Alex Mayfield is Assistant Professor of History at Asbury University, and he is one of the Co-Principal Investigators for the CHCD. His research interests include global Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, ecumenism, mission history in Asia, and the development of Chinese Christianity in the modern period. He is also dedicated to the development of digital tools and platforms which bridge the divide between the historical academy and the general public, and has been involved in the technical development of the Chinese Christian Propaganda Posters and the Dictionary of African Christian Biography.
At a time when the study of Christianity in China is becoming more difficult, the CHCD opens a new portal to explore China’s Christian past. The tool might be different than rummaging through a traditional archive, but by repackaging archival materials into an online tool it invites anyone to ask, “What could be discovered if…?”