The rapidly growing Chinese Protestant Church faces a significant challenge: it must adapt itself to the unique dimensions of Chinese culture, leaving behind the trail of old missionary theology and molding an authentically Chinese approach to biblical interpretation and Christian life an approach that works within both the traditional and the contemporary dimensions of Chinese society. Rising from an extraordinary 2003 Sino-Nordic conference on Chinese contextual theology which brought Chinese university scholars and church theologians together for the first time Christianity and Chinese Culture addresses ways in which the church in China is responding to that challenge. The essays collected here highlight both the stunning complexities confronting Protestant Christianity in China and its remarkable potential. This is a most timely publication on the current issues and research on Christianity and Chinese culture in the PRC previously unavailable in English. The list of scholars in the collection reads like a Who s Who? in Christian studies in China, including both secular academics and Christian theologians. The final part on theological reconstruction is of particular interest, given its importance for the Protestant churches in the last decade. This book should be on the shelf of any scholar interested in the subject. Edmond Tang Director, East Asian Christian Studies University of Birmingham, UK Contributors: Zhao Dunhua, Zhang Qingxiong, Diane B. Obenchain, Svein Rise, He Guanghu, Wan Junren, Lo Ping-cheung, You Bin, He Jianming, Lai Pan-chiu, Jorgen Skov Sorensen, Jyri Komulainen, Gao Shining, Zhuo Xinping, Notto R. Thelle, Yang Huilin, Thor Strandenaes, Li Pingye, Vladimir Fedorov, Wang Xiaochao, Choong Chee Pang, Zhang Minghui, Li Qiuling, Fredrik Fllman, Birger Nygaard, Deng Fucun, Chen Xun, Gerald H. Anderson, Zhu Xiaohong, Sun Yi, Chen Yongtao, Lin Manhong, Wu Xiaoxin.

Chinese Culture and Christianity traces the origin, development, and growth of Chinese culture in relationship to Christianity. This comprehensive work will be of interest to students of sociology, philosophy, religion, political science, and anthropology.

Although the reputation of European and American missionaries to China has been in low repute in China itself for a long time, a different, far more generous accounting of the work of Western missionaries has begun to appear in the scholarship of Chinese cultural and intellectual historians. This book represents this recent turn and reminds us that missionaries accomplished intellectual as well as religious work of abiding value.--Foreword.

This updated edition by one of the world's leading apologists presents a systematic, positive case for Christianity that reflects the latest work in the contemporary hard sciences and humanities. Brilliant and accessible.

A complete exploration is the first systematic analysis ever comparing the central religious doctrinal aspects of Christianity with those in Confucianism. Huang's work carefully covers the whole history of the Confucian-Christian tradition, and ends up with genuinely new insights. He elaborates on the idea of transcendence in the Confucian tradition in a manner which enables an interpretation of the Christian means of salvation. His explanation of transcendence, and its connection with the means of salvation, is new and unique, offering a clue to the special understanding of salvation germane to the specifically Chinese intellecual history. Huang's book is a must for anyone interested in the Sino-Western cultural encounter.

What is the state of Christianity in China? Some scholars say that China is invulnerable to religion. In contrast, others say that past efforts of missionaries have failed, writing off those converted as nothing more than “rice Christians” or cynical souls who had frequented the missions for the benefits they provided. Some wonder if the Cultural Revolution extinguished any chances of Christianity in China. Rodney Stark and Xiuhua Wang offer a different perspective, arguing that Christianity is alive, well, and on the rise. Stark approaches the topic from an extensive research background in Christianity and Chinese history, and Wang provides an inside look at Christianity and its place in her home country of China. Both authors cover the history of religion in China, disproving older theories concerning the number of Christians and the kinds of Christians that have emerged in the past 155 years. Stark and Wang claim that when just considering the visible Christians—those not part of underground churches—thousands of Chinese are still converted to Christianity daily, and forty new churches are opening each week. A Star in the East draws on two major national surveys to sketch a close-up of religion in China. A reliable estimate is that by 2007 there were approximately 60 million Christians in China. If the current growth rate were to hold until 2030, there would be more Christians in China—about 295 million—than in any other nation. This trend has significant implications, not just for China but for the greater world order. It is probable that Chinese Christianity will splinter into denominations, likely leading to the same political, social, and economic ramifications seen in the West today. Whether you’re new to studying Christianity in China or whether this has been your area of interest for years, A Star in the East provides a reliable, thought-provoking, and engaging account of the resilience of the Christian faith in China and the implications it has for the future.

Christianity and Confucianism: Culture, Faith and Politics, sets comparative textual analysis against the backcloth of 2000 years of cultural, political, and religious interaction between China and the West. As the world responds to China's rise and China positions herself for global engagement, this major new study reawakens and revises an ancient conversation. As a generous introduction to biblical Christianity and the Confucian Classics, Christianity and Confucianism tells a remarkable story of mutual formation and cultural indebtedness. East and West are shown to have shaped the mind, heart, culture, philosophy and politics of the other - and far more, perhaps, than either knows or would want to admit. Christopher Hancock has provided a rich and stimulating resource for scholars and students, diplomats and social scientists, devotees of culture and those who pursue wisdom and peace today.

Tracing encounters between Chinese culture and Christianity, Jingyi Ji (*1962 in Beijing) displays vividly how Chinese Christians interpret Christianity in their context. The book involves both Chinese and Western philosophy and theology and will be of interest not only for theologians but also for all those exploring the interaction between Chinese and Western culture.