Insofar as the twentieth century has often been referred to as 'the ecumenical century', the twenty-first seems poised to become known as 'the century of World Christianity'. Into this situation, the present study seeks to show the ongoing relevance of Wolfhart Pannenberg's ecclesiological and ecumenical proposals and, in doing so, finds that his eschatologically-oriented and historically-rooted emphasis upon an 'open-ended distinctiveness' is exactly the kind of corrective that the emerging theological paradigm of World Christianity needs if it wants not only to stay contextually 'open-ended', but remain 'distinctively' Christian in outlook and character as well. Towards that end, the book begins with the story of ecclesiology's definitional expansion (from the time of the Reformation to now) before tracing the biographical and ideational roots of Pannenberg's overall programme. The study then proceeds by outlining the main contours of Pannenberg's ecclesiology and ecumenism, especially as such pertain to World Christianity. In this regard, several facets of Pannenberg's thought are highlighted for consideration, including his understanding of 'the church as sign of the kingdom', his doctrine of 'participation in Christ', his reassertion of the church's missionary task, his (underdeveloped) 'personalist' and 'social' thought-structures, his (ironically relevant) 'Constantinianism', his (directly relevant yet abstract) notion of 'creative love', and his views concerning contextualization and the ecumenical potential of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381. While much that is here developed serves as a healthy corrective for an emerging theological paradigm that is still maturing, some surprising critical insights arise that also flow the other way.
Insofar as the twentieth century has often been referred to as 'the ecumenical century', the twenty-first seems poised to become known as 'the century of World Christianity'. Into this situation, the present study seeks to show the ongoing relevance of Wolfhart Pannenberg's ecclesiological and ecumenical proposals and, in doing so, finds that his eschatologically-oriented and historically-rooted emphasis upon an 'open-ended distinctiveness' is exactly the kind of corrective that the emerging theological paradigm of World Christianity needs if it wants not only to stay contextually 'open-ended', but remain 'distinctively' Christian in outlook and character as well. Towards that end, the book begins with the story of ecclesiology's definitional expansion (from the time of the Reformation to now) before tracing the biographical and ideational roots of Pannenberg's overall programme. The study then proceeds by outlining the main contours of Pannenberg's ecclesiology and ecumenism, especially as such pertain to World Christianity. In this regard, several facets of Pannenberg's thought are highlighted for consideration, including his understanding of 'the church as sign of the kingdom', his doctrine of 'participation in Christ', his reassertion of the church's missionary task, his (underdeveloped) 'personalist' and 'social' thought-structures, his (ironically relevant) 'Constantinianism', his (directly relevant yet abstract) notion of 'creative love', and his views concerning contextualization and the ecumenical potential of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381. While much that is here developed serves as a healthy corrective for an emerging theological paradigm that is still maturing, some surprising critical insights arise that also flow the other way.
Economic liberalisation processes and the rapid development of the private sector are widely visible signs of over thirty years of reform policies in the People’s Republic of China. Nevertheless, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has managed to preserve the basic political institutions of the Leninist Party-state, including its own unrestrained position of political power. Against this background, this book investigates the interrelationship between processes of marketisation and commercialisation, and the stability of the CCP regime. The aim of the book is to complement existing literature on adaptive governance in China and on the reasons for the CCP regime’s relative stability, while providing new information about the relationship between the Chinese party-state and private entrepreneurs. Taking case studies from the film and music industries, the book gives a detailed account of the political and economic history of these industries in China, with special attention given to the role played by private production companies as intermediaries between artistic creation, political and ideological constraints, and the market. A historical institutionalist approach is employed to trace the effect of Chinese policies on popular culture and the institutions of administrative, economic, political and ideological control over the film and music industries back to the 1950s, revealing the mechanisms and prospects of CCP hegemony in the cultural sector. Examining the effects of the marketisation and commercialisation processes on the communist regime and vice versa, this book also offers a fresh perspective on the origins of today’s Chinese popular cultural mainstream. It will therefore be of great interest to students and scholars of Chinese politics, Chinese culture and media and Chinese government-business relations.
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