Choan-Seng Song (Chinese: 宋泉盛; pinyin: Sòng Quánshèng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sòng Choân-sēng) (October 19, 1929 – November 26, 2024) was a Taiwanese theologian who was Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Theology and Asian Cultures at the Pacific School of Religion.
Biography
Song was born into a Presbyterian family in Tainan, and received his early education while Taiwan was under Japanese rule.
He studied at the National Taiwan University (1950–1954), the University of Edinburgh (1955–1958) and the Union Theological Seminary, where he received his PhD in 1965. Song's dissertation was "The Relation of Divine Revelation and Man's Religion in the Theologies of Karl Barth and Paul Tillich." Song was principal of the Tainan Theological College (1965-70), secretary for Asian ministries of the Reformed Church in America (1970—1973), associate secretary for Faith and Order for the World Council of Churches (1973—1982), and president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (1997–2004).
Song received two honorary Doctorate of Divinity degrees, one in 1996 from his alma mater the University of Edinburgh, and another in 2018 from Tainan Theological College where he served as principal.
Song died on November 26, 2024, at the age of 95, after being hospitalized for over a week due to pneumonia.
Theology
A major theme underlying Song's theology was his attack on the Western-centric nature of Christian theology. He saw it as highlighting an individualistic gospel that uproots non-Western converts from their original cultures. Instead, Song argued, God redemptively works in creation through all cultures, even the so-called "non-Christian" cultures. Asian Christians are therefore obliged to articulate an Asian theology, coming from the "womb" of Asia.
Song borrowed his methodology from Latin American liberation theology, which adopts largely from a Marxist critique on religion and capitalism. Song described the people of Asia as being victimized by a history of Western imperialism, both colonially and culturally, creating an identity crisis for Asian Christians. Hence the task of contextualization is found through liberation of these unjust circumstances and the reconstruction of a new identity for Asian Christians.
Works
- "New China and Salvation History: A Methodological Inquiry," in South-East Asia Journal of Theology, 15.2 (1974):52-67.
- Christian Mission in Reconstruction: an Asian Analysis, (New York: Orbis Books, 1975). ISBN 978-0-88344-074-2
- Third-Eye Theology: Theology in Formation in Asian Settings, (New York: Orbis Books, 1979). ISBN 978-0-88344-474-0
- The Compassionate God: An Exercise in the Theology of Transposition, (New York: Orbis Books, 1982). ISBN 978-0-334-01951-0
- Theology from the Womb of Asia, (New York: Orbis Books, 1986). ISBN 978-0-88344-518-1
- Jesus the Crucified People, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990). ISBN 978-0-8006-2969-4
- Jesus and the Reign of God, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993). ISBN 978-0-8006-2671-6
- Jesus in the Power of the Spirit, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994). ISBN 978-1-57910-958-5
- The Believing Heart: An Invitation to Story Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 1999. ISBN 9780800631420.
- Tracing the Footsteps of God: Discovering What You Really Believe. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 2007. ISBN 9780800638924.
References
- Federschmidt, Karl H. (1994). Theologie aus asiatischen Quellen. Der theologische Weg Choan Seng Song's vor dem Hintergrund der asiatischen ökumenischen Diskussion (in German). Münster/New York: Lit. p. 71.
- Song, C. S. (1964). The Relation of Divine Revelation and Man's Religion in the Theologies of Karl Barth and Paul Tillich (dissertation). Union Theological Seminary.
- ^ Wu, James. "C. S. Song". Boston Collaborative Encyclopedia of Western Theology.
- "WCC gives thanks for the life of Choan-Seng Song". World Council of Churches. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- Chow, Alexander (27 November 2024). "Rev. Professor Choan-Seng Song (1929-2024)". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- 林家鴻 (13 June 2018). "台南神學院肯定宋泉盛 授榮譽博士". Taiwan Church News Network (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- 王子恆 (29 November 2024). "上帝卑微的僕人 神學家宋泉盛牧師安息主懷". Taiwan Church News Network (in Traditional Chinese).
- Keum, Jooseop (26 November 2024). "CWM mourns the passing of Prof. Choan-Seng Song (C.S. Song)". Council for World Mission. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
- Yung Hwa, Mangoes or Bananas? The Quest for an Authentic Asian Christian Theology (Oxford: Regnum Books, 2009), 170.
- Song, C. S. (1975). Christian Mission in Reconstruction: An Asian Analysis. New York: Orbis Books. pp. 20–28.
Further reading
- Federschmidt, Karl H. (1994). Theologie aus asiatischen Quellen. Der theologische Weg Choan Seng Song's vor dem Hintergrund der asiatischen ökumenischen Diskussion (in German). Münster/New York: Lit. Contains a comprehensive bibliography of Song's publications up to 1994.
- 1929 births
- 2024 deaths
- American people of Taiwanese descent
- American theologians
- National Taiwan University alumni
- Alumni of the University of Edinburgh School of Divinity
- Taiwanese theologians
- American Christian theologians
- Union Theological Seminary alumni
- World Christianity scholars
- Writers from Tainan
- Taiwanese Presbyterians