Biography
Songzan Xu is a PhD candidate in Theology and Religious Studies. Before pursuing his doctoral studies, he obtained a BA in Chinese Literature and an MA in Religious Studies. His research centres on the interactions between Watchman Nee’s theology/church movement and American Evangelical-Charismatic renewals, while examining how World Christianity and contextual theology could be reconceptualised through multi-directional intellectual and missionary flows.
Research
Research Interests:
Global Chinese Theologies and Christianities in Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa
World Christianities (Global South-North Network, Asian American Evangelicalism, and Transnational Religious Movements)
The Epistemologies of Contextual Theology and Lived Theology
Spirit Christology and Trinitarian Theosis/Deification
Publications
Books
1. From Other to Self: Indigenous Practice and Intercultural Dialogues of Sino-Christianity (in Chinese), Taipei: Chinese Christian Literature Council (Taiwan) & Taoyuan: Chung Yuan Christian University, 2021.
2. Songs of China’s Galilee: Canaan Hymns and Contemporary Chinese House Churches (in Chinese), Taipei: Chinese Christian Literature Council (Taiwan) & Taoyuan: Chung Yuan Christian University, 2020.
1. “Deterritorializing Sino-Christian Theology: The Reconfiguration of Watchman Nee’s Ecclesiology in the American Shepherding Movement (1970–1985),” Annual Meeting for the American Academy of Religion, Boston, November 22–25, 2025.
2. “When Hippies Met Chinese Pneumatology: Entanglements of the Jesus People Movement and Chinese Spiritual Theology in the ‘Elden Hall Revival’(1965–1973),” The 15th GloPent Conference on Global Pentecostalism: Peace and Conflicts. Uppsala University, June 13–14, 2025.
3. “Gospel Migration and Cold War Geopolitics: Tracing the Transpacific Flows of a Chinese-originated Church Movement, 1950s–1970s” Christianity and Social Change in the Global South Seminar, Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, May 23, 2025.
4. “Reverse Mission and Transpacific Migration: A Case Study on Witness Lee and the Local Church Movement between Taipei and Los Angeles (1952–1997),” The 6th World Christianity Conference: Migration, Diaspora, and Transnationalism in World Christianity, Princeton Theological Seminary, March 10–14, 2025.
Teaching and Supervisions
Supervision for both Bachelor of Arts and Advanced Diploma in Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion:
Paper A7: Studying World Religions: History, Comparison, Dialogue
Paper B7: Themes in World Christianities: Christianity as a Global Religion. Contexts, Theologies and Power
Other Professional Activities
Songzan serves as an editorial board member of The Journal of Research for Christianity in China, which welcomes research papers on Chinese Christianity. Website: https://ccspub.cc/
