Visible and Voluble: Protestant House-Church Writings in the Twenty-First Century

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chloë Starr
Keyword(s):  
Church Leaders ◽  
First Century ◽  
Modern China ◽  
House Church ◽  
Protestant Church ◽  
House Churches ◽  
History Of ◽  
Protestant Christians ◽  
The Government ◽  
Initial Survey

The growth of unregistered churches, which now surpass state churches in number, is one of the remarkable stories of modern China. This chapter presents an initial survey of the writings of three Protestant Christians whose theological allegiance is to the house churches: Lü Xiaomin, Wang Yi, and Yu Jie. The chapter begins in the countryside, the nucleus of growth for house churches during the 1980s, where the itinerant evangelist Lü Xiaomin expressed her faith in the medium of the hymn. Lü’s work from the 1990s and 2000s represents an enduring acceptance of persecution, a “suffering servant” model of Christian living. More recently, certain new urban house-church ministers have enjoyed a strong media presence as they have argued with the government over their right to worship and to register their churches. The chapter considers the work of Wang Yi, the pioneer Reformed minister from Sichuan, and his joint writings with émigré dissident Yu Jie. The work of such house-church leaders and their experience speaking nationally and internationally represent a new stage in the history of the Chinese Protestant church.

The State and the Minority Group: Land Rights between the State and Kpaduma Indigenous Group in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (fct), Nigeria

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Seun Bamidele ◽  
Olusegun Oladele Idowu
Keyword(s):  
High Intensity ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Land Rights ◽  
The State ◽  
First Century ◽  
Forced Displacement ◽  
Urbanization Process ◽  
Indigenous Group ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Government

Abstract The politics of land rights and low or high intensity protest in the twenty-first century has produced several land-related protesters with a variety of strategies. This study focuses on the challenges of urbanization as it affects the Kpaduma community in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (fct), Nigeria. Kpaduma, an indigenous group, has a history of protest at various times with the government over its ancestral land. The last protest in 2016 brought massive destruction of settlements and forced displacement. Quite a number of works have been written on the land protests, with particular reference to their causes and consequences. However, the post-protests situation, particularly regarding the tense relationship and urbanization process in the locality, is yet to be sufficiently explored. This study investigates the state of relations between the government and Kpaduma as well as the urbanization processes in the country’s capital after the forced displacement of Kpaduma.

scholarly journals HISTORI PEMBERLAKUAN PERADILAN AGAMA ERA KERAJAAN ISLAM DAN PENJAJAHAN DI INDONESIA

Al-Qadha ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-29
Author(s):  
Faisal
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
Islamic Religion ◽  
History Of ◽  
Japanese Colonial ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Government ◽  
First Time ◽  
Religious Courts

The journey of the Religious Courts that has been passed in such a long period oftime means that we are talking about the past, namely the history of the Religious Courts.With the entry of Islam into Indonesia, which for the first time in the first century Hijri (1 H /7 AD) brought directly from Arabia by merchants from Mecca and Medina, the communitybegan to implement the teachings and rules of Islamic religion in everyday life. The ReligiousCourt is one of the Special Courts under the authority of the Supreme Court as the highestcourt in the Republic of Indonesia. As an Islamic Judiciary that had been established longbefore Indonesia's independence, the Religious Courts certainly could not be separated fromthe changes that occurred considering the reign of the Government of Indonesia had been heldby various people with different backgrounds, politics and goals, surely it would have animpact on the existence Religious Courts both materially and immaterially, including duringthe Dutch and Japanese colonial rule in Indonesia.

Everyday Forms of Containment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Eve Reny
Keyword(s):  
Church Leaders ◽  
Public Security ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
House Church ◽  
Low Profile ◽  
Shared Information ◽  
The Government ◽  
Rules Set

This chapter empirically accounts for how house church leaders have complied with explicitly and implicitly transmitted rules set by local authorities containing them. They have kept a low profile by avoiding criticizing the government during sermons, refrained from attracting public attention to their activities, and in some cases, limited the size of their congregations. House church leaders have also opened up to local authorities and shared information about their activities when needed. Beyond such compliance, the authorities have sustained containment by sending house church leaders warnings when they anticipate they might be crossing red lines. Yet religious leaders have themselves accumulated information about local public security bureaus, which has facilitated the pursuit of their interests.

Some Reflections on the Economic History of Modern China (1840–1949)

1963 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 595-605
Author(s):  
Chi-Ming Hou
Keyword(s):  
Economic History ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
National Government ◽  
Chinese Economy ◽  
Modern China ◽  
History Of ◽  
Statistical Surveys ◽  
The Government ◽  
History Of Modern China

The study of the economic history of modern China is underdeveloped. There is urgent need for original work both in ascertaining facts and in interpretations. Though investigations into the various phases of the Chinese economy had been made by the Chinese Maritime Customs since the 1860's, and by interested contemporary observers such as Morse and Wagel, statistical surveys on a large scale were not systematically conducted with any degree of reliability until the 1930's. They represented the efforts of the government, academic institutions, and individual scholars. A comprehensive survey on agriculture was made by John L. Buck and the National Agricultural Research Bureau of the National Government. An industrial census of Chinese-owned factories was planned and carried out by D. K. Lieu for the National Resources Commission of the National Government. Mining statistics were collected by government agencies under the direction of Ting Weng-chiang and Weng Wen-hao. Railway statistics have been published (since 1915) and a monumental collection of some 37 huge volumes on transportation and communications was compiled by the Ministry of Communications. The Nankai Institute of Economics—with which professors Franklin Ho, Fang Hsien-ting (H. D. Fong), C. M. Li and many others were associated—made significant contributions in the study of prices, terms of trade, modern industries, and handicrafts. Banking statistics were collected by various institutions, especially the Bank of China. The most comprehensive work on foreign investment was done by C. F. Remer and later by the Japanese East Asian Research Institute. The Japanese Manchuria Railway provided a great deal of economic information on Manchuria after the latter was taken by Japan in 1931. A few sample studies were made both by research institutions and by the government on the characteristics of the Chinese population.

scholarly journals The Rise of Calvinist Christianity in Urbanising China

Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 481
Author(s):  
Jie Kang
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Reformed Theology ◽  
House Church ◽  
Chinese Christians ◽  
Organizational Issues ◽  
House Churches ◽  
Theological Seminaries ◽  
Korean Missionaries

Over the past decade, Reformed Christianity, broadly based on the theology of Calvinism, has spread widely in China, especially by appealing to Chinese ‘intellectuals’ who constitute most of the house church leaders in urban areas. It draws its moral guidance from a so-called rational or intellectual focus on biblical theology, reinforced by theological training in special seminaries. It consequently rejects the ‘heresy’ of the older Pentecostal Christianity, with its emphasis on charisma, miracles, and theology based on emotional ‘feeling’. This Reformed theology and its further elaboration have been introduced into China in two main ways. The first is through overseas Chinese, especially via theological seminaries in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. For instance, preachings of the famous Reformed pastor Stephen Tong (唐崇荣) have been widely disseminated online and among Chinese Christians. Second, Korean missionaries have established theological seminaries mainly in cities in northern China. This has resulted in more and more Chinese church leaders becoming advocates of Calvinism and converting their churches to Reformed status. This paper asks why Calvinism attracts Chinese Christians, what Calvinism means for the so-called house churches of a Christian community in a northern Chinese city, and what kinds of change the importation of Reformed theology has brought to Chinese house churches. Various significant accounts have addressed this development in China generally. My analysis complements these accounts by focusing on a small number of interconnected house churches in one city, and uses this case study to highlight interpersonal and organizational issues arising from the Calvinist approach.

scholarly journals Overview of Private Education Development in Modern China

2002 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeyu Xu
Keyword(s):  
Private Education ◽  
Private Schools ◽  
Modern China ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Education Development ◽  
Socialist Market Economy ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Government ◽  
Education In China ◽  
Fast Growth Rate

It is not surprising that private education is gaining importance in China given the overall context of huge national efforts toward building up a “socialist market economy.” However, the fast growth rate in both the quantities and the qualities of profitable private schools in a socialist society is beyond what people usually expect. This paper looked into the modern history of private education in China and found that such a huge resurgence of private education is rooted in the heritage of private education in the Chinese society. Private schools were the precursor of modern Chinese education. They played an important role in the country for most of the time. When the government policy became more flexible and household income increased substantially, such a heritage revived and becomes a stimulating factor in the education sector.

Mixed Blessings

2020 ◽  
pp. 133-156
Author(s):  
Xiaoxuan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Full Advantage ◽  
Cultural Revolution ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
Protestant Church ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Government ◽  
Mixed Blessing ◽  
Family Gathering ◽  
The Cultural Revolution

The transition from underground family gathering to meetings in formal church buildings after the Cultural Revolution was a dramatic passage in the history of Christianity in Rui’an and Wenzhou. It generated both prosperity and chaos. Many Protestant leaders adopted a pragmatic stance toward the re-established Three-Self Church, allowing Protestant communities to take full advantage of their status as a “regulatory priority.” By contrast, Catholic communities could not do so because of their persistent refusal to collaborate with the government. Yet the loosening political and institutional environment was a mixed blessing for the Protestant Church. The government’s accommodating attitude toward formal church meetings considerably accelerated the construction, restitution, and legalization of churches, old and new. But the reappearance of the Three-Self Church tested the fragile unity that the churches had achieved during the Cultural Revolution. Protestant communities were torn apart by schisms at every level, from pan-denominational organizations to small village churches.

Why Public Security Bureaus Contain Protestant House Churches

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Eve Reny
Keyword(s):  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Local State ◽  
Public Security ◽  
Chinese Cities ◽  
Protestant Church ◽  
House Churches ◽  
State Actors ◽  
Regime Resilience

This chapter empirically accounts for why local public security bureaus contain Protestant house churches in Chinese cities. Public security bureaus have incentives to contain house churches rather than using an alternative, and possibly more forceful, strategy. Not only do Protestant church leaders have political and religious beliefs that are reconcilable with regime resilience, but they are also survival-seekers inclined to cooperate with local state actors to ensure their congregations’ safety. Public security bureaus also contain Protestant house churches, as they are part of incohesive networks, both domestically and internationally, and lack the capacity to organize large-scale mobilization as a result.

1 Clement’s View of Ministerial Appointments in the Early Church

2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Moriarty
Keyword(s):  
Local Church ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
First Century ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Greek Text ◽  
Documentary Evidence ◽  
Intended Meaning ◽  
History Of ◽  
Local Leaders ◽  
Do So

Abstract The document known as the First Epistle of Clement, probably written towards the end of the first century, provides some of the scant available documentary evidence about the early development of the Christian ministry. It contains an outline history of the passing down of authority, but the relevant part of the Greek text has ambiguities which have led various scholars to propose five broadly different views, or interpretations, of Clement’s intended meaning. These were examined in relation to Clement’s purpose, an approach which relied primarily on evidence internal to the epistle, and had not been considered in detail before. Only one of the five views was found to make Clement’s argument reasonably consistent with his aims, and this view also made his lack of clarity understandable. Thus Clement’s intended message in the ambiguous section was that the first local church leaders were appointed by the apostles, and when some of these local leaders died, replacement appointments were made by people who had been given the authority to do so from outside the local church.

Containment and Authoritarian Regime Resilience

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Eve Reny
Keyword(s):  
Local Governance ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Authoritarian Regime ◽  
Local State ◽  
House Church ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
House Churches ◽  
Regime Resilience

Containment enables church leaders to secure themselves space for the informal practice of religion outside state institutions. It also minimizes the risks that churches are punished for avoiding the central government’s regulations on religious affairs. Yet the strategy yields uneven benefits for unregistered churches and the local state. This chapter accounts for how containment contributes to the resilience of China’s authoritarian regime. It depoliticizes house church leaders, feeds divisions between compliant and dissident church leaders, and generates information about unregistered churches that ultimately makes local governance less co-optive and less coercive. It then discusses the circumstances in which containment might not yield its intended outcome, that is, empower house churches in ways that unsettle the regime.

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