Constructing Chinese Christian identity in diaspora during the 1950s and 1960s: A case study of Xie Fuya (1892--1991)

Xie Fuya (1892-1991), one of the most prolific Chinese theologians of the 20th century, has so far been largely ignored in the historical or theological studies of Chinese Christianity. Even worse, Xie Fuya has been seriously misunderstood by some historians of Chinese Christianity. Some of them labeled him as a representative of the indigenous theologians who focused exclusively on the relation between Christianity and Chinese culture without any concern for the relevance of the Christian message to the contemporary social change. Some stereotyped him as one of the Chinese Christians who made a far-fetched comparison between Chinese culture and Christianity. However, these prevailing paradigmatic "conclusions" on Xie Fuya are not properly based on in-depth historical investigation and the derived theological criticisms were merely built on some a-historical assumptions.; The present research aims at pointing out that the relevant historical materials do not support the above conclusions-that Xie Fuya did not concern the social and political situation of his homeland and indwelling place(s). In fact, historical evidences show that Xie as an indigenous theologian, not only spent time on bridging the relation between Christian message and Chinese culture, but also paid much effort in social construction and political participation. All these were done both before and after 1949.; Furthermore, the present research is going to indicate that many historians and theologians have failed to take serious the diasporic context when articulating their concepts of traditional Chinese culture and of the Chinese identity. In fact, Xie Fuya, as a diasporic Chinese after 1949, did not define his Chinese identity and the Chinese culture in territorial or political terms. Instead, he shared the viewpoints of those overseas Chinese who were struggling to survive in diasporic contexts. And his diasporic experience and horizon generated a critical understanding of Chinese culture and indigenous theology as well as their relationship. Even now, some scholars in Mainland China continue to emphasize that indigenous theology should be understood, discussed and applied within the social, political and cultural contexts of Mainland China only. However, their understandings of Chinese culture and Chinese identity, as well as the related methodology of indigenous theology they have employed, need to be examined critically.; The present thesis aims at investigating how the Chinese Christian intellectual Xie Fuya, responded to a diasporic movement resulting from the drastic political change of China in and after 1949. He tried to construct a unique and new identity that he had never had before-an identity that helped him to face the diasporic environment and generated a new horizon of his understanding of his faith. Showing the contents of this identity; the thesis illustrates how unique Xie's diasporic identity was expressed in the community of Chinese intellectuals and Chinese Christians during the 1950s and 1960s. That identity could not have been created, experienced and articulated by any Chinese and Christians inside Mainland China at that time.; The thesis will argue that it is Xie Fuya's experience of being forced to leave his homeland and the reflection of his Christian thought and experience that helped formulate his diasporic identity. Furthermore, both the fate of Chinese overseas in different areas because of the change of international politics, and the understanding of his own ethnicity and culture through the discourse among the Chinese intellectuals in Hong Kong, helped reinforce the articulation of that dislocating identity.; In addition, the thesis will argue that this diasporic identity constitutes a significant ingredient of Xie Fuya's indigenous theology and contributes to Xie's new understanding of his own indigenous theology of Christianity in a post-1949 diasporic environment. Xie's indigenous theology, especially his theological me...