Ng Choing Hui

( 1914-1988 )

   Taiwanese theologian and ecumenical leader

   Ng Choing Hue was born at Chiong-hoa, Taiwan, on August 20, 1914, the son of a minister. He was educated at Tokyo University (1934-37) and Westminster College in England (1938-41). After World War ii, he returned to Taiwan, where as a native Taiwanese he faced discrimination from the Chinese Nationalist government.

   in 1947, he was named principal of the Tainan Theological College, sponsored by the Presbyterian Church's southern synod, the first Taiwanese so honored. During two decades of leadership, he was elected twice as moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan.

   In 1965, his leadership in the field of theological education led to an invitation to join the World Council of Churches' Theological Education Fund, which he later came to head. While working with the fund, he and other Asian scholars took the lead in forming the South East Asia Graduate School of Theology The new school aimed to explore the new theological task that Ng had named contextualization - communicating the Gospel to people in ways that are meaningful to their own cultural setting and existential context. Contextualization deals with every aspect of the work of the church from interpreting the Scripture to the lifestyle of the minister. The concept, which has been taken up by a wide variety of Protestants working in non-European countries, is considered Ng's major contribution to the Protestant movement.

   The fund has promoted a variety of Asian theologies, such as the pain of God theology (Japan), water buffalo theology (Thailand), third eye theology (China), and Minjung theology (Korea), as attempts at contextualization.

   Ng was exiled from Taiwan by the government. in 1971, when Taiwan was expelled from the United Nations, Ng took the occasion to work with other Taiwanese exiles in forming a self-determination movement that would have significant effects within the country. in 1987, he was allowed to return to his homeland. He died in England on october 27, 1988.

   See also China: Taiwan.

   Further reading:

   ■ S. B. Bevans, Models of Contextual Theology (New York: Orbis Books, 1992)

   ■ Scott W. Sunquist, ed., A Dictionary of Asian Christianity (Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 2001).