CONTENT

I. VIETNAM: A PARTICULAR CONTEXT.................................................................................3

II. THEOLOGICAL METHODOLOGY FOR A POSSIBLE CHRISTOLOGY IN VIETNAM. .5

1. The Biblical Foundation of Jesus Christ the Servant...............................................................5

2. The Service of the Church.......................................................................................................7

3. The Spirit of Service in the Modern Mentality........................................................................8

III. JESUS IS A MAN FOR OTHERS............................................................................................9

IV. THE CHURCH IS FOR OTHERS..........................................................................................11

V. SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION IN VIETNAM......................................................................13

CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................15

BIBLIOGRAPHY..........................................................................................................................17

ii
 JESUS CHRIST THE SERVANT
A POSSIBLE CHRISTOLOGY IN VIETNAM

The question Jesus once asked his disciples along the way in Caesarea Philippi: “Who do

you say that I am?” (Mark 8:27) is very important and significant for those who want to become

his disciple, following his steps closely and proclaiming his messages effectively. After almost

two thousand years, the touching question of Jesus Christ is still echoing in the ears of Jesus’

little flock in Vietnam, a poor yet religious country, and therefore, respecting those who sacrifice

themselves for others. The inspirational image of Jesus Christ who “did not come to be served

but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28) is an unlimited source

of our spiritual reflections, a successful dynamic of our religious life, and a strong motivation for

our apostolate. We need not only a Jesus Christ taking care of us in tribulations, but also a Jesus

Christ with our Vietnamese face and heart so that we are able to imitate and to introduce to our

brothers and sisters, not as a frightening one, but as a lovely figure who comes so that we might

have life and have it more abundantly (see John 10:10).

In order to portray the inspirational image of Jesus Christ the Servant, a possible

Christology in the modern Vietnamese context, this paper will analyze the historical, cultural and

multi-religious aspects of Vietnam. Then, it will discuss a theological methodology to investigate

Jesus Christ the Servant as presented in the Bible and in the way the Church understands and

imitates Jesus Christ in her life of service. It also tries to prove that the spirit of service is hightly

appreciated in the modern mentality, and finally, it will demonstrate this practical Christology

with some sucessful experiences of the Vietnamese Catholic church.

 I. VIETNAM: A PARTICULAR CONTEXT

Our discussion of theology begins with humanity and all that it means. Whatever has

something to do with our life on earth must be and should be the subject of our theological

concern because it is in humanity that God is theologically engaged.1 Historically speaking, the

Word of God was incarnate as a Jewish person, living and dying in the Jewish society with its

particular culture and history two thousand years ago. However, the involvement between Jesus

Christ and the world did not remain there. He must have also established relationships with his

Jewish contemporaries, and even with other people of all times, including the Vietnamese, with

its bloody history and particular culture.

An ancient legend tells that all Vietnamese are descendants of a sea dragon and a

mountain goddess. From their union, a hundred eggs are hacked, out of whom are born fifty

boys, who follow the father to the sea, and fifty girls, who follow the mother to the mountain.

The Vietnamese, with almost sixty peoples, who live in a strip land shaped like the capital S,

consider each other brothers and sisters in a common family.2 The myth of a common ancestry

served the Vietnamese people well during the struggles against the millennium-long domination

of China. In 939, it was a general named Ngo Quyen, who liberated the country from the Chinese

dominion, and we began our independent era. Nevertheless, the Vietnamese is much influenced

by the Chinese culture, especially the moral theories of Confucianism and Buddhism. The

Vietnamese worship God, whom they call Ông Trời (Mr. Sky), respect their ancestors and love

their families, appreciate the harmonious relationship among themselves, work hard for their

progress, and they are ready to learn and to accept the new and the good.

1
C.S. Song, Tell Us Our Names: Story Theology From An Asian Perspective (New York: 1984), 10.
Peter C. Phan, “Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand,” in Christianities in Asia, ed. Peter C. Phan (United
2

Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011), 131.

 According to the Vietnamese Imperial Historical Records, published in 1884, the first

Christian missionary arrived in Vietnam in 1533 and began preaching Da-to-ta-dao (fake religion

of Christianity). Afterwards, the Dominicans from the Philippines and Malacca occasionally

came to preach, but their activities left no permanent traces. The most successful missionary

would be Alexander de Rhodes (1593-166), a Jesuit priest, who arrived in Vietnam in 1624, with

extraordinary and long-lasting accomplishments. The Vietnamese are indebted to him for the

modern writing system, using the Latin alphabet and diacritical marks to distinguish the various

tones. The missionary work was so successful that Alexander de Rhodes reported that there were

300,000 Catholics in the North of Vietnam in 1650, with at least 15,000 converts yearly. Many

Catholics, both foreign missionaries (Jean-Louis Tabert, a grammatician, and father Léopold

Cadière, a linguistist) and Vietnamese scholars (Nguyễn Trường Tộ, Trương Vĩnh Ký, Trần Lục,

Kim Định, Lê văn Lý, Hàn Mặc Tử…) have been contributing to the development and the peace

of the country and to the harmonious relationship among many different factions.

In 1858, the French invaded Vietnam and divided the country into three parts. As the

American later on, the French favored Catholicism and the missionary work, but unfortunately,

this caused an anti-Christian mentality and hatred prejudice among the Vietnamese, and many

Vietnamese even now consider Catholicism an alien religion and the Vietnamese Catholics

internal spies or lackeys of foreign invaders. As a result, the Vietnamese church underwent harsh

trials and cruel persecutions with hundred thousands of martyrs (including 117 canonized, and 1

blessed). The history of the Vietnamese church has been full of tears and blood.

In 1975, when the Communist forces occupied the whole country, the diplomatic relation

with the Holy See was cut off; all foreign missionaries were expelled; hundreds of priests were

imprisoned; all seminaries were closed and monasteries were forbidden. Without the permission
from the state authority, all religious activities and festivals were considered illegal. Most

ecclesial properties, such as schools, hospitals, media facilities were confiscated; and thousands

of Vietnamese fled abroad by boat despite their life. However, when it is dark enough, the stars

become brighter. In those dark periods of tribulations and persecutions, with the eyes of faith, we

witness and experience God’s most special protections and loving supports for his little flock,

and the most prominent evidence for this is that the Vietnamese Catholic church is still unified

and faithful to the Universal Church led by the Roman Pope, and continues developing

miraculously. In that specific context, one of the most important things for us is to try to find a

hidden Jesus Christ, who has been living among us in a particular situation, that is, a suitable

Christology and an adequate way of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. This is a never-ending

process, an adventure that is always open and dynamic.3

II. THEOLOGICAL METHODOLOGY

FOR A POSSIBLE CHRISTOLOGY IN VIETNAM

1. The Biblical Foundation of Jesus Christ the Servant

We can find the suitable stages of a theological methodology for a possible Christology

in God’s plan of salvation revealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ life begins with the mystery of

incarnation and ends with the mystery of death and resurrection. There are numerous

characterizations of Jesus arising in the Gospels for us to contemplate: Jesus was a freedom

fighter who wanted to free his people from the alien Roman power but was frustrated by the

stark reality of the political circumstances. Jesus was a moral philosopher who promoted strict

moral demands and strove to bring about a social reordering. Jesus was an enraptured enthusiast

3
José Sols, “Thinking About Jesus In Secular Europe,” in Jesus of Galilee: Contextual Christology for the 21st
Century, ed. Robert Lassalle-Klein (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Book, 2011), 204.
who perceived the approaching end of the world and sought to prepare humankind for it. Jesus

was a religiously observant Jew who fell into sharp conflict with the Pharisees and teachers of

the law. Jesus was an urban person, whose demeanor squared well with his social stratum.4

Which is the most appropriate image of Jesus Christ for us to conform in our life and to proclaim

in our Vietnamese context? Jesus’ life is the guiding principle for his disciples to follow. It is

Jesus Christ, who defined the purpose of his earthly life: “The Son of Man did not come to be

served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45). His

life, a life of service, is totally for God and for others. This image is the most suitable and

attractive for the Vietnamese, who have undergone so many years in bloody wars and suffered

all sorts of tribulations, at the same time, it makes us understand Jesus Christ more. We seldom

view Jesus as truly human, as a person who lived among people as we do, who wanted to move

them toward a truer humanity and humaneness. Jesus Christ should be seen not only as the

divine deliverer enthroned at the right hand of God the Father but also as one bonded with us and

serving us. Otherwise, his human friendliness, encompassing love and human nearness, is

slighted.5 In his way of thinking and manner of behavior, Jesus Christ becomes the exemplar for

us in serving the reign of God and serving the good of our country.

2. The Service of the Church

In order to follow Jesus Christ, the Church must put itself clearly at the service of the

reign, overcoming the temptation to put itself at the center. We cannot stand with our arms

crossed as if we already knew what it is that defined ourselves as Christians. Doing this means

putting an end to faith as a living reality.6

4
Schnackenburg, 5-6.
5
Ibid., 59.
6
Sols, 204.
 Jesus Christ is the model for the Church to engage herself in serving the humanity. In the

Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ preached that the poor, the meek, and the merciful are the

beneficiaries of the kingdom of God. Hence, for the Church, to serve the humanity, especially

the poor and the suffering, is to work with Jesus, and to hear their cry is to hear the cry of the

Broken One on the cross. The measure of Church’s involvement in serving humanity for their

happiness will be the measure of her witness to the God and to Jesus Christ whom has sent into

the world. Her lack of involvement in serving shows a gap between her preaching and practice.

To be consistent with her word and witness in the service, the Church has to move from her

present security and comfort to the insecurity, powerlessness and vulnerability of the poor. She

has to experience their hunger, disease, homelessness, persecution, discrimination and

oppression. She needs to rediscover Jesus in Asia and reinterpret his message for the liberation of

the Asian poor whether they are Christians or the brothers and sisters of other faiths.7

3. The Spirit of Service in the Modern Mentality

Jesus declares, “The Son of Man has come to serve, not to be served.” This statement is

forthright and clear, but we do not begin to understand the depth of its meaning or the extent of

its power until we follow our master’s example of service. Jesus shows his disciples how to care

for one another. He shows us how to achieve the harmony for which we pray. We are to serve

one another, to love one another as brothers and sisters in the Lord.8

7
A. Alangaram, Christ of the Asian Peoples, Towards an Asian contextual Christology, Based on the
documents of Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, revised edition (Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation,
1999), 191.

8
Joseph Cardinal Bernadin, “Jesus: Servant and Lord,” Program #2920, February 9, 1986, on 30 Good Minutes
Program. http://schedule.wttw.com/series/4301/30-Good-Minutes/ (accessed on 19 September 2011).
 Some decades ago, Pope Paul VI reminded us, “Modern man listens more willingly to

witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.”9

Pope John Paul II also proclaims that the human person is intended for community and finds

fulfillment only in living as a self-gift to others. Yet people are persuaded less by theories than

by actions.10

Vatican II, the twenty-first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, ended on

December 8, 1965, sending the bishops home with a mandate “of reading the signs of the times

and of interpreting them in light of the Gospel.”11 In 1980, in the first plenary conference after a

long time of separation due to historical conditions, the bishops urged all Vietnamese Catholics

to live out the Gospel values of service that Jesus Christ lived in his life in order to meet the new

challenges yet the opportunities in a socialist country. Fortunately, this is a shining lighthouse for

us to follow in living our faith, and as time goes by, this guideline has been proved to be the right

direction and a great blessing for us.

III. JESUS IS A MAN FOR OTHERS

Who is Jesus to me and to the Vietnamese? What does He mean to me and to my people?

Jesus of Nazareth appeared at the beginning of the Common Era in the small land of Palestine,

preaching the kingdom of God, and attracting many people to follow his teaching. Unlike any

other figures in the world history, the risen Jesus Christ has still been attracting millions of

people. People follow Jesus Christ because of different reasons. Some want to follow him

because they have been well fed with bread (see John 6:26); some because of high positions in

9
Pope Paul VI, “Address to the Members of the Consilium de Laicis” (2 October 1974): AAS 66 (1974), 568.
10
Mary Doak, “Jesus of Galilee, Hope for a globalized World in Despair,” in Jesus of Galilee: Contextual
Christology for the 21st Century, ed. Robert Lassalle-Klein (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Book, 2011), 227.
11
Gaudium et Spes, 4.
his kingdom (see Mark 10:37); some because of his miracles (see Luke 23:8); and some because

of his words of eternal life (see John 6:68). People are drawn by Jesus Christ with his many

lovable traits, but in the Vietnamese context, the image of Jesus Christ the Servant may be the

most acceptable and admirable. This image is deeply-rooted not only in the Bible but also in the

understanding and the life of the Church.

Jesus Christ is the supreme example of His own teaching of serving. In the Old

Testament, Isaiah named the future Savior as the suffering Servant, who gave his life as an

offering to God for the forgiveness of his people’s sins, and through his sufferings, He will

justify many people (see Isaiah 53:11). In the mystery of Incarnation, the Word voluntarily set

aside his divine prerogatives, took the form of a bond-servant, and humbled Himself through

obedience, even to the point of dying on the cross (see Phil. 2:7-9). His whole life was fully

dedicated to fulfilling His Father’s will on behalf of others.

In Matthew 23:1-12, Jesus strongly condemns the prideful and self-seeking Jewish

religious leaders, and then He confirms, “The greatest among you shall be your servant. And

whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

Our Master repeatedly uses the slave/master metaphor to teach His disciples. In John

13:12-17, He dramatizes humility, which is its primary characteristic. After washing his

disciples’ feet, Jesus said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher

and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, wash your feet, you

also ought to wash one another’s feet. I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to

you.” During the time of his public ministry, Jesus lives as a poor man, mingling himself with

the poorest, possessing nothing. “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has

no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). All of his energy and time is for God the Father and
for humanity. “I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27). Throughout his whole life

as a servant to God and to his followers, Jesus Christ is very diligent and faithful. He is very

anxious about his salvific work assigned by the Father, and He is continuously employed in it

(see John 4:34; 9:4). Nor did He rest until he had completed the work. That happened when He

rested on the cross! In all, Jesus Christ is faithful to God the Father, who sent him, and that is

why he justly deserves the title of God’s “Righteous Servant” (Isaiah 11:5; 53:11). Although

Jesus is the king in some sense, He is “the king who did not reign,” but served!12 Just before his

death, He accepted his kingship (see Mark 15:2), and the inscription of his royal title was put on

the cross as a brutal jeer.

In the pastoral letter entitled “The Servant Church” of Advent 1966, cardinal Richard

James Cushing of Boston (1895–1970) brought out the image of Christ, the Servant: “Jesus came

not only to proclaim the coming of the kingdom, but also to give himself for its realization. He

came to serve, to heal, to reconcile, to bind up wounds. Jesus, we may say, is in an exceptional

way the Good Samaritan. He is the one who comes alongside of us in our need and in our

sorrow; He extends himself for our sake. He truly dies that we might live and he ministers to us

that we might be healed.”13 Reading the Gospels, we see that all his life, Jesus did serve others,

and now faithfully staying in the Eucharist. He has been serving the salvation of all, “Come to

me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus’ loving

service to all humanity finds it zenith in his living sacrifice.14 During his time on earth, Jesus

became the slave of all, who even offered his life as ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

12
Schnackenburg, 9.
13
Avery Cardinal Dulles, Models of the Church (USA: 1987), 92.

14
Schnackenburg, 65.
 The living example of Jesus Christ the Servant which is inspirationally and carefully

described in the Gospels is an ever-standing incentive for his disciples of all times to live for

others in a world of self-seeking and striving for earthly wealth and temporary domination, a

world full of brutal violence and harsh oppression.

IV. THE CHURCH IS FOR OTHERS

Jesus Christ is for others, so must his Church. Jesus’ perfectly human life, devoted

wholly to the love and service of God the Father and of man, reveals that the vocation of every

human being is to receive love and give love in return. In Jesus, we marvel at the inexhaustible

capacity of the human heart to love God and man, even when this entails great sacrifices. Above

all, it is on the Cross that Jesus breaks the power of the self-destructive resistance to love which

sin inflicts upon us.15 This understanding puts the Church in the position of imitating Jesus Christ

the Servant. As attested in the Gospels, Jesus Christ sees himself as servant of others. His

teaching is demonstrated and supported by his actions to relieve the suffering and restore the

dignity of the poor, sick, outcast and ignorant. Serving with love is the Good Samaritan’s

commandment and heritage for his disciples, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). In his all life,

Jesus courageously challenges the culture that oppresses certain groups of people, and He invites

people to share his intimate relationship with His Father. In fact, it is said that because of the

nature of his relationship with his Father, Jesus was prompted by the Holy Spirit to change the

lives of people. This took form in many ways, such as with the miracles, however, ultimately

was about making possible a loving, life-giving relationship between God and his people. To see

the Church as servant defines her relationship with the world. Like her holy spouse, the Church

is an inclusive servant to God for all people regardless of their religious affiliation.
15
John Paul II, Ecclesia in Asia, 13.
 The spirit of service from Jesus Christ is always timely. The best witness to Jesus is the

witness of life, and we must experience him before we can effectively proclaim him.16

Disconnected from Jesus, our activities are merely human. Connected to Jesus, however, our

various serving activities of the faithful take on a charism or power to change the world by

connecting people with him.

Throughout her history, the Church has given birth to uncountable holy men and women

who brought forth the image of Jesus the Servant in their life, such as Vincent de Paul, Camillus,

John of God, Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Thanks to these holy persons, the world can see that

Jesus Christ is still living and doing good in and through his followers. Like her spouse, the

Church takes the form of a servant, serving the people of different cultures and religions. She can

be the Church of Jesus Christ and live according to her identity as she is the body of the one who

came to serve and not to be served. She is a servant ever ready to listen to the voice of God from

the voice of the people, especially those who are ready to struggle and suffer and who are

crucified and wait for God’s liberation in Christ who is the promise of God.17

V. SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION IN VIETNAM

In 1975, six million Vietnamese Catholics, roughly one tenth of the population at the

time, had to face an extremely difficult situation. The Catholics were counted as the second class

citizens in their own country. The situation at that moment seemed to be a blind alley for the

Catholics. Like Jesus, each Vietnamese Catholic is called to enter into the paschal mystery, to

that mystery of the faithful love of God that sustains us in Christ.18

16
Gerald O’Connell, Evangelization: The Asian Way, in the Future of the Asian Churches: The Asian Synod &
Ecclesia in Asia, ed. James H. Kroeger and Peter C. Phan, (Quezon city: Claretion Publications, 2002), 3.
17
Ibid., 156.
 In such a harsh environment, the Vietnamese Church prayerfully chose a wise direction

for herself: “Living the Gospel values among the people.”19 In reality, this direction is a practical

application of the image of Jesus Christ the Servant. Owning no schools, we began to teach

children and illiterate poor people in the countryside. Having no hospitals, we actively worked as

responsible workers, and we volunteered to help incurable patients. Without television or radio

studios, we could not broadcast Catholic programs, but we bore living witness to God by our

examples in daily life. Having no rights to publish books and newspapers, we preached the

Gospel of love by our charitable activities, and we planted the seeds of God’s word in the souls

of the people. We confuted the unfair slanders and calumniations by our loving attitudes. We

lived calmly and gently in oppressive environments. Just after some years, the results were very

amazing. Many Catholic religious communities readily cooperated with each other in their

various serving projects. The number of converts was growing unceasingly, much more than that

in the period before 1975. Thousands of people who had stopped practicing their faith life began

to stream to church services. Religious and priestly vocations were so abundant that quite a few

religious congregations from foreign countries came to Vietnam to recruit postulants. Those who

had misunderstood Catholicism began to look at us with more sympathy. Many local authorities

who had strongly opposed us and wanted to boycotted us turned out to be our close friends.

Prestige and influences of the Church increased highly day by day among the people, and they

no longer regarded us as their dangerous enemies, but their brothers and sisters. Some Catholic

sisters and priests were even named by the Vietnamese government as heroes of labor in many

social areas, and the situation of religious freedom is improved optimistically. Many parentless

children formerly cared by the Vietnamese sisters grew up and succeeded in many fields; some
18
Thomas Rausch, Who is Jesus? An Introduction to Christology. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press,
194.
19
The Pastoral Letter of the Conference of Vietnamese Bishops, 1980.
even reached the high-ranking positions in Vietnam as well as in foreign countries, such as

Philipp Rösler, the current Vice Chancellor of Germany. However, one of the best results for the

Vietnamese church from those years is that the Vietnamese clergy no longer lives far away or

above, but understands more the needs and the life of ordinary people, and their service becomes

more inclusive. Living among so many poor around, we always have an opportunity to

remember Jesus’ statements on the Judgment, “I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was

thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you

clothed me. I was ill and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me.” It is our social

service in helping the poor in their practical needs make the Catholic Church understood and

become the real friends of the Vietnamese. Observing the vitality of the Vietnamese Church

through those trial years, many people often make a joke that they daily pray for the Communist

regime to remain in power forever, and God perhaps has accepted their prayers!

Jesus Christ the Servant would be the most suitably applied Christology in hostile

environment. We have so many evidences for this. People may prohibit us from preaching or

other religious activities, but they admire us when we serve. Jesus’ disciples must be the best

servants. When the Church no longer pursuits the spirit of serving others, She is no longer

faithful to her Holy Spouse. When we no longer live as servants of God and of human beings, we

are no longer Jesus’ true disciples. We have to make best use of our given talents to benefit our

brothers and sisters, helping them to find true happiness in God. Our services then become our

rewards when we help make others happy. We thank God for giving our country so many good

servants who have devoted their life to serve others. God would appreciate and bless our works

because He says, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for Me”

(Matthew 25:40).
 CONCLUSION

Jesus Christ is truly the authentic image of God of love and the ideal image for us to

conform in our life. Jesus’ exemplary life and his salutary teaching always are a limitless source

for our religious reflection and practical imitation. Jesus Christ the Servant is suitable and

inspirational to the Vietnamese context because this image is highly appreciated not only by

those who want to follow him practically but also by the non-Catholic people who are

disillusioned with contemporary ideologies and trying to search for a real ideal figure. With

Jesus Christ the Servant, the Vietnamese Catholics, especially the consecrated members, have a

close companion whose life and teaching are truly the light for their proceeding steps in the way

of perfection and in their missions. The biblical image of Jesus Christ the Servant is an

applicable theology because it builds up the Vietnamese people, and therefore, Kingdom of God

there. Rooted in the Bible and suited to the modern mentality of the people, and proved

successfully through the life of service of many saints and good people, this particular

Christology is really “grounded on the truth, guided by justice, motivated by love, realized in

freedom, and flowering in peace.”20 Last but not least is that if to live as witnesses has become

mandatory for those of us who do theology as our métier,21 we must try our best to become

another Jesus Christ the Servant among our brothers and sisters in order to enkindle our Catholic

faith in the coming year of Faith. If Jesus, who is Lord, became a servant to show us how to

express our love through service, then we can do no less. We who are his disciples must learn

what to serve means in practical terms in our contemporary society.22

20
Pope John XXIII, Pacem in Terris.
21
C. G. Avarélo, “Some thoughts on Filipino Theology” in Landas, vol. 12, no.2, (1998), 94.
Joseph Cardinal Bernadin, “Jesus: Servant and Lord,” Program #2920, February 9, 1986, on 30 Good
22

Minutes Program, http://schedule.wttw.com/series/4301/30-Good-Minutes/. Accessed on 19 September 2011.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alangaram, A. Christ of the Asian Peoples: Towards an Asian Contextual Christology, revised
edition. Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 1999.

Avarélo, C. G. “Some thoughts on Filipino Theology” in Landas, vol. 12, no.2, (1998), 94.

Bernadin, Joseph. “Jesus: Servant and Lord.” Program #2920, February 9, 1986, on 30 Good
Minutes Program. http://schedule.wttw.com/series/4301/30-Good-Minutes. (accessed on
19 September 2011).

Conference of Vietnamese bishops. The Pastoral Letter of 1980.

Doak, Mary. “Jesus of Galilee, Hope for a Globalized World in Despair,” in Jesus of Galilee:
Contextual Christology for the 21st Century, ed. Robert Lassalle-Klein. Maryknoll, New
York: Orbis Book, 2011.

Dulles, Avery. Models of the Church. USA: 1987.

John Paul II, Ecclesia in Asia, 5.

Lohfink, Norbert F. Option for the Poor: The Basic Principle of Liberation Theology in the Light
of the Bible. Berkeley, California: Bibal Press, 1987.

Paul VI. “Address to the Members of the Consilium de Laicis” (2 October 1974): AAS 66
(1974), 568.

O’Connell, Gerald. Evangelization: The Asian Way, in the Future of the Asian Churches: The
Asian Synod & Ecclesia in Asia, ed. James H. Kroeger and Peter C. Phan. Quezon city:
Claretian Publications, 2002.

Phan, Peter C. “Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand,” in Christianities in Asia, ed. Peter C.
Phan, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011, 131.

Rausch, Thomas. Who is Jesus? An Introduction to Christology. Collegeville, Minnesota:

Liturgical Press, 194.

Schnackenburg, Rudolf. The Friend We Have in Jesus. Louisville, Kentucky: Wesminster John
Knox Press, 1995.

Sols, José. “Thinking about Jesus in Secular Europe,” in Jesus of Galilee: Contextual
Christology for the 21st Century, ed. Robert Lassalle-Klein. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis
Book, 2011, 204.

Song, C. S.. Tell Us Our Names: Story Theology From An Asian Perspective. Maryknoll, New
York: Orbis Book, 1984.

Teresa of Calcutta. Loving Jesus, ed. José Luis Gonzalez-Balado. Michigan: Servant
Publications, 1991.