James Legge Conference, June 2015 – Call for Papers

James Legge

James Legge and Scottish Missions to China
University of Edinburgh, 11–13 June 2015
Deadline for proposals: 31 March 2015 17 April 2015

Inside and outside of China, there is a growing scholarly debate around how foreigners have contributed to and, at times, maligned prevailing understandings of Chinese philosophy, religion, and culture. One of the most important figures in these discussions is James Legge, the Scottish missionary-scholar to China, and translator of Chinese writings into English and Christian writings into Chinese. As 2015 will be the bicentennial of Legge’s birth, the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for the Study of World Christianity, in collaboration with the Scottish Centre for Chinese Studies, plans to hold an international and interdisciplinary conference to be held on 11–13 June 2015 at the University of Edinburgh, where Legge received an honorary doctorate (LLD) in 1884.

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10 Historical Myths About World Christianity

mythbuster
In the first meeting of the postgraduate World Christianity course ‘Selected Themes in the Study of World Christianity’ held on 15 September 2014, Professor Brian Stanley presented what he perceives as the top ten historical myths about World Christianity.


1. Christianity is a western religion.
It neither began in western Europe, nor has it ever been entirely confined to western Europe. Continue reading

Studies in World Christianity 20.2

Polarities and Parallels

Studies in World ChristianityThe four articles in this issue of Studies in World Christianity span four separate geographical locations: India, China, Kenya and (unusually for this journal) Scotland. Their subject matter also ranges widely, from some of the theological issues raised by the Christian encounter with other religions to an exploration of the challenges presented to the churches by the ever-increasing influx of rural populations into urban environments – a narrative first played out in nineteenth-century Europe and then multiply rehearsed on African, Asian, Australasian or Latin American stages from the twentieth century until today. The four articles present us with a series of polarities and parallels that deserve careful reflection. Continue reading