LIT-SEN CHANG, 1904-1996

"Contender for the Faith Once Delivered to the Saints"

Dr. Lit-sen Chang, Chinese Christian apologist and theologian, tireless author and distinguished scholar in Far Eastern philosophy and religion, gave his life to the exposition and defense of the historic Christian faith in obedience to his Lord and Master. He was born on May 9, 1904 in Wu Hsi, Kiangsu province, China. From a young age he received a thorough education in the Confucian classics, and imbibed the traditional Confucian scholar’s passionate concern to rescue China from her national plight. As he witnessed his country on the verge of extinction, he cried out for national salvation through individual endeavor. He became a prolific author.

Dr. Chang graduated from Fu Tan University, Shanghai, intent on serving and saving his country through a career in law and government. At age 21 he became a university professor in Peking, thus becoming the youngest professor of his time. He studied law at the Sorbonne, Paris, and traveled to the universities of London, Cambridge, Oxford and to Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland in search of China’s national salvation. He returned to China at 26, and was appointed professor at several leading universities, as well as dean of the College of Social Sciences, Labor University.

When Japan invaded mainland China in1937, Dr. Chang was recruited by the central government to important positions in the Nationalist Party, the National Government and the Ministry of Defense, turning his attention from law to political strategy. After China’s victory over Japan in 1945, he won a seat to the Parliament of the Republic of China,, and was later appointed Deputy Commissioner for Overseas Chinese Affairs.

Confronted by multiple and complex social ills in China, Dr.Chang realized that the way to peace and national strength lay beyond law and government, in the human heart. He immersed himself in Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, including the mystical Ch’an school of Buddhism. He felt called to regenerate Chinese culture and the religions of the East. He founded Chiang Nan University, and recruited noted contemporary Confucianist philosophers such as Ch’ien Mu, T’ang Chun-i and Mou Tsung-san as professors. He planned to visit India and strategize with scholars there to revive the traditional religions of Asia.

As the political situation in China deteriorated, Chang became exiled in Indonesia. There he heard the gospel by the grace of God, repented of his sin and committed his life to Jesus Christ. He gave up all his plans and ambitions, and came to Boston to study theology at Gordon Divinity School. He was 53 by that time. He graduated from Gordon summa cum laude, and served as a professor of missions for many years. He was honored with the Doctor of Literature degree from Wheaton College, and when he retired from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, he was named "Distinguished Professor Emeritus."

Dr. Chang knew God’s vocation to devote his later life to the propagation of the Christian faith through literature. He wrote day and night in order to "give the reason for the hope" within (I Peter 3:15), and to "contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3). Departing from popular trends of the 20th century, Dr. Chang boldly proclaimed the infinite absolute God of the Bible, and critiqued humanistic thinking East and West without compromise. He lived a simple, frugal and diligent life, tirelessly writing and publishing his works with no regard for return or reward. His writings in Chinese and English totalled over eighty volumes. His mature thought is seen in the four-volume work on Apologetics and the eight-volume opus on Systematic Theology. These are not only valued for their scholarship, but comprise a unique treasure for the Body of Christ, as they both edify the reader’s heart, and inform the reader’s mind through a passionated and reasoned defense of the whole counsel of God revealed in Scripture.

Dr. Chang died on January 19, 1996 in Boston at the ripe old age of 92. He was survived by five children and seven grandchildren. May the glorious Triune God who called him home continue to give fruit to his voice in the 21st century, that "by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead" (Hebrews 11:4). All glory be to Him.

REPRESENTATIVE WORKS:

Chinese -

Systematic Theology. 8 volumes. Hong Kong: China Alliance Press, 1989-1991.

Comprehensive Christian Apologetics. 4 volumes. Hong Kong: Tien Dao Publishers, 1982.

A Critique of Humanism. Hong Kong: China Alliance Press, 1968.

Critique of Indigenous Theology. Hong Kong: Logos Book House, 1984.

Religious Views of World Leaders. Hong Kong: Christian Witness Press, 1968.

English -

The True Gospel Vs. Social Activism: The New Strategy of the Old Serpent. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1976.

Strategy of Missions in the Orient: Christian Impact on the Pagan World. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1970.

The Spiritual Decline of the West: Zen-Existentialism--A Positive Answer of the Hippies and T.M. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1969.