If you don't know the story of Father Ricci's extraordinary mission to China, it's worth reading up on, for the light it casts on preaching the gospel to alien cultures. To summarize very briefly a controversy that would last for centuries, Father Ricci tried to "inculturate" Christian faith in China. Learning the Mandarin language, Chinese court customs, and finally adopting Chinese dress, Ricci mastered the nuances of Confucian philosophy and Chinese culture. Exploring the speculative works revered by that nation's scholars, Father Ricci found words in Chinese philosophy that could either refer to "the heavens" (i.e., the sky) or "Heaven" (the ordering principle in Creation) -- so Ricci chose to use them in the second, theological sense. In much the same way, St. Paul had told the Greeks: "For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you" (Acts 17:23).
Matteo Ricci moves closer
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