Sinicization is the UFWD’s agenda for Chinese religious associations. All religions are to be Sinicized, even Taoism. But the challenge of bringing “foreign religions” like Christianity and Islam into the Party’s agenda requires increased effort.
Xi’s directive to align all religions with Zhongguohua is not only rooted in academic and institutional history but is also deeply embedded in the traditions of the official Protestant church.
The work is a must-read for anyone concerned with the direction of Chinese religions and China’s religious policy.
Sinicization, Chinafication, or Zhongguohua? Defining the term in question goes to the heart of understanding China’s current policy and its effect upon religious believers.
Here are some sources that may interest ChinaSource readers concerned with religious life and religious policy in contemporary China, with a thematic focus on Protestant Christianity.
Expressions of distrust and judgment have loomed so large that some Mandarin-speaking churches and newly established Hong Kong congregations in the same cities avoid any interactions.
Sinicization, Chinafication, or Zhongguohua? Defining the term in question goes to the heart of understanding China’s current policy and its effect upon religious believers.
Young people need a community where faith and real life intersect in meaningful ways, rather than simply attending traditional worship services.
Guangxiao Church and Zion Church, two of Guangzhou’s leading and historical churches, are pioneering youth-focused outreach efforts to counter the decline in youth attendance. To attract them to the church, the two churches offer various youth-centered activities, including a "Faith Pharmacy," comic exhibitions, and storytelling sessions.
Chinese house churches must deliberate on how to be genuinely Chinese and truly Christian. Both the concepts that are overemphasized cause distortion. It takes constant navigating to be “in the culture but not of it.” Authentic Chinese Christianity will result from keeping both ideas in healthy tension as Chinese house churches negotiate between indigenizing and acting as pilgrim communities.
As we close out 2024, I am filled with gratitude—for God’s goodness that has pursued us, for faithful partners like you, and for the lives being transformed through his love. Today on this Giving Tuesday, I invite you to join us. Your partnership helps us connect people, ideas, and resources to advance God’s work in China and beyond.
This is an invitation to listen to the echoes, following the recent Fourth Lausanne Congress on Evangelization held in Incheon, South Korea. When the noise dies down and silence starts to reign, what are we hearing and seeing? What is rising within? Here I share a small glimpse from the lens of an observer and virtual participant.