Song Cheng-tsi; Sichuanese romanization: ''Song Chʽen-chï''. (1890–1955), also known as Song Chen-tze, Cheng-Tsi Song, C. T. Song or C. T. Sung, was a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the Sichuanese Anglican Church.

Biography

Song was born in

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

(formerly romanized as ''Szechwan'') in 1890, a mentee of James Stewart and baptised by Reg Taylor in 1916 after family hostility to his conversion had died down. He attended

West China Union University The West China Union University ( zh, t=華西協合大學), also called West China University or Huaxi University, was a private university in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. It was the product of the collective efforts of four Protestant, denominational ...

in 1917, where he majored in English language and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

. After graduation from the Union University, he studied theology at

Wycliffe Hall, Oxford Wycliffe Hall is a Church of England Seminary, theological college and a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is named after the Bible translator and reformer John Wycliffe, who was Master (college), mast ...

and

Ridley Hall, Cambridge Ridley Hall is a theological college located on the corner of Sidgwick Avenue and Ridley Hall Road in Cambridge (United Kingdom), which trains men and women intending to take Holy Orders as deacon or priest of the Church of England, and member ...

before being

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in 1927. He was consecrated an

Assistant Bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Church of England In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case they ...

Western China Western China (, or rarely ) is the west of China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers one municipality (Chongqing), six provinces (Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively r ...

in St Thomas' Church,

Mianzhu Mianzhu ( zh, s=绵竹, t=綿竹, w=Mienchu, p=Miánzhú) is a county-level city of Deyang, Sichuan province in Southwest China. It has an area of and a population of 510,000 in 2004. The city was heavily damaged during the 2008 Sichuan earthq ...

, on 29 June 1929 and Bishop of West Szechwan in 1937. He was also a

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...

in Religious Studies at West China Union University. He visited

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

in 1943 at the invitation of Bishop R. O. Hall. He was also invited by Archbishop Mowll to visit Australia, where he spoke at civic events, universities, and theological colleges. As an example of

ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

, he collaborated with

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

scholars in translating some works by

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

into Chinese. He was regarded by Bishop R. O. Hall as the "outstanding Szechwanese leader". He died from a stroke in 1955.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Cheng-tsi 1890 births 1955 deaths Anglican missionary bishops in China 20th-century Anglican bishops in China Anglican missionaries in Sichuan Sichuanese Protestants Anglican bishops of Western China Anglican bishops of West Szechwan Alumni of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford Alumni of Ridley Hall, Cambridge Academic staff of West China Union University People from Chengdu Protestantism in Chengdu West China Union University alumni

Biography

See also

Notes

References