K. H. Ting
Encyclopedia
Ting Kuang-hsun (born 20 September 1915), is a former Anglican Bishop
in mainland China
, who is now Chairperson emeritus of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement
and President emeritus of the China Christian Council
, the government-approved Protestant church in China. He was an Anglican Bishop
in the 1940s and 1950s; as he has not disclaimed his ordination, he is still technically a bishop, although the Anglican Church
no longer exists as an institution in China; along with all recognized denominations, it was merged into the Three-Self Patriotic Movement
in the 1950s.
Ting has also held a number of political posts. He is a vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
, and a member of the National People's Congress
, China's legislature.
(1937–42), receiving his B.A. in 1937 and his B.D. in 1942. In 1942 he was also ordained to the Anglican diaconate and married Siu-May Kuo (d. 1995). In 1946 he and his wife moved to Canada where he became missions secretary of the Canadian Student Christian Movement. He subsequently studied at Columbia University
and at Union Theological Seminary
, both in New York
(1947 to 1948). He graduated with masters in arts and theology.
From 1942 to 1945, Ting worked in administrative affairs of the YMCA
, and from 1946 to 1947, of the Canadian Student Christian Movement. From 1948 to 1951 he worked in administrative affairs of the World Student Christian Federation
in Geneva
, Switzerland
. In 1951 they and their young son returned to China. Their second son was born in 1952. He went on to serve as General Manager of the Shanghai-based Chinese Christian Literature Society, from 1951–53. In 1953 he became principal of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary and the following year was elected to the standing committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement
. In 1955, he was consecrated as the Anglican bishop Zhejiang. During the cultural revolution he lost his positions but returned to prominence in the 1970s. In 1980, he became President of the China Christian Council
and leader of the TSPM, positions he held until 1997. In 1985, he helped found the Amity Foundation and he remains its president as well as being principal of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary.
stooge and propagandist (he has denied that persecution of religious believers is an ongoing reality in China, a claim disputed by many human rights organizations including Amnesty International
). Others consider that he is doing the best he can by working within the system to get the best possible deal for Christians in circumstances that are beyond his control.
Christian theology, devoid of foreign influence but sensitive to the Chinese context.
He is known best for his Christology
of the Cosmic Christ. Influenced greatly by the thinking of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
and process theology
, Ting's Cosmic Christ attempts to teach (1) that the whole cosmos is Christ's domain and (2) that God must be understood in terms of the love of Jesus, as seen throughout the four Gospels.
In regard to the hamartiology
, Ting has pushed away from the traditional emphasis on people as "sinners" but also as individuals who are "sinned against."
He has been accused of replacing the traditional Protestant Doctrine of justification by faith with justification by love. Some have accused that this allows those who practice love to be within the boundaries of Christianity, regardless of their religious confession, and is considered an attempt to reconcile the atheistic ideology of Communism with Christianity in order to maintain good relations with the People’s Republic of China. However, he has explicitly stated that he neither understands what the phrase means but considers it a misleading imitation of justification by faith.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
, who is now Chairperson emeritus of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement
Three-Self Patriotic Movement
The Three-Self Patriotic Movement or TSPM is a state-controlled Protestant church in the People's Republic of China...
and President emeritus of the China Christian Council
China Christian Council
The China Christian Council or CCC was founded in 1980 as an umbrella organization for all Protestant churches in the People's Republic of China with Bishop K. H. Ting as its president. It works to provide theological education and the publication of Bibles , hymnals , and other religious...
, the government-approved Protestant church in China. He was an Anglican Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in the 1940s and 1950s; as he has not disclaimed his ordination, he is still technically a bishop, although the Anglican Church
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
no longer exists as an institution in China; along with all recognized denominations, it was merged into the Three-Self Patriotic Movement
Three-Self Patriotic Movement
The Three-Self Patriotic Movement or TSPM is a state-controlled Protestant church in the People's Republic of China...
in the 1950s.
Ting has also held a number of political posts. He is a vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference [], shortened as 人民政协, Rénmín Zhèngxié, i.e. "People's PCC"; or just 政协, Zhèngxié, i.e. "The PCC"), abbreviated CPPCC, is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China...
, and a member of the National People's Congress
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress , abbreviated NPC , is the highest state body and the only legislative house in the People's Republic of China. The National People's Congress is held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China; with 2,987 members, it is the...
, China's legislature.
Biography
Ting was educated at Shanghai's Saint John's UniversitySaint John's University, Shanghai
St. John's University was an Anglican university located in Shanghai, China. Before the Chinese Civil War it was regarded as one of the most prestigious universities in Shanghai and China...
(1937–42), receiving his B.A. in 1937 and his B.D. in 1942. In 1942 he was also ordained to the Anglican diaconate and married Siu-May Kuo (d. 1995). In 1946 he and his wife moved to Canada where he became missions secretary of the Canadian Student Christian Movement. He subsequently studied at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and at Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
, both in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(1947 to 1948). He graduated with masters in arts and theology.
From 1942 to 1945, Ting worked in administrative affairs of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, and from 1946 to 1947, of the Canadian Student Christian Movement. From 1948 to 1951 he worked in administrative affairs of the World Student Christian Federation
World Student Christian Federation
The World Student Christian Federation is a federation of autonomous national Student Christian Movements forming the youth and student arm of the global ecumenical movement...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In 1951 they and their young son returned to China. Their second son was born in 1952. He went on to serve as General Manager of the Shanghai-based Chinese Christian Literature Society, from 1951–53. In 1953 he became principal of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary and the following year was elected to the standing committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement
Three-Self Patriotic Movement
The Three-Self Patriotic Movement or TSPM is a state-controlled Protestant church in the People's Republic of China...
. In 1955, he was consecrated as the Anglican bishop Zhejiang. During the cultural revolution he lost his positions but returned to prominence in the 1970s. In 1980, he became President of the China Christian Council
China Christian Council
The China Christian Council or CCC was founded in 1980 as an umbrella organization for all Protestant churches in the People's Republic of China with Bishop K. H. Ting as its president. It works to provide theological education and the publication of Bibles , hymnals , and other religious...
and leader of the TSPM, positions he held until 1997. In 1985, he helped found the Amity Foundation and he remains its president as well as being principal of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary.
Human rights controversy
Human rights activists around the world are divided in their opinion of K.H. Ting. Some see him as a Communist PartyCommunist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
stooge and propagandist (he has denied that persecution of religious believers is an ongoing reality in China, a claim disputed by many human rights organizations including Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
). Others consider that he is doing the best he can by working within the system to get the best possible deal for Christians in circumstances that are beyond his control.
Theology
Bishop Ting's contribution to theology in China includes his controversial campaign of "theological construction" or "theological reconstruction." This is an attempt to create an indigenousIndigenous church mission theory
Indigenous churches are churches suited to local culture and led by local Christians. There have been two main Protestant strategies proposed for the creation of indigenous churches:...
Christian theology, devoid of foreign influence but sensitive to the Chinese context.
He is known best for his Christology
Christology
Christology is the field of study within Christian theology which is primarily concerned with the nature and person of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament. Primary considerations include the relationship of Jesus' nature and person with the nature...
of the Cosmic Christ. Influenced greatly by the thinking of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ was a French philosopher and Jesuit priest who trained as a paleontologist and geologist and took part in the discovery of both Piltdown Man and Peking Man. Teilhard conceived the idea of the Omega Point and developed Vladimir Vernadsky's concept of Noosphere...
and process theology
Process theology
Process theology is a school of thought influenced by the metaphysical process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and further developed by Charles Hartshorne . While there are process theologies that are similar, but unrelated to the work of Whitehead the term is generally applied to the...
, Ting's Cosmic Christ attempts to teach (1) that the whole cosmos is Christ's domain and (2) that God must be understood in terms of the love of Jesus, as seen throughout the four Gospels.
In regard to the hamartiology
Hamartiology
Hamartiology is the branch of Christian theology, which aims to develop and articulate a doctrine of the biblical concept of sin....
, Ting has pushed away from the traditional emphasis on people as "sinners" but also as individuals who are "sinned against."
He has been accused of replacing the traditional Protestant Doctrine of justification by faith with justification by love. Some have accused that this allows those who practice love to be within the boundaries of Christianity, regardless of their religious confession, and is considered an attempt to reconcile the atheistic ideology of Communism with Christianity in order to maintain good relations with the People’s Republic of China. However, he has explicitly stated that he neither understands what the phrase means but considers it a misleading imitation of justification by faith.
See also
- Wickeri, Philip. Seeking the Common Ground: Protestant Christianity, the Three-Self Movement, and China's United Front, Orbis Books, 1988. ISBN 0-88344-441-0
- Wickeri, Philip. Reconstructing Christianity in China: K. H. Ting and the Chinese Church, Orbis Books, 2007. ISBN 1-57075-751-8
- Xinhua biography of KH Ting (Chinese)
- Protestant missions in China 1807-1953Protestant missions in China 1807-1953In the early 19th century, Western colonial expansion occurred at the same time as an evangelical revival throughout the English-speaking world, leading to more overseas missionary activity...