Abstract

The object of this book is the name of the Christian God in Chinese language. Taking a text of a 17th Chinese Christian author as his starting point, Standaert focus only on the names of Shangdi, Tian and Tianzhu. Anyone attempting inculturation in Chinese culture might benefit from reading the writings of the 17th century Chinese Christians. For these writings also convey an implicit answer to the question: how to express the Christian faith and experience when entering Chinese culture? These 17th century Chinese Christians faced some fundamental questions that still exist today. Questions like: Who is God and how can God's name be expressed in Chinese? Why was Jesus Christ not born in China? What is sin and how can it be remitted? Dialogue with these fundamental questions and with the answers they gave can be a help for inculturated theology today.