Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns

8/14/2019 Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns

1/28


2/28

Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian ChurchesDavid Alexander August 2008

hearts of worshipers be incited to zeal and that those gathered come to invoke and

exalt the glory of Gods name by their praises.4 This was rejected. When Calvin went

to Strasbourg he found Lutheran Protestants who had retained music in evangelical

worship. He re-introduced song to the Strasbourg Reformed congregation through use

of versifications of scripture texts. These were faithful to the originals with frequent

resort to additional material to fill out a line.5 He stuck to the scriptures in the belief

that attempts to sing new songs in our own words often result in singing about

ourselves rather than about God.6

The relationship between worship and theology is a two-way affair. There are

both theologies ofworship and theologiesfrom worship.7Congregational singing both

expresses and forms Christian faith. Because people tend to remember the theology

they sing more than the theology that they hear preached, primacy is placed on the

meaning of the texts that are sung. Often it is through the sense of words sung that

believers learn of the nature and character of God and of the Christian life. Theology

implicit in the hymns is often the more powerful than theology preached. It gives

worshipers food for thought as they form their own ways of thinking and speaking

about God.

Hymns in the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.

The use of music and of hymn singing in the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan

(PCT) can be traced to 19th century missionaries from the UK and Canada. The British

mission to the south of Taiwan that began in 1865 was linked to Xiamen where, in

1854, a collection of 13 hymns in the Minnan language (the same as that in Taiwan)

4 Ibid, p. 20.5Ibid. p. 266 Gracia Grimdal, On Translating Hymns: Outrageous Opinions and Personal Regrets The

Hymn Vol 37 No. 2 April 1986, p. 20.7 Susan J. White,Foundations of Christian Worship Louisville: Westminster, John Knox, 2006,

p.14.

2


3/28


was in use.8 In 1859 this collection was expanded to 25 hymns and published there by

John Van Nest Talmage.9 Upon his baptism on 12th June 1886 Ko Tiun , the first

Taiwanese Protestant, was able to recite a few verses of scripture and sing 13 hymns,

presumably those from the 1854 collection.10

An 1872 collection of 59 hymns was published in Xiamen and subsequently

became available to church workers in Taiwan.11 This collection included all 13 of the

1854 books selections plus translations of English hymns and new songs written in

Minnan by Carstairs Douglas (of the English Presbyterian Mission) Alexander

Stronach (from the London Missionary Society) and John Van Nest Talmage (from

the Reformed Church in America.)12

George Mackay arrived in southern Taiwan early in 1872 where he conferred

with British missionaries. A few months later he was escorted northward to Tam-sui

and left there on his own. His first native student, A-hoa, accompanied him in

village preaching and hymn singing. Confronted one day with opposition in Keelung,

Mackay directed A-hoa to address the crowd. A-hoa froze, and Mackay resorted to the

use of an Isaac Watts hymn, I am Not Afraid to Own My Lord (found in the 1872

hymnbook). After they sang a couple of verses together the fear was banished and the

student became a preacher.13A widow, Thah-so, is said to have sung her way across

the boundary to death with hymnForever with the Lordfrom the 1872 collection.14

On evangelistic trips to Taiwans interior Mackay taught the gospel through song and

8 Ing Sim Sin Si (Xiamen:1854)9 John Lai, Taiwan Church News 2670, 4 May 2003, p.13.10 John Lai, The Historical Sources of Seng-si Songs Taiwan Church News 2663, 16 March

2003, p. 1311 John Lai,Iong Sim Sin Si 59 Hymns Taiwan Church News #1901 7 August 198812

Church Music Committee of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, Seng-si (Taipei: PCT, 1964)

Indexes pp 1-3. AND John Geddes, The Hymn Book of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan in

Cheung David, Christianity in Modern China: the Making of the First Native Protestant Church.

Leiden: Brill, 2004 p. 104.13 George Leslie Mackay,From Far Formosa, 3rd Edition, Taipei: SMC Publishing Co, 1991) p. 14714 Ibid. p. 151.

3


4/28


judged the effectiveness of his proclamation by how hymn singing was taken up.15

When Japanese forces were battling to establish their rule in Taiwan (after the

island was ceded to Japan by the Chinese Imperial government in 1895) Thomas

Barclay, the founder of Tainan Theological College, was asked by the leading

Taiwanese businessmen of his city to negotiate a peaceful entry. Barclay approached

the invaders cantonment singing hymns in Taiwanese.16During the early years of

Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan a hymnbook became a desirable possession among

some Taiwanese who wished to display to police authorities that they might be

deserving of careful treatment.17

Since 1900 the PCT has produced its own hymnals. The 1964 version, which

contains as many as 54 selections written by foreign missionaries in the Minnan

language, has been so popular that it remains in use even in 2008, though a

replacement has been scheduled for publication early in 2009.

Theological Evaluation of Hymns: Three Models from the First World

When Zwingli banned music in the churches of Zurich he sincerely believed that

nothing should be allowed to distract from the Word of God purely expressed and

expounded. But he ignored inherent problems of:1) the use of human language to

express divine intention; 2) the deterioration of meaning through successive

translation from one human idiom to another; 3) the messages carried by physical

arrangements in which people gather to hear the word; and 4) the ways

communication of the word can be nuanced through the use of voice or arrangement

on a printed page.

Human beings like melodies, rhythms and harmonies. Soldiers sing while

marching, adding melody and harmony to the rhythm of their steps without regard to

15 Ibid. pp. 218-9 and 222.16 Edward Band, Barclay of Formosa Tokyo: Ginza, 1936 p. 9917 Ibid. p. 117.

4


5/28


the often bawdy lyrics they intone. Christians at worship join each other in melody,

harmony and rhythm. It is important to be together, and tosingtogether. The result is

that bad theology is often articulated in what is sung. The hymn of challenge, Once

to Every Man and Nation is moving and widely accepted in churches, but claiming

that Gods call upon men and nations is once is theologically questionable if not

indefensible.

1: A Mainline Church Model from America

In 1986 the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America endorsed and

adopted a paper offering a set of standards against which the entire spectrum of music

used by congregations could be judged. The paper poses nine questions.

1. What theology is expressed in our congregational singing?

2. Is it biblical?

3. Is it consistent with Reformed theology?

4. Is the range of what we sing representative of the "whole counsel of God?"

5. What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the sovereignty and grace

of God?

6. What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the life, death,

resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ?

7. What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the work of the Holy

Spirit?

8. What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the nature and

mission of the church?

9. What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the sacraments,

and the Christian life?18

Application of the standards assumes that a congregation or representative

committee thereof has at hand an overview of what the congregation uses habitually.

These standards are general. The synod called for a clearly stated, biblical,

Reformed, comprehensive theology to be articulated within the music of the church.

2: An Academic Model from the UK

Susan J. White is more expansive. She focuses on all liturgical texts (not

18 The Theology and Place of Music in Worship Report of the Commission on ChristianWorship, Reformed Church in America, Minutes of General Synod, 1986, pp 223-227.

5


6/28


exclusively on what is sung) and offers 18 criteria:

1. What does this text say about God, and about God's attributes and actions?

From which sources are the images of God taken?

2 What does the text say about Jesus Christ? What is the relationship between

the risen Christ and the historical Jesus of Nazareth? From which sources are these

images taken?

3. What is the nature and action of the Holy Spirit?

4. What does this text say about the Trinity and about inter-trinitarian relations?

5. What does this text say about human beings or about communities of human

beings?

6. What does this text say about the nature of salvation? From what are we

saved? By whom? When, under what conditions, and how? Is it an event or a

process? What images are used to describe this event or process?

7. What is the nature of sin and judgment? How do these relate to redemption?

8. What does it say about the final destiny of things; the second coming; heaven

and hell; the Christian hope?

9. How does the text talk about goodness, power, suffering, and self-sacrifice?

10. What does this text say about the church, about its nature and mission?

What images are used to describe the church and from where do they come?

11. What is the nature of belief and faith? Are they essentially corporate or

individual?

12. How is the Bible treated in this text? What biblical images are used and how?

Do the biblical images come from one particular portion or book of the Bible?

13. How are certain key elements of Christian doctrine expressed and interpreted

(such as, incarnation, resurrection, crucifixion, atonement)?

14. What does this text say about the Christian sacraments? About their institution

and purpose?

15. Who is speaking in this text (for example, is it the voice "righteous redeemed"

or the "penitent sinner"; the "seeker"; the "church triumphant")?16. Can anything be discerned about the historical or doctrinal context of this text

simply by reading it?

17. Are there any serious theological difficulties or inconsistencies in this text?

18. What would be an appropriate liturgical use for this text? 19

Dr. White specifically covers several points of Christian faith, life and tradition.

Her template can be used to evaluate individual songs, hymns, confessions of faith,

19 Susan J. White,Foundations of Christian Worship Louisville: Westminster, John Knox, 2006,p.204.

6


7/28


8/28


Jon Duncan, who led Lifeway Christian Resources theological review committee,

said, This hymnal, as with past Baptist Hymnals, serves many functions,

including providing a historical document of doctrinal beliefs of the family of faith

known as Baptists. Our major concern is that the hymnal represents a truly

"Christocentric" (Christ centered) and Trinitarian theology. While Baptists reflect

many theological systems, nearly all can find agreement that our theology is first and

foremost Christocentric. Our aim is that this hymnal, as with past ones, speaks

accurately of Jesus Christ - fully God, fully man and the only means to salvation. He

went on to say, Baptists have always been known for their high view of Scripture,

local autonomy, priesthood of believers, Trinitarian theology, and salvation through

Christ alone. In pluralistic times such as these, it is more vital than ever that our

hymnal presents a clear theology around which Baptists can wrap their arms. Some

may view this as "narrow" or "lacking" in terms of cultural progressiveness, but we

feel an obligation to remain faithful to our core doctrinal beliefs. It is not our desire to

dictate a particular theological system, such as "dispensational" vs. "covenantal," but

to provide a hymnal that reveals a full-orbed view of Christ that encourages the family

of faith to carry out the commandments to love God and love others.21

Foundations of a Taiwan-Contextual Hymn Evaluaton Tool

1: Contextuality

Ng Chiong-hui (Shoki Coe) introduced the term contextualization in 1972 as

a new approach to understand the problematic relationship of faith and culture.

Preachers, he believed, were called to proclaim both the stories of their own suffering

peoples and the meanings of those stories in order to grasp the meaning of Gods

21

Q&A With Jon Duncan, Leader Of Baptist Hymnal Theological Committeehttp://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA

%25253D166392%252526M%2525 3D201117%2C00.html?

8
http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D166392%252526M%2525%203D201117%2C00.htmlhttp://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D166392%252526M%2525%203D201117%2C00.htmlhttp://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D166392%252526M%2525%203D201117%2C00.htmlhttp://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D166392%252526M%2525%203D201117%2C00.html


9/28


salvation.22 For Ng, contextualization presses beyond indigenization for a dynamic

concept which is both open to change and future-oriented. The particular historical

moment, its particular context in the light of the mission of the church, is the

important factor. Contextualization arises out of genuine encounter between Gods

Word and world, then moves out toward the purpose of challenging and changing a

situation through being rooted in and committed to a given historical situation. Ng

argued that contextual theology becomes truly catholic by taking the concrete

situation seriously; not colorlessly uniform but manifold and diverse as it responds to

different contexts. The theological ground for contextuality is the fact of the Son of

God incarnate within specific human histories and cultures by which grace has been

made available to all.23

Thought follows patterns set in the language used for thinking. There are

linguistic dissonances between Asian and Western religions in the lack of clearly

equivalent Chinese morphemes for the Western concepts God and Heaven.24

Many Western and Asian languages operate through alphabetic systems which depict

sounds. But China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea (to differing extents) use

ideographically written texts to depict ideas. Signifiers used in phonetically based

writing systems depict sounds, which indirectly lead to meanings. Chinese languages

ideographs have concrete flavor and a suggestiveness of their own. They constitute a

framework for expressing perception and thought that closely associates form and

meaning.25 The ideographs used to write Chinese languages evoke images of those

22Lo Kong-hi The Lord Who Enters the World to Serve and to Save September 2006

http://www.ttcs.org.tw/~thco/theo/history/history.htm23 John Parratt, ed.An Introduction to Third World Theologies Cambridge: University Press, 2004

See also Huang Po-ho, Retrospect and Prospect of Doing Contextual Theology in TaiwanJournal of Theologies and Cultures in Asia, Vol. 1 (2002) p. 88.

24 Beniot Vermander, Theologizing in the Chinese Context Studia Missionalia,Vol 45, 1996. pp.

119-134.25 Edmund Chia, The Sensus Fidelium of the People of God in Asia

http://eapi.admu.edu.ph/eapr002/chia.htm

9
http://eapi.admu.edu.ph/eapr002/chia.htmhttp://eapi.admu.edu.ph/eapr002/chia.htm


10/28


objects to which they refer. Conceptual abstraction, possible in languages utilizing

phonetic-based writing systems, is less possible when the signifiers themselves evoke

concrete images.

In the Western dualistic view of reality God is seen as the great Other, who

stands over-against Gods creation. The human body is likewise seen as different from

the human soul. This is in stark contrast to the Chinese concept oftao which posits a

fundamental unity of reality. There is no division of the divine from the created and

the human. In contrast to the outward and upward religious directionality of

Euro-American systems, those of Asia are oriented inwardly. Reality is gathered and

integrated. An integrated person rediscovers and realizes everything. This leads to a

sense of community within which people become aware both of their rights and of

their duties towards others.26

Cultural alienation (living outside of the context) arises from: 1) unwise

missiological methodologies of foreign evangelists and 2) ways in which churches in

Asia form sub-cultural identities. Solutions to alienation lie in the development of

contextual understandings upon which methodologies and identities can be based.

Non-contextual methodologies and ways of forming sub-cultural identities may

produce in Christian converts understandings of spirituality based on: a) following

particular devotional practices, b) wearing certain reminders of faith, and c) listening

to a particular style of foreign music. Though none of these may be wrong, any or all

of them can be the product of a particular context that may well not cross cultural

lines.

Western theologies retain systematic and historical methodology in contrast to

Eastern churches (with a few modern exceptions) which have not written theology in

a systematic way because the systematizing mindset derives from the modernist

26 Michael Amaladoss, S.J. Contextual Theology And IntegrationEast Asia Pastoral Review Vol. 40,

No. 3, 2003.

10


11/28


Western worldview. Christians in different contexts see Jesus differently. A North

American may primarily see a best friend who fulfills deep existential longings of

meaning and love. A Latin American may find in Jesus the one who restores justice

and brings peace. An East Asian mind may be more tuned to a Jesus who is the one

who has power over the spiritual reality. This is not subjectivity but a manifestation of

the depth and multi-faceted nature of the message of the Cross.27 The Apostle Paul

spoke about being a Jew with a Jew and a Gentile with a Gentile. Though in a

Calvinist understanding all cultures are fallen, experience demonstrates that all

cultures contain some truth due to the presence of the imago Dei in every human.

2: Contextual Theology

Contextualization is: 1) the manifestation of the imago Dei in humankind (the

revelation of the mystery of God's creative power as shown in creation, including

human minds that formulate various art forms), and 2) our participation in God's

continuous creation (letting God transform our culture and arts into dynamic media

that will effectively communicate and express the meanings of the Gospel to our

people).28 Within the history of Christian theology and its teaching there has been a

misunderstanding that European or Western theology is culturally neutral. This

misunderstanding was exported as a worldwide valid theology to non-western

cultures. The very idea that a universal theology could arise from the experience of

the small Euro-American context is a myth.29 Upon that misunderstanding rest local

theologies from Asia, the Pacific, Africa and Latin America that merely echo those

from the academic West. Indeed, Every theology carries elements of the historical,

27 Ziya Meral, Cultural Alienation and Contextual Theologyhttp://www.globalengage.org//media/article.aspx?id=3134 13 August 2004.

28 Loh I-to, Contextualization versus Globalization: A Glimpse of Sounds and Symbols in Asian

WorshipPrism, New Haven: Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Volume 2, Autumn 200529 J. Deotis Roberts, Sr Contextual Theology: Liberation and Indigenization Christian Century,

January 28, 1976, p. 64.

11


12/28


cultural, political and economic conditions in which it has developed. Contextual

theologians are called to acknowledge these conditions and to develop theologies that

are meaningful and relevant to the context out of which they are born.30

Dominus Iesus, released by the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of

the Faith in September 2000, is out of touch with the context of the manners in

which Asian Catholics relate with persons of other religions. A survey was

conducted to ascertain the Asian Catholic sensus fidelium. Responses indicated

that, should the document have been produced as an example of Asian contextual

theology (instead of as an academic paper out of Rome) it would have begun with

four faith affirmations: 1) I believe in one God, the Father Almighty. 2) I believe

in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Gods revelation and who is savior for Christians

as well as for all of humankind. 3) I believe that the Bible, the canonical books of

the Old and New Testaments, is the sacred Word of God. 4) I believe that the true

religion exists in Christianity in general and in the Catholic Church in particular.

Notably lacking in this suggested preamble are two main points ofDominus Iesus:

a) Jesus as the only savior and b) the Church as necessary for salvation. 31

Theologizing in context means understanding the way a pluralistic,

syncretic and all-encompassing cultural-religious system, such as is found where

Chinese cultures dominate, works. Chinese peoples tend to stress the unity of all

religions, both when it comes to their own tradition and when trying to integrate

the teachings of religions developed in foreign settings.32

3: One Taiwanese Contextual Theologian

30 Su, David Kwang-sun, Asian Theology in a Changing Asia: Towards an Asian Theological

Agenda for the 21st Century, CTC Bulletin, Special Supplement 1. p 25.31 Chia, op. cit.32 Vermander, op. cit.

12


13/28


Dr. Huang Po-Ho, Vice President of Chang Jung Christian University in Taiwan

and dean of that institutions school of Theology, does contextual theological

reflection and construction through "reconfessing". He contends that the gospel can

neither be extracted from the cultural form inherent to it nor identified with any

particular cultural form. The gospel becomes enmeshed in the cultural environments

in which it takes root. Theologians must do theology using local resources as they

re-confess Christian faith in their particular contexts. This requires a clearly stated

theology of religions and dialogue with other religions about their own relationships

with the cultural millieux in which they live, move and have their being. He asks

that the churches of Taiwan do four things.

1. Re-examine traditional elements of Taiwanese customs and practices that

sustain value and meaning systems for people, such as ancestor worship,

festivals, and symbols.

2. Re-consider the relationship between Christianity and other religions in the

nations society through constructive dialogue.

3. Strive for Christian ecumenicity while upholding both the universality and

particularity of the gospel.

4. Construct relevant theology in the socio-political context of Taiwan and

participate in political movements of the people.

He sees freedom and identity as essential and inter-dependent elements of

individual humanity. Identity must be acknowledged if freedom, even the freedom

that comes through the gospel, is to be sustained. But since identity is tied up with

culture, which sustains it, re-confessing begins withself-determination , an essential

political and theological component of the effort to solve the crises at hand. Self-

determination, of ones OWN identity has connections to all spiritual, cultural and

socio-political matters. Self-determination fulfills the need to achieve freedom while

preserving the identity of the people in Taiwan.33

33

Cheng Yang-enLife And Mission In The Church Of TaiwanPresentation at a CCA GeneralCommittee Meeting in Taiwan on 11-16 May 2002

13


14/28


4: Aspects of the Taiwan Context

A. Historical-Political

Originally populated by Austronesian peoples, Taiwan was gradually settled

by Han Chinese from Fujian beginning in the 16th century. The Ming Dynasty

government of imperial China considered the island and its dependencies as no

mans land.34 In the early 17th century Spain and the Netherlands launched colonizing

expeditions. Since then Taiwan has been occupied by a succession of foreign rulers:

Dutch, Spanish, Manchurian, Japanese and Nationalist Chinese. Foreign occupiers

exploited native populations through the "divide and rule" policy. To this day ethnic

and clan hostilities, especially between the earlier and later immigrants, are manifest

in all social sectors.

From 1895 to 1945 Taiwan and its dependencies were a Japanese colony and

local peoples endured political oppression and cultural discrimination. There was both

violent and non-violent resistance, but some aspects of colonial rule were positive.

The rule of law and a structured (though ethnically discriminatory) education

system introduced Taiwan to modern concepts of science, law, medicine and

democracy. After the Second World War the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)

Government took temporary custodial care of Taiwan and the political interests of

Taiwans peoples were disregarded. The custodians were corrupt oppressors, and

the economy was soon ruined. An uprising that began the evening of February 27,

1947 was violently put down. Troops dispatched from China arrived at Keelung

harbor on March 8th and started to kill people indiscriminately. The "cleansing of the

countryside that followed eventually racked up a death toll estimated between 10,000

34 John Wills, Jr. The 17th Century Transformation in Murray A Rubenstein, ed Taiwan: A NewHistory. Armonk NY, M.E. Sharpe 1999, p. 85.

14


15/28


and 20,000. This historical period has come to be known as the 2-28.35 In the 1950s

temporary custodial care turned into a permanent rule, and political dissent was

squashed.36 By 1971 the KMT government had become internationally isolated and

ruled without democratic legitimacy. The custodians aged and either emigrated to the

West or died. By the late 1980s opposition parties began to be organized and

eventually their leaders won elections to office. In 1996 a free and fair election for

president was first held. The process has been repeated in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

B. Religious

The most common religions in Taiwan are Buddhism and Taoism, which are

practiced by the majority of the population. While only half of the population

identified themselves as Buddhist or Taoist in a government census,37many of those

who indicate no religious belief follow some tenets or participate in some rituals and

practices associated with Buddhism and/or Taoism. Since neither Buddhism nor

Taoism is an exclusive religion, many people practice elements of both alongside

traditional folk religion. Buddhist bohdisatvas are often enshrined in Taoist temples,

and Taoist gods in Buddhist temples. Buddhist monks and priests are often called

upon to conduct funeral ceremonies, even for non-Buddhists. Many different sects of

Buddhism co-exist peacefully. The mostcommon are Chan (Zen) and Pure Land. In

addition to over 4,000 temples, Buddhist organizations have established seminaries,

secular colleges, high schools, kindergartens, nurseries, orphanages, a center for the

35Taipei 228 Memorial Museum Visitors Guide a Closer Look at the 2-28 Incidenthttp://228.culture.gov.tw/web/web-eng/228/228-1.htm and Stephen Philips, BetweenAssimilation and Indulgence in Murray A Rubenstein, ed Taiwan: A New History. Armonk NY,M.E. Sharpe 1999, p.293.

36 Peter Chen-main Wang, A Bastion Created, A regime Reformed, An Economy Reengineered,

1949-1970, in Murray A Rubenstein, ed Taiwan: A New History. Armonk NY, M.E. Sharpe 1999,p.323.

37 http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/q&a/page_18.htm

15
http://228.culture.gov.tw/web/web-eng/228/228-1.htmhttp://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/q&a/page_18.htmhttp://228.culture.gov.tw/web/web-eng/228/228-1.htmhttp://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/q&a/page_18.htm


16/28


17/28


churches have about 605,000 and the Catholics another 300,000). There are about

50,000 Muslims and a smattering of other groups. The constitution guarantees

freedom of religion to all recognized religions.. The Law Governing Religious Groups

provides regulation by requiring secular management of finances through statutes

regarding tax exemption and property ownership.40

C. Ethnic

Taiwans population is composed of five ethnic groups. The largest consists of

native-born Taiwanese (70%) who usually speak the Minnan language. These are

descendants of people who migrated from Fujian before 1895. The second group is

the Hakka (15%) whose ancestors migrated from Kwangtung before 1950.Their

language is Hakkanese. Mainlanders,(12%) arrived from China after 1945. These

three groups share Chinese (Han) ethnicity. The fourth group is collectively known as

Aboriginals, descendants of the earliest inhabitants of the island. They are racially

Austronesian and speak a collection of non-Chinese languages. Since the 1990s a

fifth cohort has emerged. These are foreign laborers (from the Philippines, Indonesia,

Vietnam and Malaysia) and young women from South East Asia and China who have

been brought to Taiwan as brides. Aborigines, foreign laborers and foreign brides are

marginalized in Taiwans contemporary society and are virtually without influence in

social and political circles.41

Fallout from the 2-28 incident has plagued ethnic relations between the

"Mainlanders" and "native Taiwanese" since 1947. The "ethnic complex" growing out

of historical experience is seen in the areas of ethnic prejudice, ideology, and national

identity.42

D. Linguistic

40 http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2003/chpt22.htm41

WuChung-li & Hsiao Cheng-tai, Empowerment Theory and Ethnic Politics in Taiwan

September 1-4, 2005. American Political Science Association, September 2005. pp.1-3 (f)http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p42589_index.html18 March 2008

42 Ibid.

17
http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2003/chpt22.htmhttp://www.allacademic.com/meta/p42589_index.htmlhttp://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2003/chpt22.htmhttp://www.allacademic.com/meta/p42589_index.html


18/28


After 1949 the KMT government established Mandarin Chinese (variously

known as Beijing Dialect, ordinary speech, and the National Language) as the

common language, suppressing local languages to ensure that everyone mastered it.

Mandarin is now the primary language used in schools, government and many

businesses. Notwithstanding government orders, there remain 14 languages and

dialects in use in Taiwan today.43 However, younger generations of Aborigines,

Hakkanese and Taiwanese who grew up in cities often can no longer converse in their

ancestral tongues.

A shared system of writing has been the primary unifying force among

Chinese since 206 B.C. In modern China this system simplified in the 1950s.

Taiwan retains traditional ideographs, giving its people continuity with one portion of

their cultural heritage and the ability to read Chinese classics and other ancient

writings.44Nonetheless, using only Chinese characters to write the Taiwanese and

Hakkanese languages is problematic because some idioms have come into Taiwan

from non-Chinese sources to which no ideographs have been assigned.

E. Ecclesial

Christian mission in Taiwan came in three waves. The 17th century efforts

disappeared soon after European colonizers were ousted in 1664. In the 19th century

Roman Catholic missions were established in Pingtung and Protestant mission,

facilitated by the Tien Chin Treaty of 1858, began in 1865. Early Protestant

missionaries adopted a comprehensive approach of social, medical and educational

work alongside their evangelistic preaching. Following the Second World War many

Christian denominations and independent churches accompanied the defeated KMT in

43 Government Information Office Languages

http://www.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=35570&ctNode=4101 19 March 200844 Taiwans Languages http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/taiwan/pro-languages.htm

19 March 2008

18
http://www.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=35570&ctNode=4101http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/taiwan/pro-languages.htmhttp://www.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=35570&ctNode=4101http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/taiwan/pro-languages.htm


19/28


its retreat from China. Church growth then stagnated in the 1970s. Prophetic concern

for political development and the national future of Taiwan moved the PCT in 1977

to: call for social and political reforms; proclaim the right of Taiwanese people to self-

determination; and express hope for a "new and independent country." This led to

persecution and suppression by the KMT government. Protestant churches which did

not share the Presbyterians convictions criticized the PCT based on ideological and

ethnic considerations. Conflicting political ideologies and contrasting attitudes

towards the China-oriented policy formulated by the former KMT regime still alienate

Christian churches from each other in the 21st Century.45 In Taiwans Catholic church,

the priests were foreign and the hierarchy Mainlander even at the dawn of the 21 st

Century.46

A Tool For Taiwan-Context Theological Analysis Of Hymns

Asian musicologist Loh I-to demands that hymn texts should maintain aninterplay between biblical revelation and contemporary Asian realities.47 He has

accused ethnic Chinese churches of in-authenticity, saying that they:

1) looked yellow in their skin, but deep in their heart and mind they

wanted to be as white as Caucasians.

2) translated and borrowed theologies, having none of their own.

3) copied Western styles of musical composition, and illegally copied

Western published anthems.

4) retained secondhand liturgies introduced by missionaries over a

century ago.48

Loh demands contextualization in order to encourage an expression of Christian faith

that is Asian in nature and not merely a transplantation of Western Christianity.49

45 Cheng Yang-en, op. cit.46

Br. Bima A Challenge Proposal:From A Refugee-Migrant Church Towards A Rooted Taiwanese

Catholic Church http://www.catholic.org.tw/amrsmw/downloads/A%20Challenge%20Proposal.doc47Sound the Bamboo, 2nd edition Hong Kong: CCA, 2000 p. xi48

Loh Ito, "Worshiping with Incarnated Music: My Mission"Lam-sin Sin-hak2:1 (1991):113-32.49 Loh I-to, Contextualization versus Globalization: A Glimpse of Sounds and Symbols in

Asian Worship http://www.yale.edu/ism/colloq_journal/vol2/loh1.html

19
http://www.yale.edu/ism/colloq_journal/vol2/loh1.htmlhttp://www.yale.edu/ism/colloq_journal/vol2/loh1.html


20/28


Decades ago the Sri Lankan Methodist D. T. Niles located the heart of the

problem in Asian churches focus on translating, imitating, and copying Western ways

of singing and worship, believing them to be the only authentic Christian expression.

Niles used the metaphor of gospel as a seed that is sown on different local soils and

produces different types of plants. When the seed of the Gospel is sown in Palestine, a

plant that can be called Palestinian Christianity grows.... The seed of the Gospel later

brought to America grows a plant of American Christianity. Missionaries to Asia

brought the seed, their own plant of Christianity, and their flower pots. Niles

prescription was to break the flower pot, take out the seed of the Gospel, sow it in

Asian cultural soil, and let local versions of Christianity grow.50

Assembling criteria set forth by Ng Chiong-hui, D.T. Niles, Loh I-to, Michael

Amaladoss and Huang Po-ho into a tool, for Taiwan contextual theological

evaluation of hymns looks as follows.

a. Does the language of this hymn reflect current usage in Taiwan? (Ng)

b. Does this hymn reflect Taiwanese modes of spirituality?(Ng)c. Does this hymn use resources drawn from Taiwans cultural

environment? (Huang)

d. Does this hymn celebrate traditional elements of Taiwans culture?

(Huang)

e. Does this hymn link Taiwans Christians to people of other religions?

(Huang)

f. Does this hymn link Taiwans Christians ecumenically? (Huang)

g. Is this hymn relevant to Taiwans socio-political context? (Huang)h. Does this hymn move its singers towards freedom within their Taiwan

identity ? (Huang)

i. Does this hymn include interplay between biblical revelation and

contemporary Taiwan realities? (Loh)

j. If singers take this hymn to heart, will they bear fruit that will in some

way fit into Taiwans context? (Niles)

k. Does this hymn reflect a fundamental unity of reality? (Amaladoss)

50 Quoted by C. Michael Hawn, Gather into One: Praying and Singing Globally (Grand Rapids:Eerdmans, 2003), 32

20


21/28


l. Does this hymn call all human beings to community? (Amaladoss)

Application of the Tool

Before application of this tool missionary-written hymns it must be tested

against a hymn written by a Taiwanese poet in Taiwan. It is assumed, perhaps falsely,

that this hymn will "pass" the test and be determined suitable for use in the Taiwan

context. If this is so, then the tool itself can also be assumed to be useful for

"measurement" of other materials presented for use in the modern Taiwan context.

1A. Test Text

The one-verse hymn For this our Nation we Ardently Pray was written by

Chia Hong-bun in the 1990s. It was published in Taiwanese in 2001. An English

translation, versified for singing,came out in 2007. Contextuality for Taiwan must

primarily be ascertained by using the Taiwanese text. For the sake of this project, a

literal translation into English (with modified punctuation and the addition of

capitalization which does not exist in the Taiwanese original) will be used. The

modified and versified version for singing in English can be found in a footnote.

For the sake of this piece land, we sincere heart pray.

May Lords truth as light whole land shine upon.

For these cities we humbly implore, may Lord grant life.

Give our people obtain salvation.

Grant, Almighty Heavenly Father God, your holy kingdom come down.

Grant poverty and grief all leave our hearts.

Grant Almighty Heavenly Father God, your will be done.

Grant hope and joy eternally dwell in our hearts.51

1B: Test Tool

Does the language of this hymn reflect current usage in Taiwan?

Does this hymn reflect Taiwanese modes of spirituality?

51For this our nation we ardently pray. Come, truth of Jesus to enlighten our way.

Come to our cities, we humbly implore, fill us with Jesus love to our very core.

O Almighty Father, your kingdom come here, that sickness and poverty we may

not have to fear. Our Father in heaven, may your will be done. That peace, hopeand righteousness shine as bright as the sun.

21


22/28


Does this hymn use resources drawn from Taiwans cultural environment?

Does this hymn celebrate traditional elements of Taiwans culture?

Does this hymn link Taiwans Christians to people of other religions?

Does this hymn link Taiwans Christians ecumenically?

Is this hymn relevant to Taiwans socio-political context?

Does this hymn move its singers towards freedom within their Taiwan

identity ?

Does this hymn include interplay between biblical revelation and

contemporary Taiwan realities?

If singers take this hymn to heart, will they bear fruit that will in some way

fit into Taiwans context?

Does this hymn reflect a fundamental unity of reality?

Does this hymn call all human beings to community?

1C: Analysis

Use of the term, "this piece of land" picks up on two aspects near to the heart of

the Taiwanese. First is the years of colonial oppression during which local people

were told that they were either subjects of the Japanese emperor (1895 to 1945) or the

heavy handed Nationalist dictatorship from 1945 until the mid-1990's during which a

"greater China" identity was promoted and Taiwan-consciousness was suppressed.

The other theme it draws on is the centuries of Taiwan's life as an agricultural society

during which connection to the land was of prime importance. The processes through

which Taiwan has changed, in the most recent five decades, from an agricultural,

through an industrial, into a service and consumer economy have strained and often

broken connection to the land among persons born after 1960. In the 21st century the

process of globalization threatens the connection to "this" piece of land. Through

usage of the phrase "for this piece of land" this hymn calls its users to Taiwan.

Taiwan's peoples are praying peoples. In traditional homes joss sticks are lit and

placed before the house gods or ancestral tablets every day. Though less common than

before, it is yet not uncommon to observe pedestrians, when passing a folk religion

temple, engaging in behaviour which could easily be compared to that of Roman

22


23/28


Catholics in a church "genuflecting" before the altar. On March 19, 2004, the evening

of the day when Taiwan's then-president Chen Shui-bian had been shot, leaders of a

pre-election rally in Taipei called the crowds gathered there to be silent and led a

prayer to "Our Mother Taiwan" for his recovery and the safety of the land. This hymn,

a prayer for Taiwan, though Christian in much of its content, reflects a basic mode of

Taiwan spirituality.

In the mid-1990's the municipal government of Kaohsiung made a bid to host the

Asian Games. At that time a city motto, "Friendship, Sunshine, Passion" was coined.

This motto was derived from what the promoters sensed in the Kaohsiung

environment. The second line of the hymn, in which the truth of God is begged to fill

the land as light shines upon it picks up on this contemporary Taiwan reality.

Nevertheless, the hymn fails to celebrate any traditional elements of Taiwan's culture

and falls short of linking Christians with people of other religions. "Almighty

Heavenly Father God" is particularly Christian terminology. Notwithstanding that in

Chinese Folk Religion there is the Jade Emperor, or "God of Heaven", this eminence

has little to do with the lives of common people, who look to subordinate gods, ghosts

and ancestors for their particular needs.52

Taiwan's Christians are divided on many issues, not least of which are the terms

by which they refer to God. All Protestants and Roman Catholics could agree on the

terms used in this hymn and translated "Almighty Father" and "Heavenly Father", but

the term "Siong-te" which follows it is a bone of contention going back centuries.

Roman Catholics use "Thian-chu" (Lord of heaven), Presbyterians and some other

mainline Protestants use "Siong-te" (the emperor above) and free church Protestants

use "Sin" (spirit). The hymn, therefore, both succeeds and fails to link Taiwan's

Christians.

52 David Jordan, Gods, Ghosts & Ancestors, (Berkley, University of California, 1968) p. xvi.

23


24/28


Insofar as relevance to Taiwan's socio-political context can be ascertained,

beyond use of the term "this piece of land", alluded to above, the hymn recognizes the

existence of sickness and grief, which are common in Taiwan (as most everywhere

else) and of fear of poverty, which was only eliminated (for the most part) in Taiwan

in the last generation. Mention of cities is highly relevant to the urbanized situation of

the vast majority of Taiwan's residents. Though it may have been more poetic and

beautiful to have sung of lofty Yu-shan, few Taiwanese will ever see it other than in a

photograph or on a TV screen. Biblical imagery is found in the next to last line where

the phrase "your will be done" is inserted. This, lifted from the Lord's prayer, connects

the hymn writer and hymn users to two millenia of church usage. Those who use the

hymn and take it to heart will come to care not only for themselves but for the land,

the cities and the people of this land.

1 D : Summary

Of the twelve criteria posited for analysis of a hymn's contextual applicability to

Taiwan, this one meets ten and fails two. The failures are based on the contents and

form of the hymn itself, not on any defect in the instrument. Calibration thus

completed, and the instrument demonstrated to be effective, we now proceed to

testing other materials.

2A: "When Creations Work Was Done"

This hymn, apparently written by John V. N. Talmage, was included inIong-sim

Sin-si published in Xiamen in 1859. At that time missionary hymn writers were

creating both liturgy and literature for the churches they were establishing in China.

Congruent with the idea that "we sing what we believe", the missionaries were using

song to reinforce some of the beliefs which they were offering to the persons who,

leaving behind the faiths of their mothers and fathers, came to be united with the

fellowship of the Christian Church. This hymn demonstrates the missionaries' concern

24


25/28


that the newly established churches in Minan language regions articulate beliefs that:

1) the world had come into being through the creative will of God; 2) the Sabbath was

ordained for God's people from of old; 3) its celebration on Sunday (instead of

Saturday) was warranted by the resurrection of Christ on that day; and 4) history has a

destination, which will include an eternal state of rest. All of these are addressed,

affirmed, and sung in the hymn "When Creation's Work Was Done."The hymn is still

in use in Presbyterian Churches in Taiwan today.

As with the hymn used above to test the analytical tool, a more-or-less the

literal rendering of the original text into English will be used.

1) Heaven and earth made all complete, God rest and give blessing.

People learn Gods way, early have kept Sabbath day. Early have kept Sabbath day.

2) All people sin, Heaven is angered. Jesus descends for us to die.

Salvation completed and suffering ended, First day of week Lord arose. First day of week Lord arose.

3) Jesus loved us, saved souls. We should appreciate his great grace.

Thank, worship hearts true, often come keep Sabbath day. Often come keep Sabbath day.

4) Gods holy book says very truly, end day heaven and earth change to new. Jesus disciples receive

blessings Eternal rest in heaven kingdom. Eternal rest in heaven kingdom.

2B: Tool

Does the language of this hymn reflect current usage in Taiwan?

Does this hymn reflect Taiwanese modes of spirituality?

Does this hymn use resources drawn from Taiwans cultural environment?

Does this hymn celebrate traditional elements of Taiwans culture?

Does this hymn link Taiwans Christians to people of other religions?

Does this hymn link Taiwans Christians ecumenically?

Is this hymn relevant to Taiwans socio-political context?

Does this hymn move its singers towards freedom within their Taiwan

identity ?

Does this hymn include interplay between biblical revelation and

contemporary Taiwan realities?

If singers take this hymn to heart, will they bear fruit that will in some way

fit into Taiwans context?

25


26/28


Does this hymn reflect a fundamental unity of reality?

Does this hymn call all human beings to community?

2C: Analysis

Of the 12 criteria posited in the tool, this hymn fully meets only two: it links

Christians ecumenically (the command to keep a Sabbath being upheld, though not

necessarily kept, in all of Taiwan's Christian churches) and it offers Christians

freedom within their Taiwan Identity (because though it calls for Sabbath keeping, it

does not specifically state "Sabbatarian rules" for how this is to be done). It is partly

successful in its attempt to be relevant to Taiwan's socio-political context because in

21st century Taiwan is available away from work for most people on a weekly basis to

take both a Saturday AND a Sunday sabbath. The hymn also makes use of Biblical

material in all four verses, carrying singers through creation, fall, redemption and the

Second Coming of Christ. However, it does not link these to contemporary Taiwan

realities.

2D: Summary

The hymn fails to be relevant to the Taiwan context in many areas. Nothing in

traditional Taiwan spirituality calls for people to take any "sabbath rest". The text calls

Taiwan's Christians to separate themselves from their fellow citizens who are not

Christians or inclined to rest one day a week. Perhaps most seriously, it carries no

sense of a unity of reality. Heaven and earth are separate, Jesus "descends" from

heaven, only "souls" are saved, and eternal blessing is made available only for those

who can be identified as the disciples of Jesus.

Conclusions

For Taiwan

If the tool is useful when applied to hymn texts written in Minnan language by

foreign missionaries (whom we might presume to be somewhat familiar with the local

26


27/28


context), it can be applied also to the translations of hymn texts from other regions

which are commonly used in Taiwans churches today. Those that pass the test of

applicability (or at least, not fail the test absolutely) might be included in future hymn

collections. Those that fail might disappear quietly into obscurity.

The use of out of context texts is no more wrong than use of the deutero-

canonical books of the Bible is wrong. Some of the hymns, like some of the deutero-

canonicals, are helpful in broadening the spirituality of local Christians. But out of

context texts need to be clearly labeled for what they ARE. Texts and tunes

constructed from local cultural materials in local motifs are identifiable without much

trouble. Only out of context items presented for use in Taiwans churches need

additional treatment. For example: Silent Nightwould carry the notation 19th Century

Austrian.Be Not Dismayedwould be 20th Century American andJesus, Thou Joy

of Loving Hearts would come as 12th Century Latin. Even hymns from South Asia

and Africa, the rhythmic and melodic qualities of which make them instantly

recognizable, should bear some identification as to nation (or people) of origin and

century (20th Century, Gambia, etc.).

For Asian Churches in General

Taiwan is a single corner of Asia. In each nation, and in separate regions of

several, there are ethnic, cultural, linguistic, historical, economic, ecclesial and

political factors that create unique contexts for the Christians of those places. Tools

for contextual evaluation of the hymns used in churches there might be developed

along the lines of the one presented here for Taiwan. These might serve churches not

only in evaluating the music that is presented to them in the denominational or

commercially produced hymnals that they use, but also to evaluate the mass of

material that comes electronically for projection on screens (in urban churches where

27


28/28


power is reliable and computer equipment is in use).

It is anticipated that much of what is evaluated will pass, and that which is not

from the context will be clearly seen inapplicable. This is not a call to purge our

churches of out of context materials, but to take a step to construct church

theologies and practices that are both living and local for the sake of sharing the good

news of a living and incarnate Lord Jesus Christ with all of our neighbors and to the

depths of our own being.

28

Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns

Documents

Transcript of Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns