Asian Studies

Asian Studies
Aotearoa New Zealand Association for Mission Studies

Approaches to Research in Asian Christian Studies.

ABSTRACT

John England

In distinction from many approaches made in Asian Christian studies in the last century or so, "from the sending end",there is a large body of studies, from at least the early 18th cent. which begin from the independent tradition of Asian Christian communities: some historical, some ‘theo-critical’, some presenting autonomous theologies from the Asian region.

A central question is therefore whether Asian churches do in fact have their own autonomous traditions in history and theology - in continuous history or not : their own Christian self-hood and discernment of Spirit ? Is God’s mission always first to a particular place and people? Our pre-understanding of this, and of the underlying theology of One Living God, is crucial in our study of this half of the Christian world.

This leads to a different openness to indigenous tradition, a long listening to the creative sources and contexts of Christian life and witness in the region, and then to co-operative "Church-in-world"research in carefully selected areas;

- beginning with the life / faith questions "at the other end";

- systematic collaboration to excavate and identify sources there;

- priority to "fragmentary" histories and resources;

- primacy to bibliographical and archival reasearch;