A painting entitled "Hold On," by Liu Xiaodong (1999) shows a young man in his thirties grasping the handrail of a balcony. It resembles the gymnast's parallel bars, but he is no athlete. Rather, wearing glasses and somewhat thin, he looks vulnerable. In a garden below two elderly figures are shown wandering in their confine. The outline of a city is perceived in the distance. Li Puwen comments, "amidst the din and bustle of the city, what people feel is nothing but fatigue, nothing but the need to 'hold on'." (Chinese Cross Currents., Ricci Institute, I/3, 2004, p. 8). Yet city-dwellers do expect a brighter future, one worth all the sacrifice to live there: the noise, the bustle, the endless construction, the impersonal neighborhoods, the loss of intimacy. To be sure, there is a certain excitement and promise about living in modern China. The Olympics are coming to Beijing in 2008, and the World Expo to Shanghai in 2010. All eyes will be on this vast country.

But the threat to China's future is to grow economically but not spiritually. The principal challenge for the next few decades is surely the need for meaning and purpose. The poet Cheng Zhi has said, "Today, from Beijing to the regions, China is a desert of beliefs." We can confirm this to a point. Many Chinese people we met profess no faith, although they are certainly open for discussion. And as our colloquia involved the study of religion, we met many who were Christians, and others who were quite drawn to Christian faith, albeit often for practical reasons. Others are interested in Buddhism, Taoism or Confucianism, though with varying degrees of personal engagement. And although the number of registered Christians is in the tens of millions, the number of unregistered Christians (the House Church) may be as high as 80 million. This time our contacts were limited to the academic world, where is it acceptable to be a believer, though not always the best investment for one's career. For example, Professor *** of Fudan University in Shanghai told us he could not in good conscience join the Communist Party, because of its requirement of atheism. He is willing to take the consequences. At the same time, the professor also told us David Aikman's book, Jesus in Beijing, had done a great deal of harm. We garnered opinions such as these from various friends, often getting a very different take on the same question. So much to learn!

Two colloquia:

The major purpose for our visit was to participate in two important colloquia. The first was held in the large university of Wuhan, in Hubei Province (Sept. 17-20). The title was, Enlightenment and Secularization: the Course of Modernization in Both the West and East. Jointly hosted with the University of Birmingham's Religion Department, it was absolutely fascinating. Besides the 30 papers (plus 3 by graduate students) great benefit was derived from the personal interactions. These friendships are surely enduring. And, of course, there was marvelous ceremony and a great sense of occasion, amidst the informality and fun-loving of the Chinese. Everything was translated back and forth from Mandarin to English and vice-versa, making the experience quite agreeable. A handsome booklet was produced with all the papers in both languages. I put one on deposite in the Jonathan Chao Center at Westminster.

My own favorite papers were:

• SStewart J. Brown (Church History, Edinburgh), "Religion and the European Enlightenment," noting the changes in historiography from Peter Gay's more secular/French version to seeing various marriages between faith and reason.
• Werner Ustorf (Dept Head, Theology & Religion, Birmingham), "Political Religions," on Voegelin and Schutz analyzing National Socialism as religions.
• Hugh McLeod (Modern History, Birmingham), "European religion in the 1960s," a romp through those times, including references to the Beatles and Humanae Vitae.
• Zhongxin Wang (China Christian Scholars Association, and our guide), "Religion and Secularization: The Changing Course of Religion in China, USA and Europe," emphasizing the similarities and differences.
• Gordon Lynch (Religion and Culture, Birmingham), "Progressive Religion in Contemporary Western Society," various bedfellows from Greens to New Age to the Wrekin Trust.
• David Cheetham (Theology and Religion, Birmingham), "Post-secular Theology, the Politics of Difference and Aesthetics," a fine analysis of Radical Orthodoxy.
• Allan Anderson (Theology and Religion, Birmingham), "Global Pentecostalism and Religion in Asia," great overview.
• Soucheng "Edmund" Deng (Theology and Religion, Birmingham), "A 'Second Enlightenment,' an Observation of Intellectuals and Religion in China Today," for me the most moving of all the papers, quoting poets and critics of the Cultural Revolution. He read a couple of poems by Yang Lian. One of them (On the Great Wall) has the line, "I shall in the end destroy the cage of this nightmare." Both the suffering and the hope of Chinese people are powerfully reflected in these verses.
• My own paper on "What's Left of Secularization?" was well received. I'll attach it upon request for those interested.

Various questions and observations:

• There are two "Enlightenments" in China, the first at "May Fourth," and the second in the 1980s. Attempts were made to see if there were parallels with the 18th century and then the 19th century in Europe. Not clear that this comparison works.
• Can China be "Enlightened" without the West? Both sides were presented. There was apparently an early period of "common law" in the 17th century, as represented by a book called Ming I Tai Fang Lu (1662) by scholar Huang Zongxi in the early Qing Dynasty, stressing equality, the rule of law, etc. Others questioned this.
• The slogan "God is crying" was heard surrounding June 4th. What did it mean? Some said just the "people" are crying. Much discussion of how to resist in a Christian way, much as a few Christians did the Nazis.
• Buddhism is on the upsurge. Why is it presently so missions-minded? Probably should hold a colloquium on the encounter of Christianity and Buddhism.
• The question was raised various times as to how can a "secular" society in China sustain itself. Marx hoped that philosophy could rule the world. Many scholars here reject that. There must be a respect for human civilization as well as true social needs. Stewart Brown asked what was left of the Christian influence from missionary times.
• The preponderance of Chinese scholars represented here was of philosophers. Many specialized in Western philosophy.

The second colloquium was held in two places, Xiangfan and Yichang. The subject was Theological Aesthetics. Though a bit less well organized, and with less translation offered, this encounter was nonetheless extremely important. A variety of papers were presented on various aspects of Western and Asia aesthetics. I don't believe anything quite like this colloquium has ever occurred before. I led off with a paper on The Revenge of the Aesthetic, in which I noted the turnaround in the West about beauty, yet the need to understand its nature more, and to do more in relating it to culture as defined in Genesis 1:26 ff. Again, I'll append it for anyone interested. Many presenters explained what was going on in Asia. A Jesuit from Macau presented the Ricci Institute and its work. It seemed to many that discovering the arts together was a way to begin at the threshold of deeper things (à la Kierkegaard?). This second colloquium was first held in a hotel in Xiangfan, then in an extraordinary resort near Yichang which required going over two long, narrow footbridges over a deep gorge.

Some observations:

• There is an amazing openness to this subject of theological aesthetics, although the thing is necessarily somewhat vague. At the University of Xiangfan there are classes and offices in the Humanities Building dedicated to this field.
• Lots of discussions was held about the subjectivity of artistic experience. Similar debates to those in the West about objectivity and artistic judgment.
• Although it was averred that to be a "Christian" painting did not require a specifically religious motif, it seemed to me most of the examples shown were of stereotypically religious subjects, the Virgin, Jesus, David, etc. China (and the West) need Kuyper!

Miscellaneous experiences:

Interwoven with the two official meetings were scores of remarkable experiences:

• Met a Chinese Muslim of which there are quite a few.
• I lectured at the Normal University of Shanghai to a fine group of religion students, hosted by professor Wang, the Chinese authority on Islam.
• We visited a Chinese kindergarden and were impressed with the care and love these little ones were given.
• We met with Alex Chi, a WTS graduate, with whom we worked out a program to be taught by us, at the Nationalities University of Beijing, over a two-year period.
• I played a jazz concert at Xiangfan University, sponsored by the Music Dept., to hundreds of fascinated students.
• We hung out a lot with Zhongxin and discussed all kinds of subjects, including the academic exchange with Chinese intellectuals and leaders; it would seem Westminster should invest directly in what he is trying to do, and be very cautious and hesitant about any other outreach.
• We visited the Museum of the Communist Party in Shanghai.
• China shares many aspects of Western modernization, though it is still a third world country; life is hard there, and we needed great strength for all we were experiencing (for example, we witnessed an accident involving an oil truck and a motorcycle, and how it was handled; for that matter, we drove and drove and drove).
• We ate entirely too much at the many banquets, and yet lost weight!
• We had the privilege of visiting Guilin and environs in Guangxi Province. There, I got attacked by a monkey (born in 1944, I am a "monkey," looked at Seven Star Park where we saw a Panda bear, saw luscious underground caves, visited the "Wa" tribe (non Han, from the jungles near Vietnam).
• On a day off we went down the Yangzi and visited the Three Gorges area, which is breathtaking.
• We hung out with the curator of the T. G. Museum, who is very lively and full of information. He and his wife are mightily upset with the famous dam, for ecological and humanitarian reasons.
• We visited a large Three-Self Church in Yichang, and were reminded of the spiritual vitality in the registered churches. They had benefited from American envoys in things like summer camps and English lessons.
• We saw old friends and made many new friends. Barbara was especially great with women colleagues and students.

For the future:

These kinds of meetings are critically important. I believe Westminster seminary should do everything possible to promote these kinds of encounters. Zhongxin Wang has a network of contacts in the highest places in the university circles. They will certainly be a crucial part of emerging China. We ought to mount conferences and visits to the extent it is possible for us. Maybe this is something the Westminster Religion and Culture Project could also tie into. Subjects to explore include: the comparison of Christianity to Buddhism; more on the arts; folk religions East and West; Sino-theology evaluated; urbanization and religion East and West; etc. Maybe if enough mutual understanding and promotion of Christian faith occurs, the Chinese can do more than just "hang on." And maybe the West can learn the great lessons of humility and servant-leadership.

A word of thanks:

Barbara and I want to extend our deepest gratitude, first, to the China Christian Scholars Association of North America, second to some of our dear friends, third to Westminster Theological Seminary, for their financial and spiritual support, to make this trip not only possible but enjoyable and very significant. Zhongxin Wang was a tireless, patient, and generous guide throughout. We thank his family for sharing him with us for nearly three weeks.

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