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>Finding the heart of God: The history and missiological significance of the Word of Life house church network as a movement of renewal in China.
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Finding the heart of God: The history and missiological significance of the Word of Life house church network as a movement of renewal in China.
This dissertation provides a historical description of the Word of Life (WOL) movement in China and examines its practices and theology, showing how this community has engaged effectively in mission and experienced phenomenal growth. The goal of this dissertation has been to explore the inner dynamics that have undergirded the movement for the past three decades.; Chapter 1 surveys briefly the historical and social background relevant to the rise and development of the WOL movement. It also introduces Howard Snyder's Mediating Model for Church Renewal, the theoretical framework that guided the research to pursue the inner dynamics that undergird the WOL movement. Chapter 2 surveys the literature relevant to the discussion of renewal and the WOL movement. It reviews both the literature related to Snyder's mediating model for church renewal and sources that provide understanding of the WOL movement.; Chapter 3, "An Overview of the History of the Word of Life House Church Movement in China" traces the emergence and growth of the WOL movement for the past three decades. Following the storyline of Peter Xu, leader and founder of the WOL movement, this chapter provides facts and insights that help explain how Christians have been sensitive to the Spirit of God in directing the course of the movement.; Chapter 4, "Analysis of the Inner Dynamics of the Word of Life Movement" evaluates the theology and ministerial practices of the movement. It enquires whether the WOL movement demonstrates the ten marks Snyder suggests in the mediating model.; Chapter 5, "Toward a Theology of Renewal for the Chinese Church" proposes a model of renewal for the future of the Chinese church based on the examination of the WOL movement. As necessary steps leading to the model of renewal, it first suggests an amplification of Snyder's mediating model for Chinese church renewal as well as identifies the uniqueness of the WOL movement and its contribution to a theology of renewal.; The last chapter, "Conclusions and Recommendations," summarizes the major contributions of the research project: (1) it provides a historical description of the WOL movement in China for the past three decades, (2) evaluates the WOL movement through Snyder's mediating model for church renewal critically, identifying the common characteristics between the WOL movement and historical renewal movements, and (3) enriches the mediating model through this study as well as proposes a model of renewal for the Chinese church.
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