect it’ll be difficult to find Buddhists or Hindus ex-communicating each other over a matter of doctrine, as long as the requisite rituals and festivals are observed. (And yes, I am over-simplifying matters somewhat but I think often one must ZOOM OUT in order to get a good view of the differences, even at the cost of sacrificing some granularity and detail).

I think this factor aligns well with the rexamination of evangelical epistemology. A milestone suggestion by Sherman here, IMO, is that truth is universal whereas truth-claims are not(!). I think this creatively emphasizes the post-propositional nature of truth and how little attention evangelicalism has given to it, whilst acknowledging, as Sherman did throughout his presentation, that logic and proposition are necessary even in proposals to go beyond this).

As an example, Sherman echoes my views on the near-irrelevance or non-necessity of the doctrine of inerrancy, which he believes dies the death of a thousand qualifications (to be fair, he limits this to an Asian context whereas I think it plays throughout the world. I’m also beginning to think that what Sherman says about Asia I tend to view as more or less true globally given the advent of post-modernism. But this is another story…*smile*) Yet, thank God, an Asian Christian like him doesn’t NEED this doctrine for him to accept the authority of Scripture. It’s intuitive i.e. no strict logic or proof or argument needed. The certainty arises from the community – why insist on less secure footing such as logical argument?

3. The third factor a post-colonial orthodoxy should bear in mind is what Sherman called the Great Tradition. I suppose this is the ‘anchor’ to ensure that however far one explores the territory away from one’s historical roots, one ought to remember the value and contributions of not only one’s predecessors, but also the others who have ventured into new paths of their own. We journey to the ends of the world, but we do not severe ties with Judea and Samaria, much less Jerusalem.

I think this is another way of saying that whilst we’re living waaaaay ahead in the story of God, we would do well to remember that we’re still IN and PART OF a wonderful story and so our lives must reflect all the beauty, power, love and truth of God’s people throughout time i.e. all the characters since the first chapter. The spiritual life is a storied life and the storied Christian life is a dramatic unfolding and pushing forward to a glorious climax of God’s victory in full learning and humility about what came before, what promises were given, and what it means to ‘progress’ along the narrative.

Post-colonial (or Asian?) orthodoxy is about digging deeper (into our culture and our spiritual history) to find new resources we need to navigate the world’s challenges and fulfil our God-given mission. This can be scary as it often requires rethinking and reconstructing our identity, the core of who we are in Christ.

At the very least, it’s a strive, almost a pilgrimage, towards authenticity. And this, one hopes, is always a good thing, no matter where you are. East or West.”

thanks Alwyn for being our “official-unofficial” emergent Malaysia scribe.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Sivin Kit’s Adventures …
  • Moved to Medium
  • The End | The Beginning
  • I Will be Back …
  • It’s Been a While …

Recent Comments

  • Sivin Kit on Project 365: A photo a day for 2010 – Pilot
  • Malaysia: Government Vows to Review Web Censorship Law After Protest · Global Voices on STOP 114A: INTERNET BLACKOUT DAY
  • List of Participants in Internet Blackout Day! « #Stop114A on STOP 114A: INTERNET BLACKOUT DAY
  • Join Us and Support Internet Blackout Day « #Stop114A on STOP 114A: INTERNET BLACKOUT DAY
  • JB on Imagining My PhD Journey

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

CALENDAR

June 2006
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
« May   Jul »
  • Academics
  • Bangsar Lutheran Church
  • Beyond
  • Bible
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • Christian Year – Lent
  • Church
  • Conversations
  • Emergent/Emerging Churches
  • Events
  • Family
  • Five Sentences
  • Friends in Conversation
  • Fun stuff
  • Gracious Christianity
  • Ideas
  • Images
  • Leadership
  • Learning
  • Lists
  • Lutheran
  • Lutheran Church in Malaysia & Singapore
  • Malaysia
  • Meditation
  • Micah Mandate
  • Mission
  • Movies
  • Music
  • New Stuff
  • Norway
  • Norwegian Notes
  • Personal
  • Philosophy
  • Podcast
  • Preaching
  • Prezi
  • Project 365
  • Random Links
  • Random Thoughts
  • Random Tweets
  • Random Utterances
  • Religion
  • Resources
  • RoH Malaysia
  • Second Thoughts
  • Seven Series
  • Simple Steps
  • Spirituality
  • Technology
  • Theology
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • World
  • Worship
  • Writing

Archives

  • November 2023
  • November 2020
  • November 2014
  • April 2014
  • February 2014
  • April 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • August 2012
  • June 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
  • August 2006
  • July 2006
  • June 2006
  • May 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
  • January 2006
  • December 2005
  • November 2005
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005
  • June 2005
  • May 2005
  • April 2005
  • March 2005
  • February 2005
  • January 2005
  • December 2004
  • November 2004
  • October 2004
  • September 2004
  • August 2004
  • July 2004
  • June 2004
  • May 2004
  • April 2004
  • March 2004
  • February 2004
  • January 2004
  • December 2003
  • November 2003
  • October 2003
  • September 2003
  • August 2003
  • July 2003
  • June 2003
  • May 2003
  • April 2003
  • February 2003
  • August 2002

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Pages

  • About
  • Church
  • Disclaimer
  • Education
  • Writing

Social Media

© 2025 Sivin Kit's Garden | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme