Eschatology And Evangelize

Benefiting from the Western religious awakening movement,James Hudson Taylor was able to enter China to preach,while the overseas gospel movement is inseparable from the changes in the concept of eschatology in the history of Christian thought.Therefore,James Hudson Taylor's preaching is brewing and sprouting in the era of "revival" and the eschatology context full of Messianic passion.At the same time,the Chinese society at that time also faced "a big change that was not seen in the past three thousand years."Along with the cracks in the Chinese society caused by the colonial invasion of western powers and the prevailing trends of thought in Chinese civil society,these provided an opportunity for Christianity to be introduced to China again.The conservative James Hudson Taylor,deeply influenced by the eschatological thought of Christianity,emphasized in his missionary thought the responsibility of the Western Christian community for the "spiritual needs" of the Chinese,that is,to preach to China.In his following missionary career,he always firmly grasped the mission of preaching and never deviated from it.To this end,James Hudson Taylor specially founded the China Inland Mission and called for the participation of a large number of colleagues who have reached consensus on this issue.He focused on the goal of preaching--to save the souls of the Chinese people.At the same time,in the process of his mission,in order to rapidly expand the mission territory,the preaching of the eschatological discourse also accounted for a considerable proportion.This is in a certain sense consistent with the early Christian church's understanding and practice of the gospel.James Hudson Taylor's mission strategy and practice have established his understanding of faith.He has subconsciously directed his understanding of theology to the eschatology through practice,that is,evangelism.All in all,the eschatology is the theological motivation of James Hudson Taylor's mission and is also an important part of his preaching.The two have completed a mutually causality dynamic harmony in James Hudson Taylor.In the history of Christian thought,with the separation of Christianity and Judaism in the early church,the "End Time" in Christian understanding has been opened in a certain sense,and the preaching itself constitutes an end-time event.After more than a thousand years' continuation,various kinds of missionary behaviors in the history of Christianity constitute a practical response to the gospel.James Hudson Taylor's missionary action to the Chinese is just such a typical representative.The great contrast between the vast area of China and the huge population and the corresponding poverty of the Gospel of Christ constitutes the great driving force for James Hudson Taylor's mission.Such an eschatological tension has continued,and accordingly requires more courageous and bold actions.Cross-organizational super-sectarian organization strategy,principles of faith mission,female mission,layman mission,travel tour and so on have emerged.Facing the mission of evangelism,for James Hudson Taylor,the main issue is to save the Chinese soul.All sectarian divisions,gender differences,and job differences are second to none.Through James Hudson Taylor,we can understand how a Christian can elucidate and practice his beliefs in a special context of The Times,and maintain such a dialogue with the deep religious tradition behind it.The enthusiasm of missions inspired by these inner thoughts,coupled with the active and effective missionary strategy and the unrestrained efforts of the missionaries in China Inland Mission(CIM),finally enabled the CIM to make eye-catching achievements in the indicators of mission,and to be generally recognized.James Hudson Taylor and the CIM have also deeply influenced today's Chinese Christian Church.We can still find a lot of the heritage of the CIM in many aspects of the Chinese church.The alienation of James Hudson Taylor and the CIM from politics and the focus on "saving souls" also change and shape the Chinese people's perception and impression of Christianity.At the same time,we also watched the missionary movement and saw its inner dynamics and the rich diversity among its constituent members.It is precisely such tension that makes James Hudson Taylor and the CIM full of vitality and charm.Examining the issues of "eschatology and missions" will also bring many useful inspirations for the development of Christianity in China today and its integration with society.