Earlier this year, we organized an online lecture by Dr. Andrew Kaiser as part of our joint lecture series with the United States China Catholic Association (USCCA) and the China Academic Consortium. The next lecture in this series, organized by the China Academic Consortium, will be held on Sunday, November 22 at 4PM (Pacific Standard Time). Registration is free.
The title of the lecture is “The Role of Confucian and Christian Dialogue in the China Puzzle,” focusing on the family as the core of both Confucian and Christian civilization. The presenter, Dr. Diane Obenchain, is an expert on Confucian tradition and director of the China Initiative at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California.
Here is a more detailed description of the lecture:
Family is at the core of all spheres of Chinese civilization: government, economic organization, worship of every kind, morality and philosophical/scientific exploration, and pragmatic implementation of the physical world. What has been called “Confucianism” in the West builds upon family relations, but also goes beyond the family to provide rectification/correction of certain tendencies in family relations. Family is at the core of Western civilizations as well: Greek, Roman, Celtic, Germanic, and more. Christian faith builds upon family relations, but also goes beyond the family to provide rectification/correction of certain family tendencies.
During our time together, we will examine Chinese family relations, Confucian moral transformation of family relations, and Christian moral transformation of family relations. We will seek to discover what is shared in common and what is different in Confucian and Christian moral transformation of the family. We will close with a discussion of how we can work together in areas of shared common interest.
Dr. Obenchain was one of the first Western professors to teach at Peking University, beginning in 1988, at the time when China was reopening to the West. Now she spearheads Fuller Seminary’s engagement with Nanjing Seminary, China’s main national Protestant seminary.
As a long-time China observer, and one with a keen eye, Dr. Obenchain will offer observations that are the fruit of many years of engagement with China.
This is an online event you won’t want to miss!
Image credit: Jacques Beaulieu, via Flickr.
Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio
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