If you are looking for a tidy answer to the question of how many Christians there are in China… then you will be disappointed. That’s because this is the first time Pew has (sort of) come out and admitted that they don’t really know and that it’s almost impossible to really know.
Johnson talked about how China is using civil religion, which he defines as the government using religion and religious images to legitimize its rule. This has been most visible in the government’s more tolerant attitude towards what it considers to be indigenized religions.
China is…in the midst of a religious boom, which the government is trying to use to further its grip on power… But can authoritarianism and religious life coexist?
Chinese religiosity’s orientation toward cultivating the goodness of human nature in the everyday, societal, and cosmic spheres of life can be found in the diverse threads that make up modern Chinese Christian movements.
When thinking about missions, we don’t always consider geography, yet the five official religions in China are very geographically concentrated. Dr Fenggang Yang will discuss this in detail in an upcoming lecture.
A sociological approach to the religious landscape in China is helpful in understanding the growth of Christianity in recent years.
During the 1980s, more and more people in China turned to religion. The turn toward religion included young and old, rural and urban, people who were nearly illiterate and university professors. While many came to Christianity, others returned to Confucianism, Islam, and Buddhism.
In 1979, churches, temples and mosques began to be restored and reopened for religious activities. That was the beginning of the economic reform era, and it was also the beginning of the Chinese Great Awakening.
"It is curious, however, that to this day the Mao years remain the least studied period in the history of religion in modern China." This book helps fill that gap.
This atlas provides a detailed examination of the religious landscape in China. In addition to its helpful maps, it includes detailed descriptions and analysis along with photographs depicting the religious life of China.
For a deeper understanding of some of the issues facing the church in China today, check out this e-journal from Germany.
Why the new regulations are necessary and why they contribute to the development of China.