Choan-Seng Song () (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 The Pacific School of Religion (PSR) is a Private university, private Protestant seminary in Berkeley, California. It maintains Covenant (religion), covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, and the ...

Biography

Song was born into a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

family in

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...

, and received his early education while Taiwan was under Japanese rule. He studied at the

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Taiwan under J ...

(1950–1954), the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

(1955–1958) and the

Union Theological Seminary Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...

, 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 Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Reformed theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Decl ...

and

Paul Tillich Paul Johannes Tillich (; ; August 20, 1886 – October 22, 1965) was a German and American Christian existentialist philosopher, religious socialist, and Lutheran theologian who was one of the most influential theologians of the twenti ...

." Song was principal of the Tainan Theological College (1965-70), secretary for Asian ministries of the

Reformed Church in America The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 82,865 members. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed ...

(1970—1973), associate secretary for Faith and Order for the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...

(1973—1982), and president of the

World Alliance of Reformed Churches The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) was a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of John Calvin. Its headquarters was in Geneva, Switzerland. They merged with the ...

(1997–2004). Song received two honorary

Doctorate of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (i.e., Christian theology and ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the English-speaking world than elsewhere. In the United Kin ...

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 Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...

. 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 Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

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 Orbis Books is an American imprint of the Maryknoll order. It has been a small but influential publisher of liberation theology works. It was founded by Nicaraguan Maryknoll priest Miguel D'Escoto with Philip J. Scharper in 1970. Its editor- ...

, 1975). * ''Third-Eye Theology: Theology in Formation in Asian Settings'', (New York: Orbis Books, 1979). * ''The Compassionate God: An Exercise in the Theology of Transposition'', (New York: Orbis Books, 1982). * '' Theology from the Womb of Asia'', (New York: Orbis Books, 1986). * ''Jesus the Crucified People'', (Minneapolis:

Fortress Press Augsburg Fortress Publishers is the official publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Through various imprints, Augsburg Fortress Publishers publishes worship, music, curricu ...

, 1990). * ''Jesus and the Reign of God'', (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993). * ''Jesus in the Power of the Spirit,'' (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994). * *

Biography

Theology

Works

References

Further reading