Christianity in China

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Protestantism and the Future of China

The article translated below is from a Chinese website called Urban Mission (jidutu123.com). In it the author ponders what role Protestantism can play in the future development of China. He begins by talking about the transitional nature of Chinas current social and political systems and where Chinas current reforms may or may not be headed. He then draws on the writings of German sociologist Max Weber to understand the current situation in China today, to the point of comparing contemporary Chinese society with the German Weimar Republic. Finally, he argues that the main contribution Protestantism can make to the development of China is constitutional government.

• August 19, 2014 •

China’s Christian Education Today

In today's China, Christian education is booming. This article looks at the emergence of this movement, the involvement of Christian churches, parents' perspective of it and their role in it. An overview of the current situation includes home schooling, legal aspects and the influence of a market economy upon it.

• July 21, 2014 •

The Difficulty of ‘Urban Missions’ in China

In this article, translated from the site jidutu123.com, the author looks at the challenges of doing urban missions in China. His main point is that doing urban missions, traditionally defined as ministering to the marginalized, is difficult in China because it assumes that Christianity is already part of the mainstream of culture, something that is not true in China. He then calls on the church to look for ways to engage with society rather than standing in opposition to it. Only by doing this will Christianity gain influence in Chinese society.

• July 8, 2014 •

A Church for Hani and Yi People in Yunnan

While much is written about the explosive growth of the church among the Han (dominant ethnic group in China), less is written about the spread of Christianity among the minority peoples. The article translated below is about a county in Yunnan Province that is praying and raising money to build a church.

• July 1, 2014 •

Living Conditions of Rural Preachers

The Mainland site Gospel Times recently published an article about the poor living conditions of preachers in the countryside. The article contains stories and photos of preachers in three different counties in southwest China. Below is a translation of one of those stories. The article is set within the context of the Sanjiang Church, an unusually expensive and ornate church in Wenzhou that was demolished last month.

• June 4, 2014 •

The “Preach Everywhere Gospel Band”

Many people in the West are familiar with the Back to Jerusalem Movement, which refers to a movement of Chinese Christians to take the gospel to Central Asia, and then "back to Jerusalem."

Fewer people, perhaps, are aware of the fact that this movement, or vision, is not something new; it really began in the 1940's when God called a group of Chinese believers to take the Gospel to Northwest China (Xinjiang) and Central Asia. They formed a team called the "Preach Everywhere Gospel Band," and fanned out across Xinjiang.

• April 21, 2014 •

The Sanjiang Church Incident

On April 4, the western press began reporting on a church in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province that was surrounded by thousands of parishioners who were blocking a crew sent to demolish the church. As reported, local officials had initially ordered that the cross be removed from the church, and later said the church was built illegally and had ordered its destruction. The story was a hot topic both inside and outside of China, and has come to be known as The Sanjiang Church Incident.

• April 13, 2014 •

Interview with a Three-Self Pastor

For the Winter Issue of the ChinaSource Quarterly, which focused on the issue of religious policies in China and the relationship between the church and the state, ChinaSource conducted an interview with a Three-Self pastor in China. Below is the article/interview in its entirety.

• January 24, 2014 •