The United Bible Societies (UBS) and the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS), in collaboration with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) and its partners, held its 13th International Conference from 11 to 13 June 2025.
This year’s conference, themed “The Bible and the Systematic Promotion of the Sinicization of Christianity”, was attended by participants from various governmental, academic and international institutions such as the Shanghai Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, Singapore’s Trinity Theological College, Seminari Theoloji Malaysia and Lansdowne Church in the United Kingdom1.
This year’s papers presented were well-researched, insightful and thought-provoking. Some of the topics presented included: the concept of God and the God-human relationship in classical Chinese literature; translating the personal names of God; comparative studies of Christianity and Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism; and “false gods” in Robert Morrison’s translation of the Chinese Bible.
Dr Chan Yew Ming’s paper, on “Yahweh Sabaoth and His Land in the Book of Zechariah”, offered a theological and historical analysis of the connection between the divine name and the promised land as described in the prophetic text. Participants felt that Dr Chan, who lectures on the Old Testament at Trinity Theological College in Singapore, provided innovative insights into the re-orientation of the divine name in response to changes in the socio-political situation.
“It was encouraging to see so many scholars, young and old, in research institutions, universities and seminaries, engaged in the study of the Bible and Christianity,” said Dr Bernard Low, who is Co-Director of United Bible Societies China Partnership. He added that the participants were united by a common quest to understand the Bible, to exegete and engage it afresh from Chinese cultural, hermeneutical, philosophical and sociological perspectives, and to develop a distinctively Chinese expression of Christianity that will speak to Chinese society.
Reflecting on the conference, Dr Andy Thomas from BFBS commented that the “Seminar ran well. It was good to see representatives from a variety of universities and seminaries covering a decent range of interdisciplinary topics.”
We thank God for a fruitful conference this year and look forward to supporting more such conferences in China so that conversations on the Bible and Christianity - to promote research, advance scholarship, foster dialogues, and deepen friendships - would continue.
1The full list of institutions represented at the conference: Shanghai Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, Shanghai Centre for the Studies of Religion and Culture, Fudan University, Henan University, Nanjing University, Shanghai University, Zhejiang University, Islamic Association of China, Beijing Institute of Catholicism and Culture, Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, East China Theological Seminary, Shandong Theological Seminary, Zhongnan Theological Seminary, Trinity Theological College in Singapore, Seminari Theoloji Malaysia and Lansdowne Church in the United Kingdom.
