Mainland Chinese Christian Scholars Leaving the Church in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis /St
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Luther Seminary Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary Doctor of Philosophy Theses Student Theses 2007 Mainland Chinese Christian Scholars Leaving the Church in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis /St. Paul): A Theological and Pastoral Analysis Yu Zhao Luther Seminary Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/phd_theses Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Zhao, Yu, "Mainland Chinese Christian Scholars Leaving the Church in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis /St. Paul): A Theological and Pastoral Analysis" (2007). Doctor of Philosophy Theses. Paper 8. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses at Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Philosophy Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MAINLAND CHINESE CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS LEAVING THE CHURCH IN THE TWIN CITIES (MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL): A THEOLOGICAL AND PASTRAL ANALYSIS by YU ZHAO A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Luther Seminary In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3256632 Copyright 2007 by Zhao, Yu All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 3256632 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © 2007 by Yu Zhao All rights reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Mainland Chinese Christian Scholars Leaving the Church in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul): A Theological and Pastoral Analysis by Yu Zhao Mainland Chinese Christian scholars (Xue Zhe Ji Du Tu) are crucial to the Chinese churches in the American context in the U.S. In the last two decades, because these scholars join and then quickly leave the church, the fate of the Chinese church is in jeopardy. This research will consider this phenomenon of Christian scholars joining and then leaving the church and attempt to determine what are the theological, pastoral and sociological factors that contribute to these scholars leaving. This research will utilize a qualitative approach using the interview method to study the members of these Chinese Churches in the Twin Cities. Grounded theory will provide the theoretical approach, because it provides both a useful and suitable perspective for analyzing the reasons as to why these mainland Chinese Christian scholars are leaving the church in the Twin Cities, The qualitative approach is employed to guide this research throughout the design, data collection as well as the whole process of writing the dissertation. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS O give thanks to the Lord, fo r he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1 NRSV) I must say first that my acknowledgments are actually a list of thanks. I know that I cannot obtain the Ph.D. degree without tremendous assistance from others. First of all, thanks and glory go to the Lord who called me and brought me to the United States to finish my degree. I once had a dream to complete my theological education somewhere in the United States in the 1990’s, but I stopped dreaming this dream because I went to a local church to pastor a congregation that was more than four thousand congregants. Through His wondrous guidance, I had a chance to fulfill my early dream by coming to the United States. Every time when I recall this, I am grateful for God’s abundant love. Second, I need to thank the Global Ministry in ELCA and Luther Seminary, as well as China Christian Council for making my dreams come true. The financial and spiritual support of those specific people gave me courage to run to the goal. Franklin Ishida and Marie Hayes are the representatives of these people. Without the support of the Global Ministry, I don’t know how I could have finished my task at Luther Seminary. Without the support of Luther Seminary, I would fail to reach my goal. Without the support of China Christian Council (CCC), I would not have had such a chance to come to the United States. Third, I turn to thank my family for their support. I need to thank my dear wife, Enlin. She is my number one cheerleader in my family. She laid aside her own work and iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. came to the United States to accompany me for four years. During this period of time, she endured and overcame her homesickness to support me. I know that my life becomes better and brighter because of her. Without her support, I surely cannot achieve my goal at all. The most important change in our lives is that the wonderful new life, our son Abraham, came to our family in 2006. Enlin and I were greatly comforted by his arrival. My dear parents-in-law came over to the United States twice to help me during my preparation of my comprehensive proposal and the period of comprehensive examinations. From their examples, I saw the models of the most traditional Chinese parents who love their children selflessly. My dear parents kept praying for me to the ends of their lives. I am aware that I owe them too much that I cannot repay in my life. I will cherish their love to the end of my life. Next, I will thank my adviser, Prof. Robert Albers, for his help and support. It would have been very hard for me to finish my study at Luther Seminary if I had not had his assistance. He is my adviser, supporter and even proofreader, as well as good friend. Prof. Albers was always ready to help during the time I have been his advisee. I attribute my success to him in large part. I am so pleased to have Prof. Robert Albers as my adviser in the pursuit of my Ph.D. Furthermore, I will thank my two readers, Prof. Roland Martinson and Prof. Friede Ludwig, for their generous time and support. I thank Prof. Janet Ramsey for her suggestions in my dissertation proposal and dissertation writing. I am also grateful for Reference Librarian Bruce Eldevik for his assistance in my literature review. Finally, I will thank all my friends who assist me and pray for me both in China and the United States. Rev. Bingcheng Feng gave me a lot encouragement and directions iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. every time I talked with him. I need to thank Rev. Ma Tianlan, Rev. Lin Shenyuan and Rev. Leon Peng for their time and help as well as their concerns. I also want to thank brothers and sisters in the three sample churches. They gave me huge support in their best effort in free conversations and interviews. Their love and encouragement inspire me to do my best. I also thank my friend, Marilyn Smith for her proofreading while I need help. Lastly, I will mention my previous adviser, Richard Wallace, who was a friend and a brother to me. With all above support, I can have the blessings and favor abundantly from God. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRCT...................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......................................................................................................... iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................................................viii LIST OF FIGURES.....................................................................................................................ix LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................x Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem..........................................................................................1 Purpose of Research and Research Questions.......................................................3 The Research Field ................................................................................................... 5 Definitions of Key Terms in This Research.......................................................... 8 The Significance and Readers of This Research..................................................15 The Contents of Each Chapter...............................................................................16