Course Description:
With almost twenty percent of our world’s population, China is a large mission field. This course presents a history of Protestant Christianity in China since 1949, tracing the development of the church within the context of modern Chinese history. Learners examine the influence of politics on religious and church life, and study the Party’s influence upon both the Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the independent house churches. The course begins with a discussion of Church and state relations and concludes with spiritual lessons learned from Chinese history. Students are encouraged to appreciate the tremendous needs and opportunities in China, and to reflect on how God might use them for Chinese ministry.
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
- Explain the historical nature of state and church relations in China.
- Trace the political development of China since the Party’s establishment in 1949 and its effect on religious policy.
- State the nature of Chinese communist religious policy and how it functions in conjunction with the Religious Affairs Bureau, the patriotic religious organizations, and the Public Security Bureau.
- Develop viable approaches to China ministries for the present and future.
Course Texts:
Chao, Jonathan, Compiler. A History of the Church in China Since 1949: A Reader. 2 vols. Hong Kong: Chinese Church Research Center, 1994. (Unpublished material for class use only—only available through ITS).
Lambert, Tony. China’s Christian Millions. London: Monarch Books, 2001.
Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church. Wheaton, IL: OMF Books, 1994.
Van Houten, Richard, ed. Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves: Christians in China Tell Their Story. Hong Kong: Chinese Church Research Center and Pasedena, CA: William Carey Library, 1988.
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