Christianity in China

[Amadeus]

I found the below article about the growth of Christianity in China incredible. Some report that there are more Christians than members of the Communist party. China will become the largest Christian population within a few decades.


Asia Times Online :: China News - Christianity finds a fulcrum in Asia

Ten thousand Chinese become Christians each day, according to a stunning report by the National Catholic Reporter's veteran correspondent John Allen, and 200 million Chinese may comprise the world's largest concentration of Christians by mid-century, and the largest missionary force in history. [1] If you read a single news article about China this year, make sure it is this one.

I suspect that even the most enthusiastic accounts err on the downside, and that Christianity will have become a Sino-centric religion two generations from now. China may be for the 21st century what Europe was during the 8th-11th centuries, and America has been during the past 200 years: the natural ground for mass evangelization. If this occurs, the world will change beyond our capacity to recognize it. Islam might defeat the western Europeans, simply by replacing their diminishing numbers with immigrants, but it will crumble beneath the challenge from the East.

China, devoured by hunger so many times in its history, now feels a spiritual hunger beneath the neon exterior of its suddenly great cities. Four hundred million Chinese on the prosperous coast have moved from poverty to affluence in a single generation, and 10 million to 15 million new migrants come from the countryside each year, the greatest movement of people in history. Despite a government stance that hovers somewhere between discouragement and persecution, more than 100 million of them have embraced a faith that regards this life as mere preparation for the next world. Given the immense effort the Chinese have devoted to achieving a tolerable life in the present world, this may seem anomalous. On the contrary: it is the great migration of peoples that prepares the ground for Christianity, just as it did during the barbarian invasions of Europe during the Middle Ages.

Last month's murder of reverend Bae Hyung-kyu, the leader of the missionaries still held hostage by Taliban kidnappers in Afghanistan, drew world attention to the work of South Korean Christians, who make up nearly 30% of that nation's population and send more evangelists to the world than any country except the United States. This is only a first tremor of the earthquake to come, as Chinese Christians turn their attention outward. Years ago I speculated that if Mecca ever is razed, it will be by an African army marching north; now the greatest danger to Islam is the prospect of a Chinese army marching west.

People do not live in a spiritual vacuum; where a spiritual vacuum exists, as in western Europe and the former Soviet Empire, people simply die, or fail to breed. In the traditional world, people see themselves as part of nature, unchangeable and constant, and worship their surroundings, their ancestors and themselves. When war or economics tear people away from their roots in traditional life, what once appeared constant now is shown to be ephemeral. Christianity is the great liquidator of traditional society, calling individuals out of their tribes and nations to join the ekklesia, which transcends race and nation. In China, communism leveled traditional society, and erased the great Confucian idea of society as an extension of the loyalties and responsibility of families. Children informing on their parents during the Cultural Revolution put paid to that.

Now the great migrations throw into the urban melting pot a half-dozen language groups who once lived isolated from one another. Not for more than a thousand years have so many people in the same place had such good reason to view as ephemeral all that they long considered to be fixed, and to ask themselves: "What is the purpose of my life?"

The World Christian Database offers by far the largest estimate of the number of Chinese Christians at 111 million, of whom 90% are Protestant, mostly Pentecostals. Other estimates are considerably lower, but no matter; what counts is the growth rate. This uniquely American denomination, which claims the inspiration to speak in tongues like Jesus' own disciples and to prophesy, is the world's fastest-growing religious movement, with 500,000 adherents. In contrast to Catholicism, which has a very long historic presence in China but whose growth has been slow, charismatic Protestantism has found its natural element in an atmosphere of official suppression. Barred from churches, Chinese began worshipping in homes, and five major "house church" movements and countless smaller ones now minister to as many as 100 million Christians. [2] This quasi-underground movement may now exceed in adherents the 75 million members of the Chinese Communist Party; in a generation it will be the most powerful force in the country.

While the Catholic Church has worked patiently for independence from the Chinese government, which sponsors a "Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association" with government-appointed bishops, the evangelicals have no infrastructure to suppress and no hierarchy to protect. In contrast to Catholic caution, John Allen observes, "Most Pentecostals would obviously welcome being arrested less frequently, but in general they are not waiting for legal or political reform before carrying out aggressive evangelization programs."

Allen adds:
The most audacious even dream of carrying the gospel beyond the borders of China, along the old Silk Road into the Muslim world, in a campaign known as "Back to Jerusalem". As [Time correspondent David] Aikman explains in Jesus in Beijing, some Chinese evangelicals and Pentecostals believe that the basic movement of the gospel for the last 2,000 years has been westward: from Jerusalem to Antioch, from Antioch to Europe, from Europe to America, and from America to China. Now, they believe, it's their turn to complete the loop by carrying the gospel to Muslim lands, eventually arriving in Jerusalem. Once that happens, they believe, the gospel will have been preached to the entire world.
Aikman reports that two Protestant seminaries secretly are training missionaries for deployment in Muslim countries.

Where traditional society remains entrenched in China's most backward regions, Islam also is expanding. At the edge of the Gobi Desert and on China's western border with Central Asia, Islam claims perhaps 30 million adherents. If Christianity is the liquidator of traditional society, I have argued in the past, Islam is its defender against the encroachments of leveling imperial expansion. But Islam in China remains the religion of the economic losers, whose geographic remoteness isolates them from the economic transformation on the coasts. Christianity, by contrast, has burgeoned among the new middle class in China's cities, where the greatest wealth and productivity are concentrated. Islam has a thousand-year presence in China and has grown by natural increase rather than conversion; evangelical Protestantism had almost no adherents in China a generation ago.

China's Protestants evangelized at the risk of liberty and sometimes life, and possess a sort of fervor not seen in Christian ranks for centuries. Their pastors have been beaten and jailed, and they have had to create their own institutions through the "house church" movement. Two years ago I warned that China would have to wait for democracy. [3] I wrote:
For a people to govern itself, it first must want to govern itself and want to do so with a passion. It also must know how to do so. Democracy requires an act of faith, or rather a whole set of acts of faith. The individual citizen must believe that a representative sitting far away in the capital will listen to his views, and know how to band together with other citizens to make their views known. That is why so-called civil society, the capillary network of associations that manage the ordinary affairs of life, is so essential to democracy. Americans elect their local school boards, create volunteer fire brigades and raise and spend tax dollars at the local level to provide parks or sewers.
China's network of house churches may turn out to be the leaven of democracy, like the radical Puritans of England who became the Congregationalists of New England. Freedom of worship is the first precondition for democracy, for it makes possible freedom of conscience. The fearless evangelists at the grassroots of China will, in the fullness of time, do more to bring US-style democracy to the world than all the nation-building bluster of President George W Bush and his advisers.

[MartialDev]

There is a much longer article in the latest Atlantic Monthly, if you are interested.

[beautyscientist]

Am I the only one groaning in horror at this. Why can't evangelists just shut up and let people make their own minds up. Isn't there enough religious conflict in the world already?

[Amadeus]

What are you talking about? The Chinese Christians aren't forcing you to think anything you don't want to think or making you read anything you don't want to read.

[beautyscientist]

It is clear that the author of the article regards the spread of Christianity in China as part of a battle between Christianity and Islam. He even talks about Mecca being attacked by Chinese from the North. It is hardly irrational to be dismayed at a potential increase in possible conflict.

[beautyscientist]

I am not surprised by getting a strong reaction to my post. I realise that some people take their religion quite seriously and might well lash out. But the insult chosen seems very specific and not particularly appropriate. Aspergers is something that someone posting on an internet forum is not likely to suffer from, and I can't see any connection with its symptoms and the way I expressed my post?

[Amadeus]

With all due respect, what in the world are you talking about?

[beautyscientist]

Amadeus, your post replying to my comments originally asked if I was suffering from Aspurger's syndrome. You have now altered it. This is very bizarre behaviour.

[Amadeus]

???????????

[beautyscientist]

It is a fact that religious differences are either a cause of, or a very useful excuse for, conflict all around the world. The more organised religions such as christianity and islam are particularly prone to this problem. The article posted by the OP is clearly written from a partisan point of view. This is exactly the frame of mind that leads to disputes and problems which often spill over to affect society as a whole.

For this reason I deplore people who go to other countries and proselytise for their particular faith. Keep your personal beliefs to yourself.

[Amadeus]

I can assure you that the World's problems is not Christianity and the morals preached in the Bible, but from the lack of morals and view that Christianity and it's principles are only relative truths and not absolute truths.
Additionally several countries, groups, individuals do things, bad and good, in the name of God, Christianity, or Islam. It doesn't mean they speak for all Christians or God believing religions. I'm sure the majority of the Chinese Christians have good intentions and only want to spread the truth and not pick up a gun. Don't always look for the bad when it comes to people who love God and want to do the right thing. I admire these people and have a thousand times more respect for them and their action than those that sit behind a computer or tv all day judging their this people's hearts.

[Matthew Shea]

BeautyScientist, I have a suggestion for what it's worth. Since your way is so much better, why don't you get over there and start teaching? I'm not being sarcastic.

I have no idea why Islam is being brought up, either. This article is dealing with government suppression of religion in China. It's apparently written from an evangelical point of view, but so what? Are you saying that religious suppression should be maintained? If people were free to believe what they wanted over there, this wouldn't even be an issue. If there's any conflict here, it's because the Chinese government is trying to force people to believe a certain way. That's not the people's fault nor is it the fault of any organized religion.

[beautyscientist]

Amadeus, my objection is a general one to organised religion. I don't think Christianity is any better or any worse than any of the others. Like all religious beliefs it has been used to do some terrible things. Like all religious beliefs it is also manifestly wrong. This is why I am disheartened by its spread in China. It is also obvious from the original article that its spread is not spontaneous but is being promoted by funds originating in the West.

Mathew, I am not saying that religious repression should be maintained in China. People should be free to follow whatever they like. And people should be free to exchange their ideas freely. If I were in a position to prevent evangelicals spreading their nonsense I would let them carry on. That is the point of freedom - you let people say what they like even if you don't like it.

And thanks for your suggestion. If I had the opportunity I would love to go to China and argue with them that Marxism-Lenninism was a bad move, introducing free enterprise without freedom of expression is not a good idea and that they should take more care of their environment. I would also advocate democracy and civil rights, and suggest that they get on better with their neighbours. I wouldn't waste my time pushing our religion on them - I suspect that they have more to teach us in that area.

[Amadeus]

I can assure you that 12,000 Chinese becoming Christians in China in the face of Communist everyday is not a fad or religious pressure from the west. I'm personally offended that you would suggest otherwise that it is not because they are moved by our God (Jesus).

[beautyscientist]

Personally offended Amadeus? I don't believe in God. It is therefore completely logical that I don't want to see a false belief being propagated. I don't see why you should find that personally offensive. When religious people try to talk me round to their way of thinking I don't take offence. If they are sincere in their beliefs then they are genuinely trying to help me. I have no personal animosity towards anyone on account of their beliefs. I do think the truth is important though, so I don't pretend to believe in something I don't believe in to keep them happy.

Where is the offensiveness in this? I must say that of all the belief systems on offer standard issue Christianity is about the least plausible. Many of its most basic teachings are clearly wrong. Am I being offensive here? I don't think so - just being honest as I see it. Amadeus, I suggest you will be much happier with the truth than with religion, but that is your choice.

[Bruce Achterberg]

Hey guys,

I just wanted to take a moment to mention a few things that I'd like you to be mindful of when making posts:

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The Forum Rules
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Just in case you don't remember what they are, here's a link to the forum rules. Why should you be mindful of the forum rules? Well, firstly, when you signed up to this forum you agreed to be. Secondly, consider something Steve said in his blog when he first announced that a forum was in the works for his site:

I want these forums to become a high-quality resource for people who genuinely want to help each other grow. [...] This won’t be a place for unrestrained free speech, but it will be a place where you can discuss important topics intelligently and make like-minded friends. I don’t care whether forum members agree or disagree with my personal views — I don’t always agree with me anyway. I want the forums to be a place for sharing ideas, advice, and stories; helping each other grow; enjoying stimulating conversation; and making new friends. And of course plenty of laughs are welcome too.

What does the quote have to do with anything? I'd like to leave you to ponder such things. Think of the quote as "food for thought". If anything, consider how you might come in with what Steve was talking about in the above quote.

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How you write your posts
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The way you express yourself is equally important as what you are expressing when making a post or thread. In communications theory, the message is not actually what the sender is trying to send, it’s only what the receiver interprets it to be. Using that logic and the ideas from Steve’s article, The Medium vs. the Message, what you are trying to say in your posts/threads (the message) needs to be transmitted via a suitable medium. For example, consider the following statements:

1) You suck and need to get better.

2) I definitely enjoyed reading your article and find humour to be one of your strengths, however I believe if you improved your vocabulary you would more effectively reach your target audience.

Both #1 and #2 express the same message, but it is likely they would both be interpreted very differently. Most people would probably ignore or get offended by #1, while most people would probably find #2 to be helpful. What makes them different? The answer is the medium. Neither are “good" or “bad”, “right” or “wrong” -- it's just that some ways of doing things are more effective/suitable in certain situations then others (ie. you don't use a hammer to unscrew something. That doesn't make the hammer “bad” or “wrong”, it just means that another tool -- a screwdriver -- is more effective in that particular scenario).

Likewise, when posting on the forums, some ways of writing and the particular wording you use (which is actually the medium) are more effective then others, and in this example, this is clearly the case. So when you are writing posts, keep in mind both the message (what you want to say and why you want to say it) as well as the medium (how you say what you want to say, which is dependent on how you write your post, ie. the wording you use, the tone, the style, the format, etc).

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Who or what you are addressing with your posts
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When posting, you are more then welcome to discuss/debate ideas, concepts, perspectives, or beliefs, but please refrain from getting personal when doing so. For example, if you were watching TV and didn’t like the channel you were watching, what would you do? Would you pick up a baseball bat and smash your TV to pieces? Would you start yelling at the TV and tell it that it’s wrong? Or would you simply change the channel to a channel you enjoy watching? (Don't think too hard on this one. )

While people can “have” ideas, concepts, perspectives, or beliefs, people are not defined by these things. All those things may come and go, but the person who “has” those things generally remains. So instead of taking a baseball bat to your “TV”, or telling it that it’s wrong until your throat is hoarse, I’d recommend you choose option three and simply change the channel. Try to remember that when you are “watching” the forums and you find a “channel” you don’t like.

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Thanks for reading.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Amadeus

I found the below article about the growth of Christianity in China incredible ..... China will become the largest Christian population within a few decades ......
Ten thousand Chinese become Christians each day, according to a stunning report by the National Catholic Reporter's veteran correspondent John Allen, and 200 million Chinese may comprise the world's largest concentration of Christians by mid-century, and the largest missionary force in history.

I did not find the above very remarkable. China has such a large population that it wouldn't be particularly amazing that in terms of absolute numbers, it has the world's largest concentration of any particular religious category.

200 million Christians in China sounds impressive, until you realise that 200 million Christians in China still just forms a minority of the overall population.

[Amadeus]

I do find that over 10 percent of a communist country like China are Christian to be extremely impressive.

[beautyscientist]

If the number of Christians in China is indeed over 10% this is very impressive. I just hope it isn't true.

[remac]

It seems to me that the people in China are perfectly capable of making up their own minds about what they believe. In the interests of freedom, anyone should be able to set forward their beliefs anywhere, and people should be free to believe what they wish. If a large number of people wish to believe in Christianity, that is their decision. If people wish to go to China to share their faith, that is their right. Why we should be debating this is beyond me.

[Matthew Shea]

Originally Posted by Amadeus

I do find that over 10 percent of a communist country like China are Christian to be extremely impressive.

When you suppress ANYTHING, you automatically create a desire for it. By itself, the suppression creates a stronger bond between members of whatever community you're suppressing. That happens because people's survival instincts kick in and they do whatever's necessary to keep their community alive. To me, it's not surprising AT ALL that this is happening. The same thing is happening in Russia. The orthodox church there is coming back in a big way to the extent that Vladimir Putin now makes it a point to stay on the religious leaders' good side.

I'd also bet money that the numbers we're hearing are very low. In that environment, people aren't going to admit being Christian if it might get them arrested and imprisoned.

[Acting Like Godot]

The above article says that currently there could be about 100 million christians in china.

If you google around, you'll see that there are some estimates which say that this is also around the same number of muslims in china today. Eg:

Islam in China - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Islam in China has a rich heritage. China has some of the oldest Muslim history, dating back to as early as 650, when the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, Sa`ad ibn Abi Waqqas, was sent as an official envoy to Emperor Gaozong. Throughout the history of Islam in China, Chinese Muslims have heavily influenced the course of Chinese history. Today, Islam is one of the largest religions in China with estimates of the number of Muslims ranging from over 20 million to 100 million.[1]"


Further googling. This BBC article says that there are about 100 million Buddhists in China.

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | China hosts first Buddhism forum

Seems like the number of Christians, Muslims and Buddhists in China are approximately the same.

[Dolazy]

I think this is a good thing.

According to the theory of Spiral Dynamics this means that the population China is rising to a higher level of consciousness. Religion happens to be one of the levels of consciousness, and each society has to pass it.

Eventually they will raise to the level from the blue level of religion, into the orange level of science.

[Dolazy]

By the way you have no idea how much joy is involved when people discover Christianity. Do you realize how much an increase of, speaking in Abraham-Hicks terminology, 'vibration' that results to? Conversion to Christianity is usually an immensely joyful experience. It means freedom from the past. The beginning of a new life full of opportunities and blessings.

I can tell because I used to be an evangelical Christian. Eventually I rejected Christianity because I could not accept that non-Christians are doomed to go to hell. However, I believe religion has contributed much my personal development and even to my critical thinking skills(!).

[Brutha]

Originally Posted by Matthew Shea

I'd also bet money that the numbers we're hearing are very low. In that environment, people aren't going to admit being Christian if it might get them arrested and imprisoned.

We don't know he the number were generated, it is quite possible that a factor like this is already factored in.