Sino-Theology and the Philosophy of History: A Collection of Essays by Liu Xiaofeng by Liu Xiaofeng (review)

The tremendous growth of Christianity in China after Mao Zedong is a topic often mentioned in Western media and church circles, but few people outside China have actually read anything written by Chinese theologians or by Chinese Christians at all. Liu Xiaofeng (b. 1956) could have been a household name in Western theological circles, but he is not. Liu studied for his doctorate with Heinrich Ott in Basel and passed his exam in 1993, specializing on Max Scheler, and his thesis was written in German. Liu Xiaofeng's books have sold in large quantities in China for being academic books, and some of his publications have been reprinted several times. Interestingly, Liu is very well known in Chinese academia but not so much in Chinese churches. Liu Xiaofeng is one of a handful scholars that emerged in the 1980s who made up the core of what has often been called "the cultural Christian phenomenon" in China. Few scholars concerned really embraced the term, but it has lingered for lack of a better name. The phenomenon as such has had a tremendous impact on younger intellectuals, and some of those involved were behind the reestablishment of theology as an academic field in mainland Chinese academia. To some extent, the "cultural Christians" also had an impact on the development of the broader field of religious study in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Therefore, the work of Liu Xiaofeng should be read by a much wider audience, and the recent publication by Brill, Sino-Theology and the Philosophy of History: A Collection of Essays by Liu Xiaofeng, makes the first major attempt to enable this.

Austrian sinologist and theologian Leopold Leeb, a professor at Renmin University of China in Beijing, has published what is the first major translation of Liu Xiaofeng's work in any foreign language. Non-Chinese-speaking readers can finally access a selection of works that have influenced a whole generation of Chinese intellectuals. Liu Xiaofeng and his fellow "cultural Christians" were introducing Christian theology as a possible academic subject, as well as a possible foundation for a new Chinese modernity, and a new voice in a more pluralistic society. Some who were called "cultural Christians" also professed their Christian faith; however, not within the framework of any church. Many of Liu's early articles appeared in intellectual journals, and reached a much wider audience than merely those interested in Christianity. Reading academic books and journals was "hot" in the late 1980s PRC, and the readers ranged from teenagers to the elderly, from the educated to the merely curious. Topics such as sin, Christian ethics, or Kierkegaard could suddenly dominate a journal issue, and the articles were devoured eagerly. Although never particularly outspoken about the personal faith aspect of his Christian research interest, Liu Xiaofeng did point out one of his books, Zou xiang shizijia shang de zhen (Towards the Truth on the Cross), as his "credo." By choosing to study theology, Liu Xiaofeng broke both with the Marxist mainstream and with traditional Chinese culture, and his perseverance in breaking new ground is one of his major contributions.

Reading Leopold Leeb's translation brings back many memories, as I spent much time studying Liu Xiaofeng and the phenomenon of "cultural Christians" for my doctoral thesis more than fifteen years ago. I have read the original Chinese texts many times, but I find Leeb's translation refreshing and a good way to discover, and rediscover, the texts. The primary importance of this volume is to introduce Liu Xiaofeng and Chinese perspectives on Christian faith and theology to a non-Chinese-speaking audience, but I am glad that Leeb has added Chinese characters for some words and expressions that are more difficult to translate directly. Readers with at least some knowledge of Chinese will thus know what choices Leeb has made...