| The differences between the perceptions of ultimate reality held by New Confucianism and Christianity greatly concern the Chinese church leaders. In order to effectively communicate the Christian God to those who have been influenced by Confucian philosophy, a thorough examination of New Confucianism is fundamental. The views of Tu Wei-Ming and Cheng Chung-Ying, commonly acknowledged as outstanding scholars in this field, have been selected to represent the ethos of modern New Confucians. The comparisons and contrasts between New Confucian and Christian interpretations of ultimate reality stand out as the core of this research.; Chapters 2 and 3 aim to bestow a theoretical framework unveiling the authentic understandings of Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, and New Confucianism with respect to the notion of ultimate reality. The teachings of three notable thinkers, Chang Tsai, Chu Hsi, and Wang Yang-Ming, have been chosen to illustrate the dominating themes of Neo-Confucianism, while four influential New Confucians have been selected to illustrate the predominant features of their perspectives of ultimate reality.; The objective of chapter 4 is to portray the historical background of Confucian and Christian encounters and the resultant dialogues. Chapter 5 illustrates the Christian theology of ultimate reality.{09}The opinions of renowned theologians, including some evangelical spokespersons and process thinkers, are introduced.; Chapters 6 and 7 contain an analysis of Tu's and Cheng's perceptions of ultimate reality. Both Tu and Cheng hold to a bipolar interpretation that ultimate reality can be seen as the impersonal “Principle” with multifaceted meanings and the subjective realization of that Principle in human experiences.; A Christian response to Tu's and Cheng's stance is proffered in chapter 8. This chapter contains the core examination of this research project in which the profound notions of “being,” “nonbeing,” “becoming,” and “transcendence” are discussed. In my concluding remarks, the missiological implications are outlined in face of the challenge of present-day Christian mission. However, this thesis is grounded upon the affirmation that biblical authority commands both a passion and a last word that goes beyond mere religious comparison. |
