Loading...
Wang Mingdao's Spirituality of the Christian Life
Luk, Chiu Ming
Luk, Chiu Ming
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
This is a research on the spirituality of Wang Mingdao (1900–1991), who is highly regarded as a champion of scriptural fidelity within the Chinese church.The thesis of this dissertation is: Wang’s spirituality is informed by his theology. The primary research question of this dissertation is: how does historical theology inform and shape Wang’s spirituality? In answering the primary research question, this dissertation explores three areas: teachings from major Christian thinkers, teachings of Pietist theology and teachings from four major Christian doctrines: Scripture, regeneration, holiness, and eternal life. These translate into four secondary questions. First, what role did Scripture play in Wang’s spirituality? Second, why is a regenerate life so important in Wang’s version of a true Christian? Third, why is a set-apart holy life so critical to Wang’s spirituality? Finally, what is Wang’s understanding about the Christian life now and the world to come? This dissertation aims at refuting Wang’s critics that his messages were too simplistic and have only marginal theological value. The central concern here is to affirm how theological doctrines shape Christian experience as advocated by Wang. It is vital to realize that to fully grasp a person’s spirituality is to probe into his theological adherence. Wang’s expositions involved strong affirmations of theology that were embedded and expounded in ordinary terms understandable by the laity. This was due to his strong preference to articulate a praxis of Christian life instead of pursuing an intellectual approach to the Christian faith. Most research on Wang in the past has drawn conclusions from a cursory reading on what he wrote. In contrast, this dissertation employs a close and critical reading of a set of highly representative sample writings by Wang to unravel his theological underpinnings. The set involves ten of his major writings that cover six genres that reflect his spirituality. There are seven chapters in this dissertation. Chapter 1 introduces the subject of spirituality, my thesis, and the four research questions. Chapter 2 surveys the relevant literature, while chapter 3 discusses the methodological framework I undertake to carry out the theological examinations on Wang’s writings. The next two chapters describe how I shall conduct the analyses. Chapter 4 is devoted to discussions on the first five writings, and chapter 5 consists of similar treatments on the remaining five. In chapter 6, the discussion will shift to an overall evaluation of how various historical teachings and the four doctrines perform to establish Wang’s spirituality. The last chapter summarizes all arguments, results, and major conclusions. The whole dissertation confirms that Zōē as the core component of Wang’s spirituality has a strong theological base. To date, the amount of scholarly attention given to Wang is not commensurate with his esteemed status. At most, scholars merely provide snapshots of aspects about him. The significance of this study lies in articulating the most essential theological doctrines that inform Wang’s spirituality. The research is a focused examination of Wang’s praxis orientation and how he lived out what he believed. This study fills a lacuna in Wang studies for the English-speaking world. The present work also contributes to ongoing discussions on how biblical spirituality should be practiced that contributes to a robust Christian living. The practice is particularly important to envision the correct path towards an authentic Christian spirituality.
Description
Ph.D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2026
Date
2026-05
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Collections
Files
Loading...
Luk_sbts_0207D_10951.pdf
Adobe PDF, 1.72 MB