New Article “Christian-Confucian Comparative Theology Today” by Dr. Stephanie M. Wong

On January 17, 2026January 17, 2026 By Bin SongIn News & InterviewsLeave a comment

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:

Routledge Companion to Chinese Philosophy: New Chapter on Neo-Confucian Meditation

On January 13, 2026January 13, 2026 By Bin SongIn Meditation, News & InterviewsLeave a comment

The Routledge Companion to Chinese Philosophy (Routledge, 2026), edited by Brook Ziporyn and Stephen C. Walker, includes a chapter by Bin Song titled “Quiet-Sitting Meditation: A Philosophical Practice in the Cheng–Zhu Learning of Pattern-Principle” (Chapter 41, pp. 439–450).

Building on Song’s earlier work on Confucian meditation, the chapter offers a sustained philosophical account of quiet-sitting within the Cheng–Zhu lineage of Song-dynasty Ru learning. It identifies three distinctive Ruist exemplars of quiet-sitting, associated with Cheng Yi, Yang Shi, and Zhu Xi, and clarifies their philosophical structure and practical orientation.

A central contribution is the analysis of Zhu Xi’s understanding of quiet-sitting as unfolding in three stages, examined through their inner dynamics and intellectual lineage. The chapter concludes by engaging recent discussions in the philosophy of meditation, showing how, in the Cheng–Zhu tradition, philosophical inquiry and spiritual practice are inseparable.

Written for both specialists and interested general readers, the chapter presents Confucian meditation as a rigorous philosophical practice that integrates reflection with lived self-cultivation, contributing to contemporary cross-traditional conversations on meditation and philosophy.

The_Routledge_Companion_to_Chinese_Philosophy_26_01_13_13_09_57 Download

Orbis Books Publishes a Confucian Sacred Story

On November 12, 2025December 31, 2025 By Bin SongIn News & InterviewsLeave a comment

Dr. Anna Sun (Duke University), Dr. Pauline Lee (Saint Louis University), and Dr. Bin Song (Washington College) have co-authored a play titled “When the Fire Came: A Retelling of the Confucian Sacred Story.” This work has just been published as a chapter in Retelling Sacred Stories: Our Journeys to a Shared Sacred Story, sponsored by the Fetzer Institute and published by Orbis Books in 2025!

With the guidance of two literary advisors and a panel of leading Confucian scholar-reviewers, this play represents the most literary and imaginative work I have participated in to date. The volume also features sacred stories from Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Religion and Science, Interspirituality, and more.

For readers seeking an inspiring and enjoyable exploration of sacred stories across diverse traditions—each reimagined by distinguished scholars and writers—this book is a must-read!

Sacred Story (Confucian)Download

New Book “Debating Transcendence” in November

On August 21, 2025December 31, 2025 By Bin SongIn News & InterviewsLeave a comment

Access to the Digital Edition at Fordham University Press, JSTOR and Project Muse.

Bin Song Interviewed by Journal of Contemplative Studies

On July 15, 2025December 31, 2025 By Bin SongIn Meditation, News & InterviewsLeave a comment

Inspired by the ancient Confucian tradition, this conversation explores a timely question: How can we meditate as scholars, administrators, or modern professionals?

I also explain the misnomer of “Confucianism,” clarifying the Ruist (Confucian) tradition of contemplative practices and self-cultivation, and distinguishing it from other major ancient Asian traditions, such as Chinese Mahayana Buddhism.

Excerpt:

Contemplation in the Ru tradition is best understood as a state of heightened attention grounded in reverence. It means focusing your energy and aligning your consciousness with a guiding principle in order to gain insight into reality and engage with it.

What does heightened attention involve? It requires integrating all dimensions of the self, including understandings, feelings, emotions, actions, and more. This is traditionally described as sincerity or authenticity (cheng). You study ethical and metaphysical teachings, practice them, and cultivate a unified way of living. This coherence is what Ru thinkers mean by heightened attention.

And what about insights? As we see in Buddhism’s emphasis on mindfulness, many traditions seek direct, unclouded awareness of reality. Ruists (or Confucians) also aim for this: accessing reality free from prejudice and partiality. However, each tradition defines reality in its own way.

The full interview can be checked here.