State of Christianity in China: Challenges and Growth
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STATE OF
CHRISTIANITY IN
CHINA
by Kevin Murphy
Wenzhou Church in Sanjiang
“Jerusalem of the East”
Planned demolition
12 years and 30 million
yuan ($4.7 million) to build
1,000 members in arms
Guarded by Military
and Police
Deal in place
Motivation
Crackdown on Christians?
Supposedly 10 more churches
Wenzhou and Hangzhou
Pick up in repression (55%)
Gov denies
Zhejiang Party Secretary Xia Baolong. “Too conspicuous.”
Churches are oversized
Wenzhou; ½ acre vs. 2 acres
Given a chance to “self rectify”
5 local government officials being investigated.
Background on Christians in China
The state only recognizes five official
religions—Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism,
and Protestantism
58 million Protestants 67 million total Christians
according to Pew Research
in 1949 China’s Protestants numbered just 1 million
persons and its entire Christian community was
believed to be about 3 million
Background on Christians in China
Many Catholics do not register.
Catholics aren’t allowed to pledge allegiance to
any foreign figures, like the Pope. Haven’t been
allowed to since 1951.
Large underground church system
Large amount of “house churches”.
the official Church which fears the house churches
may provoke a backlash.
The Future
China’s Protestant population will swell to 160 million in 2025.
China’s overall Christian population could reach 247 million people by 2030.
The official line in China is that the government pledges “to protect and
respect religion until such time as religion itself will disappear.”
The State fears the influence of zealous American evangelism and some of
the House Church theology has those characteristics, but, in many other
respects, it seems to be an indigenous Chinese movement - charismatic,
energetic and young.
Between 2006 and 2013, ChinaAid says persecution has become “55.23%
worse.”
Questions?
Sources
Elgot, Jessica. "Fears Of Crackdown On Christians As China Demolishes
Church."
Thehuffingtonpost.co.uk
. The Huffington Post UK, 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 01
May 2014.
Phillips, Tom. "China Accused of Anti-Christian Campaign as Church Demolition
Begins."
The Telegraph
. Telegraph Media Group, 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 May
2014.
Bhattacharji, Preeti. "Religion in China."
Council on Foreign Relations
. Council on
Foreign Relations, 16 May 2008. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Gardam, Tim. "Why Is Christianity Booming in China?"
Bbc.com
. BBC News, 11 Sept.
2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Keck, Zachary. "Is Communist China Christianity's Future?"
The Diplomat
.
Thediplomat.com, 26 Apr. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
The state of Christianity in China is complex, with a rich history of growth and government scrutiny. From the crackdown on Christians to the future projections of its population, explore the evolving landscape of Christianity in China and the challenges faced by its followers.
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Presentation Transcript
STATE OF CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA by Kevin Murphy
Wenzhou Church in Sanjiang Jerusalem of the East Planned demolition 12 years and 30 million yuan ($4.7 million) to build 1,000 members in arms Guarded by Military and Police Deal in place
Motivation Crackdown on Christians? Supposedly 10 more churches Wenzhou and Hangzhou Pick up in repression (55%) Gov denies Zhejiang Party Secretary Xia Baolong. Too conspicuous. Churches are oversized Wenzhou; acre vs. 2 acres Given a chance to self rectify 5 local government officials being investigated.
Background on Christians in China The state only recognizes five official religions Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism 58 million Protestants 67 million total Christians according to Pew Research in 1949 China s Protestants numbered just 1 million persons and its entire Christian community was believed to be about 3 million
Background on Christians in China Many Catholics do not register. Catholics aren t allowed to pledge allegiance to any foreign figures, like the Pope. Haven t been allowed to since 1951. Large underground church system Large amount of house churches . the official Church which fears the house churches may provoke a backlash.
The Future China s Protestant population will swell to 160 million in 2025. China s overall Christian population could reach 247 million people by 2030. The official line in China is that the government pledges to protect and respect religion until such time as religion itself will disappear. The State fears the influence of zealous American evangelism and some of the House Church theology has those characteristics, but, in many other respects, it seems to be an indigenous Chinese movement - charismatic, energetic and young. Between 2006 and 2013, ChinaAid says persecution has become 55.23% worse.
Sources Elgot, Jessica. "Fears Of Crackdown On Christians As China Demolishes Church." Thehuffingtonpost.co.uk. The Huffington Post UK, 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 May 2014. Phillips, Tom. "China Accused of Anti-Christian Campaign as Church Demolition Begins." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 May 2014. Bhattacharji, Preeti. "Religion in China." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, 16 May 2008. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Gardam, Tim. "Why Is Christianity Booming in China?" Bbc.com. BBC News, 11 Sept. 2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Keck, Zachary. "Is Communist China Christianity's Future?" The Diplomat. Thediplomat.com, 26 Apr. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
