Dr. Stephanie M. Wong (Villanova University) publishes “Christian-Confucian Comparative Theology Today” in Concilium: International Journal for Theology (2025, Issue 4): pp.65-75; it summarizes and analyzes the current state of Christian-Confucian dialogue and comparison.

Abstract:

This paper situates Christian-Confucian comparative theology in a global context, making the case that comparative reflection can meaningfully inform the analysis of ritual innovations and political theologies today. First, I interrogate the possibility of Christian-Confucian comparative theology in the Western academy, noting how various attempts at comparative reflection have struggled amid disconnects of disciplinary terminology around religion, philosophy, and theology. Second, I consider survey two areas of Confucian revival in and extending from mainland China, namely the emergence of new Confucian practices within the state’s regulatory framework and a flurry of intellectual propositions to revive or reconstruct the Confucian theo-political ideal of tianxia. In this context, especially as secular nationalisms around the globe threaten to either render our religio-philosophical traditions as defunct or weaponize them as political religions, Christian-Confucian comparative theology can play a meaningful role in analyzing these developments and alternative sociospiritual aspirations.

Conclusion: