Have you heard about the USCCA's Book Circle Discussions? Through Zoom meetings on select scheduled Saturdays, we learn together about history, Chinese culture, theology, philosophy, and the life of the Church in China.
The next Book Circle discussion will be held on March 15, 2025; we will be discussing the section entitled "Taoism" (pp. 51–57) in John C. H. Wu's Chinese Humanism and Christian Spirituality, which is now available from Angelico Books for 15% off with the discount code wu15. As participants read the passages selected for March 15, we ask them to consider the following message from the Book Circle facilitators:
We will read the chapter of "Taoism" on pages 51-57. Even though it is a short chapter, it is peppered throughout with excerpts from the Daodejing (Tao Teh Ching) that are "sententious and pregnant with meaning" (p. 55). The chapter concludes with two stories from the Book of Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), which introduce us to two of the most important Daoist spiritual disciplines indispensable to one's union with Dao. Here are some questions that may help guide your reading:
1) What verses from the Daodejing (Tao Teh Ching) do you find illuminating, and why?
2) What verses from the Daodejing (Tao Teh Ching) do you find puzzling?
3) Do you see any points of contact between Daoist ideas in this chapter and the Christian faith?
4) How do you understand the spiritual practice of "the Fast of the Mind" (p. 56-57)?
5) How do you understand the spiritual practice of "Settled in Forgetting" (p. 57)?
We invite you to sign up for Book Circle updates and to share this information widely with friends, family, and church communities!
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