China became subject to various Western influences in the nineteenth century. Conspicuous in the realm of technology was the transformation of printing from xylography to Western typography. The new method was introduced by Protestant missionaries and mainly by those of the London Missionary Society (LMS). The motive behind this transformation was their hope to print the Bible and by an adequate method, but later the impact of this technological change extended widely beyond religion, resulting in the burgeoning and rapid development of modern Chinese publishing enterprises, including newspapers, periodicals and books. Based mainly upon the LMS archives and the Chinese works printed by LMS missionaries, this study is a history of the LMS's printing presses, beginning with their establishment in the very early nineteenth century until their closure in 1873. The two principal themes in this study are: first, the missionaries' application of Western technology to Chinese printing; and secondly, the role and response of the Chinese to this transformation. Whilst trying to demonstrate the interaction between missionaries and natives in the process of change, an attempt is also made, in the context of contemporary China, to interpret how Western printing technology gradually gained influence in native minds. The printing press did not achieve as much as expected in helping to spread Christianity in China. However, the LMS missionaries were able to produce the first fount of Chinese type and raised Chinese awareness of its greater efficiency, compared with their thousand-year-old blocks, as an agent for the introduction of modern knowledge and as a means to transform their old society.

The Popular party in the eighteenth century Church of Scotland has received little attention from historians and there has never been a comprehensive analysis of its nature and ideology. This dissertation is an attempt to remedy that defect. It commences by surveying the nineteenth and twentieth century literature which has dealt with the ecclesiastical history of eighteenth century Scotland and identifies the deficiencies in this as they affect the Popular party. It is suggested that an analysis of the theological writings of members is a prerequisite for understanding the nature of the party. Prior to providing this, however, the results of an attempt to identify members of the party are analysed. It is suggested that the most workable method of identification is one based on preparedness to dissent from pro-patronage measures and decisions at the General Assembly. This provides a means of identification of the most committed members of the party. Its geographical spread is then delineated, as are the theological, ecclesiastical and secular interests of its members, and the effects of party dominance on them. The dissertation then analyses Popular theology in the areas of the premises of theology, the nature of sin and salvation, and the practical implications of theology. The picture which emerges is one of considerable theological complexity which calls in question the assumption of doctrinal unity within the party. Popular thought on secular issues is then analysed in the areas of the nature of society, government, poverty and wealth, and culture. The interplay of liberal and conservative political impetuses is examined and the theological bases of the party's secular thought elicited. The patronage dispute is analysed and an interpretation is offered, based on both the published works of the party and proceedings at the General Assembly, which argues that the fundamental religious or spiritual motivation of Popular opposition to the patronage system has not been appreciated, and that therefore the evolution of the Popular response to patronage as revealed at the General Assembly has been misconstrued. The Popular party in the Church of Scotland between 1740 and 1800 emerges as a doctrinally complex party, including within its membership the full range of doctrinal opinion from Moderatism to traditional orthodoxy. The most influential section within the party, however, was an evangelical grouping which combined doctrinal orthodoxy with an Enlightened learning. It is suggested, finally, that preoccupation with the patronage dispute had led historians to misunderstand the Church of Scotland in the latter half of the eighteenth century and to underestimate the complexity and significance of the evolving theological alignment which was the key development in the period

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In this study the apparent conflicts between the concept of nature and the concept of God, and the relationship between the concept of God and the concept of world provide the basis for analysing how Gordon D. Kaufman reformulates the concept of God. For Kaufman the concepts of world and nature are religiously relevant insofar as they call for a theology for our contemporary life centred in this world rather than in some metaphysical beyond. This study examines how Kaufman articulates a concept of God that is not necessarily bound by the traditions of a particular religion, but also whether he offers a concept of God for the so-called 'secular' modern world. / Chapter one examines how Kaufman conceives of the difference between world and nature. Chapter two relates the analysis of these concepts to the concept of God as well as Kaufman's treatment of revelation in light of his attempts to reconstruct the concept of God. Chapter three considers some of Kaufman's recent suggestions for reformulating the concept of God that take into account the relativist and historicist perspectives.

Thesis (M Distance Ed)--University of South Australia, 1995

Thesis (M.A.)--Cincinnati Bible Seminary, 1988. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-160).

Thesis (M.A.)--Cincinnati Bible Seminary, 1988. / Abstract. Includes index.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-166).

Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 1988. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-83).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology, 1989. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 217-228).