Christianity in China: Past, Present and Challenges

Abstract

Christianity is on the list of the legitimate religions in modem China. The past several decades have witnessed a wide spread and rapid development of the Christianity across the country. As an important world religion which had first emerged in the West Asia and which has to a certain extent been idealized as the symbol of the Western culture, or the democracy in specific, Chinese Christianity has been attracting attentions both from within and without, especially the scholars. Unlike other religions such as Buddhism and Taoism, the existence and development of Christianity in China are often attached to special dimensions such as politics and ideology which go beyond the religion per se. In the expectation of many Westerners and Chinese, the Chinese Christianity, especially the Protestantism is the hope for the Western democracy. What does it mean for China in particular and for the world in general for the upsurge of Christianity? Although there are various researches, an agreement is far from being reached. This short article tries to trace in concise the past and present of Christianity in China, the challenges it is facing, and to provide some thought on its history. A short caveat is necessary before we proceed further.