A Biblical Approach to Chinese Beliefs and Superstitions

On Saturday, January 14, 2006, in my article Superstitions?, I wrote a review of the book Don’t Sit On This Book: A Collection of Chinese Taboos And Superstitions (by Philip Cheong. Malaysia: The Academy of Feng Shui, 2005). I questioned some of the beliefs and Superstitions that the Chinese have during the Chinese New Year. Of course, Philip Cheong's book not only focuses on Chinese New Year's beliefs and Superstitions, other Chinese beliefs and Superstitions are discussed too. But, I only touched on these as it was nearing Chinese New Year then.

I also posted 2 questions:
"Do we Christians place more faith in passed-down beliefs than biblical truths?"
"Do we accept the bible with faith, with no questions asked?"

I have also posted a challenge to all Christians:
Maybe it is time to get back some of our misplaced faith!

However, in the tonnes of books that are published every year, it may be diffifult to find a book that can help us in gaining a biblical perspective on Chinese Traditions And Beliefs. Here is a book which has been useful to me.

A Biblical Approach To Chinese Traditions And Beliefs
Author: Daniel Tong
ISBN: 9814045926
In this carefully researched and thoughtfully written book, Daniel Tong ponders the dilemmas faced by many Chinese Christians. The book seeks to provide some guidelines on the cultural practices that believers may — or may not — be a part of, and offers sound biblical reasons for the decisions. It discusses the major festivals celebrated, the practice of ancestral worship and traditional Chinese medical care, and gives a brief description of the main tenets of the religious philosophies that undergird these traditions. The goal, asserts the author, is simply to help Christians live their faith to the fullest, while maintaining the fact that they come from an ethnic group with a long and rich heritage. (Usual price: $14.00; 208 pages)

For Evangelism, the above book may be a little bulky (though it's only 208 pages) and the reader may not finish the whole book. For a better "focus", the following 3 booklets may be useful. They are all extracted from A Biblical Approach To Chinese Traditions and Beliefs. At $2 dollar each, I think they are also affordably priced as a gift to non-Christians or new Christians.


Chinese Marriage Traditions: What's Right For The Christian?
Author: Daniel Tong
ISBN: 9814138509
Price : SGD 2.00
Extracted from the acclaimed A Biblical Approach To Chinese Traditions and Beliefs, this booklet gives Christians guidelines on the observance of Chinese marriage traditions. It helps believers to understand, among other things, the tea ceremony, the dowry and the timing of a wedding.


Traditional Chinese Medicine: What's Acceptable For The Christian?
Author: Daniel Tong
ISBN: 9814138525
Price : SGD 2.00
Extracted from the acclaimed A Biblical Approach To Chinese Traditions and Beliefs, this booklet gives Christians insights into traditional Chinese medicine. It helps believers to understand, among other things, the Daoist root in Chinese medicine, herbal remedies and acupuncture.

Chinese Funeral Practices: What's Right For The Christian?
Author: Daniel Tong
ISBN: 9814138525
Price : SGD 2.00
Extracted from the acclaimed A Biblical Approach To Chinese Traditions and Beliefs, this booklet gives Christians guidelines on the observance of Chinese funeral practices. It helps believers to understand, among other things, the funeral wake, prayer for the dead and the family altar.

Author's Info:
Daniel Tong is a graduate of TTC,Singapore. He has been a priest of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore for over 10 years, and is currently the Vicar of Chapel of Christ the Redeemer.