Book Reviews / Mission Studies 24 (2007) 333–364 363

Christ & the Tao. By Heup Young Kim. Hong Kong, China, Christian Confer- ence of Asia 2003. Pp. x + 186 pp. $18.00.

Th is unique book provides stimulating ideas for a Korean-American Christian like me. I have often wondered whether the Confucian assumptions of a Korean person can find any resonance or co-existence with the Christian mes- sage without contradicting or compromising either religious and/or philo- sophical tradition. An ordained Presbyterian minister raised in a strict Confucian environment in South Korea, Kim formulates a new theology or hermeneutical paradigm in which Jesus Christ and his message are contextual- ized in the Confucian mindset of Korean Christians. Kim urges the contextu- alizing of Christianity to the Korean experience, warning that “a blind application of Christian doctrines without a proper consideration of the con- text could cause serious and long-lasting damage to the church and society as a whole” (126). In order to develop his new hermeneutical paradigm reflecting Christianity with an East Asian and Confucian backdrop, Kim coins the phrases “theo-tao” and “Christo-tao,” and argues that the “tao (way), a cardinal religio-cultural metaphor of East Asian people, is the root-metaphor, [one] that is more appro- priate and Biblical for Christian theology in the coming millennium than the logos and the praxis” (132). Kim asserts that the Christian message is universal and can appear, albeit in disguise, in Confucian teachings, if one looks closely and identifies similar concepts. He observes parallels among and between two seminal Confucian and two seminal Christian thinkers: Wang Yang-ming (15th century), Karl Barth, Yi T’oegye (16th century), and John Calvin. Th e author resurrects the ideas of these four in order to engage in Confucian- Christian dialogues, which are presented in a series of six essays, divided into two parts, each containing three essays. Part I is entitled “Christ and the Tao: Confucian-Christian Dialogue,” and Part II is “Christ as the Tao: East Asian Constructive Th eology.” Perhaps Kim’s most significant contribution is to provide a common arena where Confucians and Christians can have a stimulating and mutually beneficial dialogue, especially in regards to human concerns, cultivating rela- tionship with one another, finding a common original humanity, and realizing full humanity. Quoting the works of his four thinkers allows Kim to identify and expound parallel concepts found in Christianity and Confucianism, such as the following pairs: agape (unconditional love) and ch’eng (sincerity); liang- chih (the Inner Sage) and humanitas Christi; and t’ien-ming (the mandate of Heaven) and imago Dei.

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2007 DOI: 10.1163/157338307X235085

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While his observations and insights are noteworthy, Kim’s effort to build bridges between Christianity and Confucianism favors a humanistic interpre- tation of the Christian message. In doing so he deemphasizes the salvific mes- sage of the gospel, which is embodied in the incarnate logos, Jesus Christ, whose message cannot be simply removed from the Judeo-Christian context of the Middle East. In other words, in his attempt to contextualize the Chris- tian message for Korean Confucian believers, Kim takes the Christian message out of context, and then filters in the humanistic elements that resonate with Confucian principles. Certainly Kim makes a significant contribution by raising the question of the relevance of Western Christianity to the Korean experience. He challenges Asian Christians to formulate a theology that takes account of cultural con- text, and identifies important aspects of the Korean context for the formation of Korean Christian theology. Th ese include the liberation theology emerging from Korea’s internal wars, the occupation by the Japanese, the treatment of women, and interactions with indigenous philosophies and religious tradi- tions. Yet in the daunting task of formulating Korean Christian theology, it is important to remember that culture should not replace the centrality of Christ. Above all, Asian theologians must keep the integrity of the Christian message intact as they endeavor to contextualize theology in light of their milieu.

Kenneth D. Lee California State University, Northridge, US

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