The Trinity, the Church, and China's Harmonious Society: A Politics of Persuasion

Abstract

Taking seriously Karl Rahner's comment that most Christians in their practical life are 'mere monotheists', this paper illustrates and argues how the Trinitarian God is better understood within the model of persuasion, and how this understanding of the Trinitarian God may shape what Chinese society may look like, how Chinese churches engage in a harmonious society, and how the Three-Self churches (official churches) and house churches (non-registered churches) treat one another. This paper has adopted a kind of social Trinitarianism, but it is not necessarily projectionist, for theology is always a human construction based on God's revelation. Bishop Ting has taken a courageous step to construct the Trinitarian God in terms of restoration of relations in order to respond to society, but his attempt is too absorbed by both Yihe Weigui and the ideology of a harmonious society. As a result, Chinese Christianity has been turned into a hexie (accommodating) Christianity. Taking both the cultural resources in terms of the Confucian tradition and the sociopolitical conditions in terms of the emergence of exchange politics into consideration, this paper suggests the Trinitarian God as a God of persuasion reflected in the Scripture and characterised by dialogue, respect of difference, participation, and good work, provides an alternative to a politics of propaganda and efficiency. This is what the Christian contribution to a harmonious society is.