Spiritual Christians in Republican China: Reconceptualization beyond Pentecostalism and Indigenization

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This is an excellent paper. The authors referred to many works, namely, to examine the content of this paper is to examine many works which are mentioned in this paper. I did not find any notable mistakes in this paper, especially in respect to the historical facts. The reviewer only found one minor detail that may be problematic that, in reference 39, the authors cited a book named Wanyu shingling, in fact, it may be Wanyu shengling.

However, the reviewer would like to point out that, just as the authors said, it is possible that the term “Pentecostalism” originated from the United States, yet the phenomenon of “Pentecostalism” has long been rooted in the Christian tradition, especially in Catholic Church.

The authors argue that simply appropriating the term “Pentecostalism” to describe its Chinese counterpart Shuling pai is risky and improper in research, which really makes sense, insofar as this kind of treatment ignored different cultural backgrounds and historical contexts. In China, people always respect the tradition of “the name follows the master”名从主人, when referring to someone or a group of people, the identity of the subject is very important and thus should be taken into account.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This article primarily proposes the use of the "spiritual" concept as a replacement for the traditionally known "Pentecostalism", thereby redefining the identity of Chinese Christians. The author traces the analyses and descriptions of these concepts by Western scholars. Using examples such as TJC and JF, the author illustrate the distinctions and validate that the term "spiritual" is more apt for describing Chinese churches, particularly drawing on Nee's church as a case study.

 

1. Main Argument Concerns:

 

I have concerns regarding the core argument of this article. In the conclusion, you note that "Pentecostalism is not the only problematic term when applied to the Chinese churches." You suggest that the so-called Pentecostal churches in China have unique characteristics, and propose using the term "spiritual" to describe the identity of Chinese Christians. This raises questions about whether "spiritual Christians" encompasses groups like TJC or JF.

 

If these groups are not encompassed by the term, what is the rationale behind their detailed discussion? Instead, more focus could be placed on groups or evangelists with so-called spiritual characteristics, such as John Sung or Jia Yuming. If your argument is that such groups should be termed "spiritual" rather than just "fundamentalism," I might find it more persuasive.

 

Alternatively, if your argument is that TJC or JF is a unique form of Pentecostalism or a sinicized version of Pentecostal or charismatic Christianity, emphasizing their differences from Western Pentecostalism, this can also be justified.

 

However, based on your primary viewpoint, you seem to broadly categorize Chinese Pentecostal-charismatic groups under "spiritual," but you've dedicated significant space discussing Nee's church. It seems to obscure the significant differences between these groups and downplays the diversity of Chinese religious traditions. It is clear that there are many significant differences between Nee`s theology and church practice and the TJC or JF. It's acceptable to say that TJC or JF are not Pentecostal in the traditional sense, but categorizing them along with Nee's movement as 'spiritual' seems to lack persuasive evidence. Based on the current arguments presented, it appears weak.

 

This might be the most concerning and insufficient part of the article.

 

2. Conceptual Concerns:

 

In L 41-42, "However, the Chinese express a totally negative attitude to the term of Pentecostalism." I think Chinese churches and believers have a negative attitude towards the term "ling en pai"灵恩派 rather than "pentecostalism  (wu xun jie pai五旬节派)." These two terms have distinct meanings in Chinese. Similarly, in L52-53, "ling-en" is often translated as "charismatic," which is distinct from Pentecostal.

 

Furthermore, in the first section, you discussed a lot about "spiritual" to prove that "Spiritual churches" is a term to describe these Holy Spirit-related movements. It's essential to question whether these theories are directly applicable to the Chinese context. Is the connotation of "属灵shu-ling" in the Chinese context consistent with what these people call "spiritual"? In the context of Chinese churches, "属灵" “spiritual” often describes "piety" and doesn't necessarily include the charismatic aspect. Or to put it another way, in the Chinese context, "属灵spiritual" and "灵恩ling-en(charismatic)" are two different things. Your article opposes applying Western discourse to Chinese church practices, but you should also be cautious about whether you are using Western theories to explain Chinese practices, possibly overlooking the nuances in terminology within the Chinese context

 

Additionally, in Line 35, the term "zhongguohua" should be "hanyu汉语."

 

3. Structural Issues:

 

In the section "2. Pentecostalism, Spiritual Theology, and Spirit Church," you extensively discuss the evolution of the Pentecostal movement, which spans nearly 130 lines. I suggest condensing this section and placing a stronger emphasis on the Chinese context. As I mentioned, you need to demonstrate the applicability of these theories in the Chinese context.

In section 3, despite the title specifying 'in Republican China,' you provide extensive details on Hong Xiuquan and Xi Shengmo in the Chinese section. But the current discussion on Hong and Xi feels quite surface-level, resembling a general introduction. You can either focus on analyzing the “spiritual” features (however, you did not use this concept in this section, which raises the question: are they considered spiritual Christians?) in their movements or reduce this section to avoid a general introduction.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

4. Language Areas for Improvement

This article still has some minor language issues, I list the first part below, please be sure to proofread it carefully again.

 

Line24   is said to be" is informal

A more assertive statement could strengthen the sentence, such as "is recognized as" or "is considered the most."

 

31

Christianity of non-Western world" should be "Christianity in the non-Western world"

 

35

"There have been some similarities and conflicts between indigenous churches and Pentecostalism." This sentence is in the present perfect but seems disconnected from the following sentence. Consider revising to the simple present for consistency and immediacy, e.g., "There are similarities and conflicts between indigenous churches and Pentecostalism."

 

 

41

The phrase "However, the Chinese express a totally negative attitude to the term of Pentecostalism." could be clearer. It's not certain whether "the Chinese" refers to the government, citizens, or religious entities

Such as “Chinese religious authorities and the general populace”

 

 

45

"either in the eyes of government or academia," should be "either in the eyes of the government or academia,

 

58

the authors would review

should be "the authors review" or "the authors will review."

 

 

48"On one side... On the other side..." is less formal and can be unclear in contrasting ideas. Consider using "On the one hand... On the other hand..." for a more formal and academically conventional expression.

 

 

59

"And with a Pneuma-centric approach, the authors would have a case analysis..." could be more fluently written as "Utilizing a Pneuma-centric approach, the authors will conduct a case analysis..."

 

In conclusion, the authors would have a reflective discussion of relevant terms in studying Chinese Christianity." should be "In conclusion, the authors will …

 

 

5.Formatting issues.

Ensure the layout meets the publication's requirements and use cross-references.

 

The lines 404-411 should be indented.

 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This is a very good introduction to the "spiritual" essence of charismatic Christianity, Pentecostal or "popular", which can be published in its current form.  The academic English is good, and simply requires another round of editorial polishing.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Let an English native speaker take a look at the paper, in order to iron out stylistic inelegancies. But the academic English is definitely acceptable. 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

While I hold reservations regarding certain core aspects of your argument, particularly the contentious aspects surrounding the Spiritual Christians' concept, notably its approach to diversity, I recognize the value in your manuscript as a thoughtful attempt at reconceptualization. Therefore, I support its publication in the context of contributing to ongoing scholarly discourse.