Christianity in China

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The Christianity in China a religious minority. The Chinese language divides Christians into two groups, Tianzhu jiao ( Teaching of the Lord of Heaven , i.e. Catholicism) and Jidu Xinjiao ( New Teaching , i.e. Protestantism). Christianity in general is translated as teaching of Christ ( Chinese  基督教 , pinyin jīdūjiào ).

Number of Christians

In China , European missionaries tried to proselytize for two centuries with little success. After the European missionaries were expelled from the country in the 1950s and after religious life was strictly forbidden during the Cultural Revolution , Christianity has seen massive growth in the past thirty years without significant foreign support. China now has one of the largest Christian communities with continued stable growth. So far, the rest of Christendom has not taken much notice of this very lively Chinese variant of Christianity. This is also due to the fact that the development is largely denied by the central government.

According to official figures, there were around 19 million Christians in the People's Republic of China in 1997, or 1.4% of the population; In 2018 this number, which only includes "registered" Christians, was increased to 36 million in a government document. Various authors estimate that there are (including “unregistered” Christians) around 30 million or up to 80 million, that would be 2.2% to 5.9% of the population. However, the evangelical Christian missionary organization Asian Harvest claims that 7.63% of the population in mainland China are Christians; that would be a higher proportion than in Taiwan, where 6.57% of the population is Christian.

Official status

The Catholicism and Protestantism are in the People's Republic of China regarded as independent religions. There is little ecumenism. The Catholic and Protestant churches have little contact with one another.

The church situation is very complicated and depends on denomination, denomination and place or diocese. There is an increasing lack of transparency in the area of ​​the so-called Catholic underground church and the Protestant “house churches” with simultaneous creation of extensive gray areas between the “underground” and the churches officially recognized by the state. There is a very intense religious (sacramental) life and innumerable activities that are actually in no relation to the staff and the financial possibilities of the church. There is a vitality in Christian life in Chinese Christianity that is now mostly alien to European Christians. Christian teaching is not yet very well established. There is still theological ambiguity and uncertainty in the churches with the risk that entire churches will be taken over by sects. There is great irreconcilability between the groupings of the churches; B. the official Catholic Church and the former underground Catholic Church.

On March 1, 2005, China was the first to apply nationwide regulations on religious affairs, which put the behavior of the various communities towards the state on a pragmatic level in many areas. With the Religious Act of February 1, 2018, the state took a much tougher stance again. This has led to significant tensions between the state and many Christian churches.

history

Christian mission in China has a very long history. However, it was essentially a failure by 1949. Despite centuries of efforts, when the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, there were only about 1.8 million Christians, 750,000 of them Protestants, with many of the church members hoping to be able to benefit materially from the Europeans.

The People's Republic of China was founded as a secular state according to the constitution. The goal of creating a classless society also included the elimination of religions, which came under increasing pressure as a result. All foreign missionaries were expelled by the mid-1950s, at that time around 6,200. Churches in China were prohibited from contacting institutions and associations abroad. During the so-called Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), religious practice was completely suppressed.

A new period of openness began under Deng Xiaoping (since 1979), during which the practice of religion was allowed again. There has been a massive increase in religious communities in China since the mid-1980s. Scientists speak of a "religious fever" (zongjiao re). In the meantime, a million new people join the congregations every year in the official Protestant Church in China alone. Not only is Christianity growing in today's China, but also Buddhism, Daoism and Islam. However, Christianity has developed fastest in recent years.

Church organization

Sacré-Cœur Catholic Church of Shizhi, Guangzhou

In China there are five state-recognized religions: Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Daoism and Islam, each of which must have a so-called "Patriotic Association". The patriotic associations (“mass organizations”) of the churches that arose in the 1950s are based on the three-self principles or autonomies formulated by Chinese theologians in the 1930s. These are: 1. Self-preservation, i. H. to be financially independent and not to accept foreign aid. 2. Self-proclamation, d. H. proclaim the gospel through indigenous forces. 3. Self-government, d. H. manage the church in China independently, without foreign influence.

These state-required associations include the Protestant "Patriotic Three-Self Movement" and the "Patriotic Association of the Catholic Church", both of which were founded in 1951. According to the statutes, the patriotic associations are not responsible for the direct religious area. For the Catholics there is the Bishops' Conference, for the Protestants this is the "Chinese Christian Council". The patriotic associations should support the churches in material and political areas, but also control them. The official organizations have only limited influence on the communities themselves. Each local community is responsible for itself, also financially. The state church organizations have an influence in the training of pastors and priests and in the provision of work materials. Religious officials may only conduct religious activities after confirmation from the religious organizations and registration with the religious affairs departments. So every preacher must be recognized by a patriotic three-self movement.

In addition to this official church, there is a wide gray area of ​​parishes that are partially tolerated, partially ignored, and sometimes harassed. It depends on the local authorities as well as on the respective communities, there are sometimes very obscure sects. The legal situation is very unclear, until today there is no law for the religions. In any case, the majority of Chinese Christians do not belong to either of the two major official churches.

Roman Catholic Church

Catholic Church in Chengdu

The Roman Catholic Church is divided into the official church and the former underground church. Both churches have around 70 bishops. The structures of the official and the unofficial church run parallel, so that the dioceses are often doubled. Both organizations have a bishops' conference that is not recognized by the Vatican. Most of the bishops of the official Catholic Church are now recognized and legitimized by the Pope, and in a letter to Chinese Catholics in 2007, the Pope explained that he wanted the two wings of the Catholic Church in China to be united and that there would be no more underground bishops . Responsibility for the appointment of bishops remains controversial. The Pope is of the opinion that he has the right to appoint bishops, the Chinese government insists on the constitutional article that no church should be controlled from abroad. A compromise is sought.

Protestant churches

Presbyterian Church in Quanzhou

Within the Protestant denomination, a distinction is made between the churches of the patriotic three-self movement, the meeting points in the area of ​​the three-self movement, semi-independent rural churches and the so-called house churches .

The churches of the Three-Self-Movement and their meeting points are officially recognized and registered by the state. Their religious meeting places are mostly in the cities or in their vicinity.

The semi-independent rural churches are only partially registered by the state, but do not belong to the three-self movement.

The so-called “house churches” arise for completely different reasons. Their services are not secret.

Other groupings

Between the popular religion and Protestantism, groups such as the "Teaching of the Eastern Lightning (Dongfangshandianjiao)" or the "Apostle Community (Mentuhui)" have been growing since the early 1980s. They are characterized by a charismatic leader and a complex and flexible form of organization as well as teachings of salvation and redemption. Since the Ming Dynasty, these have been considered a sign of socio-economic instability and potential for political unrest. They are seen by the Chinese state as a threat to stability. State repression occurs again and again, and sometimes arrests.

Forms of Christianity in China

There are very different forms of Christianity in China, so that one often speaks of the different Christianities in China. Christianity in rural areas and Christianity in cities often diverge widely due to the different realities of life. Particularly in the country there are charismatic sects based on a single leader with teachings that often differ widely from classical Christianity.

Rural Christianity

Evangelical Christian Council officials estimate that at least half of conversions in rural China are due to stories or experiences of faith healing. For the poor rural population, these healing stories, in which a prayer of ordinary people was answered by God, stand against the widespread attitude in China of the fatalistic “mei banfa”, which translates as “nothing can be done”.

In the Chinese hinterland, however, there are also militant sects that associate themselves with Christian content and try to poach Christian communities away. These sects, such as B. "The Lightning from the East," which proclaims that Jesus was born again in the form of a Chinese woman, is a serious problem for Christian communities.

Urban Christianity

In the cities of China there are, on the one hand, the socially weak who are looking for help and moral support, on the other hand, there are the so-called cultural Christians, who usually do not join a community, but who deal with Christianity and identify with essential statements of Christianity. In 2001, Beijing University conducted a survey among students. 3.6% of the respondents said they were Christians, 61.5% of the respondents said that although they were not Christians, they were definitely interested in Christianity. In recent years, unregistered house churches or groups for Bible study have been established in cities and universities. Party representatives see this as a major challenge that must be closely monitored.

Christianity and Chinese Society

A major reason for the rapid growth of Christianity in China lies in the dissolution of previous social structures and moral standards and in the discrediting of classic values. Communism, as an old state ideology, no longer has any meaning as a meaningful force.

Xikai Cathedral in Tianjin

Like all religious groups, the churches are viewed with suspicion by the party state organs. The state suspects them because of their potential for expectation, hope and action, which is attractive to the people of China.

The Chinese religious scholar Gao Shining writes: “The Chinese have made materially astonishing progress in the modernization process. But rapid social change has destroyed the original moral systems and value standards have been lost. People were shaken in their faith. A moral crisis broke out that had long slumbered in Chinese society ... Corruption and the lack of even a minimal sense of community have become common phenomena in China. "

Also for Dr. Li Pingye from the National United Front Department of the Communist Party of China is the decisive reason for the rise of Christianity in China in the social upheaval: “China is currently in an enormous phase of upheaval. The reform of the economic and political system has produced painful phenomena; an increase in unemployment, a strong urban-rural divide, a widening gap in the prosperity gap ... and a landslide breakdown of moral standards. "

The massive social changes of the last 30 years followed the previous tremors in China caused by the Cultural Revolution, which destroyed previous values ​​as much as possible. The poet Shu Ting wrote in 1980, shortly after the end of the Cultural Revolution: "... nothing remained in me but a field of ruins."

Xikai Cathedral in Tianjin

Family relationships are at the heart of Chinese culture. Unfortunately, every political and social change in modern Chinese history has had a negative impact on families. The theologian Chen Xida uses the example of the Bible parable of the prodigal son (Gospel of Luke) to show how Christianity addresses the socially struggling people who tend to be marginalized in the Chinese tradition. The story of Luke paints the picture of a father who challenges the traditional Chinese father model, according to which a father must discipline his children, lead them to success and bring them to glorify his name and that of all ancestors. Failure in the traditional family image is a flaw that makes many people ashamed and no longer dare to return home. In contrast, in the parable of the prodigal son, there is a family picture in which everyone can always return and is welcome.

Every year on May 24th, the Catholic Church calls for the World Day of Prayer for China. Pope Benedict XVI has this special day of prayer . deliberately placed on the day of the traditional pilgrimage to the Sheshan Basilica , the largest Marian shrine in China near Shanghai.

Chinese terms for God and Christianity

The terms used for God in Chinese are different even within Christianity. When the first missionaries arrived in China during the Tang Dynasty, they spoke of their religion as Jǐng jiào (景教, literally: "bright teaching"). Some others spoke of Shangdi (上帝, literally: "the ruler from above"), as this was more rooted in the Chinese language. Ultimately, however, the Catholic Church decided to use the Confucian term Tianzhu (天主, literally: "Lord of Heaven") at least in official church services and texts. When the Protestants finally came to China in the 19th century, they preferred Shangdi to Tianzhu . Many Protestants also use the title Shen (神), which generally means "God" or "Spirit". The different terms reflect not only a language problem, but a so-called term question (German: question of terminology), which was also used earlier in other language translations.

Catholic priests are known as shen fu (神父, literally: "spiritual father"). The standard Chinese translation of "Christ", which is used by almost all Christians, is Jidu (基督).

Catholics and Protestants

The modern Chinese language generally divides Christians into two groups: followers of Catholicism, Tianzhu jiao (天主教), and followers of Jidu jiao (基督教) - literally "Christianity" - or Jidu Xinjiao (基督 新教), "New- Christianity ”Protestantism. The Chinese see Catholicism and Protestantism as different religions, even if this distinction is not made in the western world. In the western world, the term “Christianity” encompasses all denominations, but in Chinese there is no term that makes this possible. In today's Catholic literature, the term Jidu zongjiao (基督 宗教) is used for Christian sects. The term literally means "religion of Christ". The Eastern Orthodox Churches are called Dongzheng jiao (東正教), which is the literal translation of "Eastern Orthodox Religion" into Chinese.

See also

literature

  • Barrett, David B., Kurian, George Thomas, Johnson, Todd M .: World Christian Encyclopedia , Volume 1, 2. revised. Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2001, ISBN 978-0-19-507963-0 , p. 194.
  • Stefan Friedrich: Christians in the People's Republic of China , Konrad Adenauer Foundation
  • Nicolas Standaert (Ed.): Handbook of Christianity in China, Volume One: 635–1800 , (Handbook of Oriental Studies: Section 4 China), Brill: Leiden / Boston 2000, ISBN 978-9004114319
  • RG Tiedemann (Ed.): Handbook of Christianity in China. Volume Two: 1800 – present . (Handbook of Oriental Studies: Section 4 China), Brill: Leiden / Boston 2010, ISBN 978-90-04-11430-2

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hans van Ess: The 101 most important questions: China . Munich: CH Beck, 2008; P. 106.
  2. ↑ https://www.opendoors.de/christenverendung/weltverfolungsindex/laenderprofile/china#header_5
  3. ↑ Kim Kwong-Chan: The Christian community in China. The leaven effect. In: Daniel H. Bays: Christianity in China. From the Eighteenth Century to the Present . Stanford University Press, 1999; S. IX; David H. Lumsdaine (ed.): Evangelical Christianity and democracy in Asia . Oxford University Press, 2009; P. 44f.
  4. ↑ China ( memento of October 29, 2010 in the Internet Archive ); Asian Harvest.
  5. ↑ Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor: International Religious Freedom Report 2006 ( Memento February 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (US State Department report).
  6. ↑ World Religions in Dialog: University of Hamburg, March 5, 2008 ( PDF  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.zwid.uni-hamburg.de  
  7. ↑ a b c Roman Malek: Hope and Worry. Christianity and its manifestations in the People's Republic of China. Archived from the original on January 10, 2006 ; Retrieved February 7, 2013 .
  8. ↑ Winfried Gluer: Christian Church in China [1]
  9. ↑ A touch of democracy Die Tagespost June 2, 2005  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.die-tagespost.de  
  10. ↑ See also http://www.china-zentrum.de/religion-in-china/documents-religion-politics/
  11. ↑ See e.g. B. the report from Open Doors .
  12. ↑ Paul Hattaway: How Many Christians are There in China? , P. 23, PDF ( Memento from October 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  13. ^ Richard Wilhelm: Mission in China, 1926 Archived copy ( Memento from January 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  14. ^ Stefan Friedrich: Christians in the PR China Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, 2003
  15. ↑ a b c Georg Evers: On the situation of human rights in the People's Republic of China - Change in religious policy? (PDF; 200 kB) In: Menschenrechte. MISSIO, Internationales Katholisches Missionswerk <Aachen>, 2008, archived from the original on April 9, 2014 ; Retrieved February 7, 2013 .
  16. ↑ Georg Evers: Freedom of religion in the PR China p. 98 ( PDF ( Memento from January 12, 2012 in the Internet Archive ))
  17. ↑ Gotthard Oblau: The Evangelical Church in China, December 28, 2007 ( PDF ( Memento from January 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ))
  18. ↑ New regulations for religious matters in the PR China China Today, 2005 ( Memento from March 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 217 kB)
  19. ↑ a b Kristin Kupfer : Secret Societies in the PR China ( Memento of December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 223 kB). Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, China Analysis No. 8, Germany, 2001.
  20. ↑ a b c Monika Gänßbauer: Spiritual vacuum - full churches lecture in the Evangelical Academy Tutzing, pages 2 and 4  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.ev-akademie-tutzing.de  
  21. ↑ About the pilgrimage to Sheshan [2]
  22. ↑ Jochen Teuffel : NAME memory instead of God thinking. Of the difficulties with the European concept of God. Intercultural Theology. Journal of Mission Studies (ZMiss) 37, 4/2011, page 332.