China's “Christianity Fever” Revisited: Towards a Community-Oriented
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Protestants in China
Background Paper Protestants in China Issue date: 21 March 2013 (update) Review date: 21 September 2013 CONTENTS 1. Overview ................................................................................................................................... 2 2. History ....................................................................................................................................... 2 3. Number of Adherents ................................................................................................................ 3 4. Official Government Policy on Religion .................................................................................. 4 5. Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and the China Christian Council (CCC) ................... 5 6. Registered Churches .................................................................................................................. 6 7. Unregistered Churches/ Unregistered Protestant Groups .......................................................... 7 8. House Churches ......................................................................................................................... 8 9. Protestant Denominations in China ........................................................................................... 9 10. Protestant Beliefs and Practices ............................................................................................ 10 11. Cults, sects and heterodox Protestant groups ........................................................................ 14 -
Christian History & Biography
Issue 98: Christianity in China As for Me and My House The house-church movement survived persecution and created a surge of Christian growth across China. Tony Lambert On the eve of the Communist victory in 1949, there were around one million Protestants (of all denominations) in China. In 2007, even the most conservative official polls reported 40 million, and these do not take into account the millions of secret Christians in the Communist Party and the government. What accounts for this astounding growth? Many observers point to the role of Chinese house churches. The house-church movement began in the pre-1949 missionary era. New converts—especially in evangelical missions like the China Inland Mission and the Christian & Missionary Alliance—would often meet in homes. Also, the rapidly growing independent churches, such as the True Jesus Church, the Little Flock, and the Jesus Family, stressed lay ministry and evangelism. The Little Flock had no pastors, relying on every "brother" to lead ministry, and attracted many educated city people and students who were dissatisfied with the traditional foreign missions and denominations. The Jesus Family practiced communal living and attracted the rural poor. These independent churches were uniquely placed to survive, and eventually flourish, in the new, strictly-controlled environment. In the early 1950s, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement eliminated denominations and created a stifling political control over the dwindling churches. Many believers quietly began to pull out of this system. -
Chinese Protestant Christianity Today Daniel H. Bays
Chinese Protestant Christianity Today Daniel H. Bays ABSTRACT Protestant Christianity has been a prominent part of the general religious resurgence in China in the past two decades. In many ways it is the most striking example of that resurgence. Along with Roman Catholics, as of the 1950s Chinese Protestants carried the heavy historical liability of association with Western domi- nation or imperialism in China, yet they have not only overcome that inheritance but have achieved remarkable growth. Popular media and human rights organizations in the West, as well as various Christian groups, publish a wide variety of information and commentary on Chinese Protestants. This article first traces the gradual extension of interest in Chinese Protestants from Christian circles to the scholarly world during the last two decades, and then discusses salient characteristics of the Protestant movement today. These include its size and rate of growth, the role of Church–state relations, the continuing foreign legacy in some parts of the Church, the strong flavour of popular religion which suffuses Protestantism today, the discourse of Chinese intellectuals on Christianity, and Protestantism in the context of the rapid economic changes occurring in China, concluding with a perspective from world Christianity. Protestant Christianity has been a prominent part of the general religious resurgence in China in the past two decades. Today, on any given Sunday there are almost certainly more Protestants in church in China than in all of Europe.1 One recent thoughtful scholarly assessment characterizes Protestantism as “flourishing” though also “fractured” (organizationally) and “fragile” (due to limits on the social and cultural role of the Church).2 And popular media and human rights organizations in the West, as well as various Christian groups, publish a wide variety of information and commentary on Chinese Protestants. -
Religion in China BKGA 85 Religion Inchina and Bernhard Scheid Edited by Max Deeg Major Concepts and Minority Positions MAX DEEG, BERNHARD SCHEID (EDS.)
Religions of foreign origin have shaped Chinese cultural history much stronger than generally assumed and continue to have impact on Chinese society in varying regional degrees. The essays collected in the present volume put a special emphasis on these “foreign” and less familiar aspects of Chinese religion. Apart from an introductory article on Daoism (the BKGA 85 BKGA Religion in China prototypical autochthonous religion of China), the volume reflects China’s encounter with religions of the so-called Western Regions, starting from the adoption of Indian Buddhism to early settlements of religious minorities from the Near East (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and the early modern debates between Confucians and Christian missionaries. Contemporary Major Concepts and religious minorities, their specific social problems, and their regional diversities are discussed in the cases of Abrahamitic traditions in China. The volume therefore contributes to our understanding of most recent and Minority Positions potentially violent religio-political phenomena such as, for instance, Islamist movements in the People’s Republic of China. Religion in China Religion ∙ Max DEEG is Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Cardiff. His research interests include in particular Buddhist narratives and their roles for the construction of identity in premodern Buddhist communities. Bernhard SCHEID is a senior research fellow at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on the history of Japanese religions and the interaction of Buddhism with local religions, in particular with Japanese Shintō. Max Deeg, Bernhard Scheid (eds.) Deeg, Max Bernhard ISBN 978-3-7001-7759-3 Edited by Max Deeg and Bernhard Scheid Printed and bound in the EU SBph 862 MAX DEEG, BERNHARD SCHEID (EDS.) RELIGION IN CHINA: MAJOR CONCEPTS AND MINORITY POSITIONS ÖSTERREICHISCHE AKADEMIE DER WISSENSCHAFTEN PHILOSOPHISCH-HISTORISCHE KLASSE SITZUNGSBERICHTE, 862. -
2014 Multi-Faith Forum Activity Journal
1 Name : Galvihara Seated Image of the Buddha Time : 12th Century A.D. Location : Polonnaruwa (North Central Province-Sri Lanka) Founder : King Parakramabahu A Harmonious World Begins with Education 2558th Vesak Day Celebration: Learning from the Buddha's Inspirational Teachings Resolving Conflicts and Facilitating Peace and Security................................ 4 Religion and its Teachings are the Most Important Education for All Humanity...................................... 5 Religious Unity and Religious Education Can Facilitate World Peace...................................................... 5 Establishing a Religious Sacred City to Realize Religious Education....................................................... 8 Establishing a Multifaith University and Strengthening Religious Education and Religious Exchange.. 8 Wonderful New Development in the Revival of Religious Education in Indonesia.................................. 9 Indonesian Guest Photos............................................................................................................................ 11 2 “What Should We Do When Hearts are Corrupted and Society is in Chaos? —On Toowoomba, Australia as a Model City of Peace and Harmony........ 16 Unkind Human Mindset is the Root of the Chaotic Society...................................................................... 17 Religious Education is Crucial in Resolving World Crises........................................................................ 19 Cooperation between Religions is the Critical Step.................................................................................. -
Members of the Friends of the Church in China Are Christians In
Members of the Friends of the Church in China are Christians in Britain and Ireland who seek to promote contact, partnership and mutual understanding with Christians in China. ………………………………………………………………………………. Annual Report for 1st September 2019 to 31st August 2020 Registered as a charity in England and Wales Charity number: 1004221 Registered charity address: Flat 8 Elgar House Boyton Close London N8 7BD Email: [email protected] Website: www.thefcc.org Trustees Antony Rose The Revd Rachel Hextall The Revd Lawrence Braschi Ian Blaney (General Secretary) Angela Evans (Vice-Chair) The Venerable Godfrey Stone (Chair) Rosie Carter William (Bill) Birmingham Dot Stone (Membership Secretary) James (Jim) Gibson (Treasurer) Banking details: Co-operative Bank, PO Box 250, Delf house, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT Sort code 08-92-99; Account no 65265110. External Examiner: Margaret A Logan, 6 Shillingworth Place, Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, PA11 3DY. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… The ‘Friends of the Church in China’ – Annual Report 2020 2020 – a year in overview 2020 has been a year of new things for FCC – not by our own designing, but graciously emerging through changed circumstances. The Annual Meeting in November was symptomatic of this – it was held on line, was attended by 50 members and supporters, and allowed a dozen or so people to make valuable contributions alongside the formal business. This built on a pattern previously developed at a committee meeting, and a subsequent members’ meeting in the summer, at which Chinese friends (coming from Shanghai, Wuhan and Hong Kong) were able to join the virtual conversations of British-based members. The year began with a financial gift going from FCC to a joint fund set up by the China Christian Council (CCC) and the Amity Foundation in response to the Covid epidemic. -
China Study Journal
CHINA STUDY JOURNAL CHINA DESK Churches Together in Britain and Ireland churches. ìogether IN BRITAIN ANO IREIAND® China Study Journal Spring/Summer 2011 Editorial Address: China Desk, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, 39 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1BX Email: [email protected] ISSN 0956-4314 Cover: Nial Smith Design, from: Shen Zhou (1427-1509), Poet on a Mountain Top, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Album leaf mounted as a hand scroll, ink and water colour on paper, silk mount, image 15 Vi x 23 % inches (38.74 x 60.33cm). © The Nelson-Arkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Purchase: Nelson Trust, 46-51/2. Photograph by Robert Newcombe. Layout by raspberryhmac - www.raspberryhmac.co.uk Contents Section I Articles 5 CASS work group Report on an in-house survey of Chinese 7 Christianity Caroline Fielder Meeting social need through charity: religious 27 contributions in China A new exploration of religious participation in 53 social services - a project research report on the Liaoning Province Catholic Social Service Center Gao Shining & He Guanghu The Central Problem of Christianity in Today's 71 China and some Proposed Solutions Section II Documentation 89 Managing Editor: Lawrence Braschi Translators: Caroline Fielder, Lawrence Braschi Abbreviations ANS : Amity News Service (HK) CASS : Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Beijing) CCBC : Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference CCC : China Christian Council CCPA : Chinese Catholic Patriodc Association CM : China Muslim (Journal) CPPCC : Chinese People's Consultative Conference FY : Fa Yin (Journal of the Chinese Buddhist Assoc.) SCMP : South China Morning Post(HK) SE : Sunday Examiner (HK) TF : Tian Feng (Journal of the China Christian Council) TSPM : Three-Self Patriotic Movement UCAN : Union of Catholic Asian News ZENIT : Catholic News Agency ZGDJ : China Taoism (Journal) ZGTZJ : Catholic Church in China (Journal of Chinese Catholic Church) Note: the term lianghui is used in this journal to refer to the joint committees of the TSPM and CCC. -
Annual Report 2013 Contents
AMITY A member of Annual Report 2013 Contents 01 A Message from the General Secretary 03 Project Reports 03 Church and Social Services 07 Community Development, Disaster Management, Environmental Protection, HIV/AIDS Prevention and Public Health 11 Education and Orphan Fostering 15 Education and International Exchange 20 Social Welfare 24 NGO Development 28 Urban Community Services 31 Resource Development 34 Amity Foundation, Hong Kong 43 Amity Printing Co., Ltd. 45 Who We Are 45 Organizational Chart 46 Amity Staff 47 Statistics 47 Where the funds come from 47 Where the funds go 48 List of Institutional Partners 55 Auditors Reports 2013 AMITY 01 A Message from the General Secretary In mid-January 2014, the Center for Civil Society Studies of Peking University announced Top Ten Events in Social Sectors in China 2013, among which were direct registration of four types of NGOs as a result of reforming the dual management system, population policy shift from quantity control to structure optimization remarked by the adoption of two-child fertility policy for couples where either the husband or the wife is from a single child family, citizens’ actions urging the government to share the responsibility to address the haze-highlighted environmental problems, Rule of Law in China as a resolution of the 3rd Plenary Session of 18th CPC Central Committee accompanied by a nationwide debate on political and legal basis for China Dream, and smoother cooperation between NGOs and the government occurring during Ya'an earthquake where the emergency response mechanism for disaster relief was challenged. Reading through the Top Ten Events, we find that more and more public voices were heard and taken seriously and eventually became driving forces to social development. -
CHINA: Why Can't All Christian Bookshops Sell Bibles?
FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway http://www.forum18.org/ The right to believe, to worship and witness The right to change one's belief or religion The right to join together and express one's belief This article was published by F18News on: 24 August 2005 CHINA: Why can't all Christian bookshops sell Bibles? By Hans Petersen, Forum 18 News Service <http://www.forum18.org> The anachronistic official system of publishing, censorship and printing controls fails to meet Chinese Christian publishing needs, Forum 18 News Service has been told. One example of this, amongst others noted by Forum 18, is the severe restrictions on Bible publishing, which right is restricted to the state-controlled Catholic and Protestant religious associations. Despite the considerable achievement of the China Christian Council (CCC) in Bible publishing, continuing rapid church growth has resulted in an ongoing considerable shortage of Bibles and other Christian literature. This is exacerbated by CCC refusal to allow other Chinese publishers to publish Bibles, to the extent of threatening to sue rival publishers, and the astonishing ban on legal Christian bookshops outside the CCC legally selling the Bible. This situation causes both Christian and non-Christian Chinese people to use imaginative ways of bypassing the official system to distribute Christian literature, including Bibles. Cai Zhuohua is a Chinese house-church pastor who, in September 2004, was arrested for printing Bibles and Christian literature without government permission. His trial was originally scheduled to be held in June 2005, but has been postponed. According to prosecution papers obtained by his family, Cai was to be prosecuted for "illegal business management" for printing over 200,000 copies of Bibles and other Christian literature. -
Cambridge University Press 978-1-108-42530-8 — Under Caesar's Sword Edited by Daniel Philpott , Timothy Samuel Shah Index More Information
Cambridge University Press 978-1-108-42530-8 — Under Caesar's Sword Edited by Daniel Philpott , Timothy Samuel Shah Index More Information Index al-Abadi, Haider, 39 African Union Mission in Somalia Abdelati, Rabie, 97 (AMISOM), 75 Abdollahi, Rasoul, 137 Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud, 136 Abducted in Iraq: A Priest in Baghdad, Ahmadis, 378, 382 37 aid neutrality, 474, 482 Abdullah (king of Saudi Arabia), 159 Aid to the Church in Need, 463, 465, 487 Abdullah, Abdul Aziz bin, 148 Aikman, David, 347, 352 Abdullah II (king of Jordan), 47 Akinola, Peter, 20 Abedini, Saeed, 140 Al-Azhar, 58 academic dialogue in Pakistan, 251 Alderstein, Yitzchok, 130 accommodation strategies Aleksei (patriarch of Moscow), 196 in China, 348, 354 Alencherry, George, 275 in Sri Lanka, 285 Aleppo, Syria, 40, 45 of Western Christians, 445 Ali, Suryadharma, 382, 384 ACCORD, 444 Alito, Samuel, 441 ACT Alliance, 465, 473 All India Catholic Union (AICU), 270 Ad Scapulam (Tertullian), 18 All India Christian Council (AICC), 270 Adaktusson, Lars, 466, 487 All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), 2, ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief 254 Agency), 185 Allen, John, 396, 421 Advisory Council of Heads of Protestant Allende, Salvador, 403 Churches of Russia, 225 Alliance Defending Freedom, 443 advocacy Alliance Defending Freedom International religious freedom advocacy by Christian (ADF), 273 TANs, 483 alliance with authoritarians, 60 in Vietnam and Laos, 324, 330 All-Union Council of Evangelical Christian- Afghanistan Baptists, 209 blasphemy, 242 Al-Monitor’s The Pulse of the Middle -
Christianity
97 GLOBAL CHRISTIANITY Appendix C: Methodology for China Overview of Findings and Methods Published estimates of the Christian share of the Chinese population range from about 1% in some relatively small-sample public opinion surveys to about 8% in reviews of membership reports from churches and church leaders (including unregistered churches) within China. Given the size of China’s population, a difference of a single percentage point represents more than 10 million people. In light of such a wide range of estimates, this study carefully considered multiple sources of data – including public opinion surveys, church membership reports and Chinese government statistics – in an attempt to provide a reasonable estimate of the number of Christians in China. This methodology builds on the 2008 Pew Christians in China PERCENTAGE 26 Forum analysis of religion in China. Since OF 2010 ESTIMATED POPULATION its publication in May 2008, that analysis has POPULATION OF CHINA been well received by scholars at numerous Protestant 58,040,000 4.3% scientific and professional meetings in the U.S. Independent 35,040,000 2.6 and China.27 At these meetings, the Pew Forum Other Protestant 23,000,000 1.7 received feedback on the initial analysis as well Anglican < 1,000 < 0.1 Orthodox 20,000 < 0.1 as helpful input on its current estimate. Catholic 9,000,000 0.7 Other Christian < 10,000 < 0.1 There is general consensus among scholars of Total Christian 67,070,000 5.0 mainland China that its Christian population numbers somewhere in the tens of millions. Population estimates are rounded to the ten thousands. -
Lianjiang County – Christians
Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE Research Response Number: CHN32261 Country: China Date: 27 August 2007. Keywords: China – Fujian – Lianjiang County – Christians This response was prepared by the Research & Information Services Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. This research response may not, under any circumstance, be cited in a decision or any other document. Anyone wishing to use this information may only cite the primary source material contained herein. Questions 1. Please provide information on Christians in Huangqi Town and Fengcheng Town of Lianjiang County in Fujian and their treatment by the authorities. 2. Please provide information on Huangqi Broadcasting & TV Co (may be called Lianjiang Broadcasting & TV Co). RESPONSE 1. Please provide information on Christians in Huangqi Town and Fengcheng Town of Lianjiang County in Fujian and their treatment by the authorities. [This response includes an overview of the situation of Christians in Fujian Province at 1.2] Lianjiang (连江) is a county on the coast of Fujian Province, China, close to the provincial capital Fuzhou (administratively Lianjiang county is part of Fuzhou City). A map of the county is at Attachment 1. A short profile of the county from Wikipedia1 is attached (‘Lianjiang’ 2007, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lianjiang – Updated 22 May 2007 – Accessed 27 August 2007 – Attachment 2). According to the profile, the county population is 620,000.