Christianity in China

  • Thread starter Thread starter Coil
  • Start date Start date
  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
C

Coil

Guest
I want to clarify some things said on these forums about China and it's laws towards religion.


It seems like a lot of the world still thinks China is like it was during the Cultural Revolution of 1960s and 70s. It has changed A LOT in the last 30 years. Technically the Communist party is still in power, but it operates like a very different government and system.


It is legal to be a Christian. You can have a Bible. You can go to church. There are legal, government-sanctioned churches that Chinese people fill to capacity every week. I've been to those churches, and although the preaching is sometimes a little dry and controlled, I have heard the gospel preached there. The government also allows for foreigner churches where the preaching is not as subjected to government censorship.

Some estimate China has more people going to weekly Christian services than all of Europe.

You cannot openly prosyletize in public places or mention anything about weakening government power.

It's not a perfect system, but Christianity is growing in China, and I'm honesty a bit tired of all the misunderstandings and assumptions about the current Chinese government.

Granted, I am in a large city in China and not in the countryside, which I know is much different.
 
  • Like
Reactions: buckets
awesome my sister!

I so tried to explain this :) thanks for the first hand clarification
of all the places I've done mission work which is one country every summer since I was 9 :)
China was one of the places I felt most welcome
everyplace was awesome :D China was just as awesome
 
Whether it is Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, or Tianjin it is definitely obvious that China is growing in the word of God.
 
AgnusDei said:
Whether it is Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, or Tianjin it is definitely obvious that China is growing in the word of God.
Click to expand...

It is interesting talking to the Chinese pagans I work with. They have a whole lot of ceremonies to their Gods. When ask why they do it. They are just following what their parents did.
 
Drett said:
It is interesting talking to the Chinese pagans I work with. They have a whole lot of ceremonies to their Gods. When ask why they do it. They are just following what their parents did.
Click to expand...

Same way in Venezuela!

I have heard, on TV broadcasting progs from the AN (Capitol building) Chavez named Eternal Commander (in chief). So this is near to be a worship and I have seen the idols they have set on their altars...
 
Drett said:
It is interesting talking to the Chinese pagans I work with. They have a whole lot of ceremonies to their Gods. When ask why they do it. They are just following what their parents did.
Click to expand...

There is some of that, too. Because of Mao's legacy I doubt too many people here truly believe in ancestor worship or Buddhism any more and act more out of tradition than belief. I've had it explained to me in such a way that it was tradition. But you probably couldn't say the same thing for those monks who work at the temples.
 
I thought the state approved churches were subject to various conditions about giving Christ a status higher than the rulers of the nation amongst other things. If you do not want to be hamstrung with what you can say and do in officially approved churches, you have to go to underground church, which if caught you end up in prison or worse.
 
The government churches are horrible from the fruit I see. They're so extremely liberal in their theology they aren't worth it. They have no power, based on the fruit I see here in the U.S. of Chinese students who come from those churches.
 
jimmydiggs said:
The government churches are horrible from the fruit I see. They're so extremely liberal in their theology they aren't worth it. They have no power, based on the fruit I see here in the U.S. of Chinese students who come from those churches.
Click to expand...

I've only visited one government church in a large Chinese city, so I can't speak for all of them. Although I definitely think the church could improve in many areas, I have on multiple occasions heard the gospel preached there, which is a GOOD thing. I never said the government churches here are perfect and ideal, but I think they are a good opportunity for Chinese people who are interested in Christianity, of which there seems to be a large number. Basically, those churches are better than no church as long as they aren't preaching against the gospel.

Also, attending church is a good opportunity for Chinese people to connect with other Chinese people and have private Bible studies during the week.

My point is if a Chinese person is truly interested in learning about Christianity, attending the government churches can still be a good starting point for them.
 
Actually the government churches of China are very similar to the military chapel, from my observation

Both have ministers that will be removed if they are too bold in their love of Christ, evangelize too much, and/or are too much trouble with their religion.

This makes a very very small amount of their ministers useful in any capacity. It also opens up the gates for a lot of non-believers and immature Christians to usurp the pastorate. It also means that some well meaning pastors are going to take the pastorate thinking they will have a chance to change things and then they themselves will eventually be changed for the worse (into a lukewarm Christianity to be specific).

I agree that attending the military chapel can be useful to people wanting to learn about Christianity. However it can be just as harmful. People will come and get the wrong idea of Christianity- that lukewarmness is okay. They may even get the idea that if they just say this prayer then they are saved, then just go back to their normal lives.

I've seen some good military chaplains. I'm sure that there are some Chinese pastors as well. However, it would seem that they are few and far between.
 
Coil said:
I've only visited one government church in a large Chinese city, so I can't speak for all of them. Although I definitely think the church could improve in many areas, I have on multiple occasions heard the gospel preached there, which is a GOOD thing. I never said the government churches here are perfect and ideal, but I think they are a good opportunity for Chinese people who are interested in Christianity, of which there seems to be a large number. Basically, those churches are better than no church as long as they aren't preaching against the gospel.

Also, attending church is a good opportunity for Chinese people to connect with other Chinese people and have private Bible studies during the week.

My point is if a Chinese person is truly interested in learning about Christianity, attending the government churches can still be a good starting point for them.
Click to expand...
How does Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, and other prosperity preachers count for you? That's what I've seen being the most popular their, because it agrees with state ideology. Governments that want to stay in power won't allow something to exist that is a challenge to their control. These churches exist because they have no spiritual power. They won't turn the world upside down.

Acts 17:6
[SUP]6 [/SUP]And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

These churches could still be useful, no doubt, but they have no spiritual power from what I see of the results here. A friend of mine who is native Chinese in Shanghai has said much the same thing, but she goes to a state church to avoid arrest, etc. She has also explained that much of the church movement is highly heretical. It seems that maybe the iron wall was better for China. At least it kept all the heresy out.
 
Freedom of religion in China varies from one region to the next, but it is getting better. One illegal church or house church grew quite large. They were allowed to purchase a building and are left alone by the government.

[video=youtube;umUmwcKdbQo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umUmwcKdbQo[/video]
 
jimmydiggs said:
How does Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, and other prosperity preachers count for you? That's what I've seen being the most popular their, because it agrees with state ideology. Governments that want to stay in power won't allow something to exist that is a challenge to their control. These churches exist because they have no spiritual power. They won't turn the world upside down.

Acts 17:6
[SUP]6 [/SUP]And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

These churches could still be useful, no doubt, but they have no spiritual power from what I see of the results here. A friend of mine who is native Chinese in Shanghai has said much the same thing, but she goes to a state church to avoid arrest, etc. She has also explained that much of the church movement is highly heretical. It seems that maybe the iron wall was better for China. At least it kept all the heresy out.
Click to expand...

I think we're just approaching this from two very different impressions of the Chinese churches. I definitely don't think they're as effective as they could be, but, like I said, the one I attended has preached the gospel many times to a church full of people. And I've never heard the prosperity gospel preached there, either.

So I would definitely disagree that the iron wall was better for China!

Anyways, as you see in the US (you are in the US, right?), we also have our fair share of non-gospel oriented churches, but you wouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water and say that it's better to have no churches at all, would you?
 
danschance said:
Freedom of religion in China varies from one region to the next, but it is getting better. One illegal church or house church grew quite large. They were allowed to purchase a building and are left alone by the government.
Click to expand...

I don't think any church that they know exists there is altogether left alone. Perhaps they are not harassed but I bet they are carefully watched. Even if it is only from the inside with planted members.
 
Thanks for sharing this :)

One of my sons asked me if people are allowed to be Christian in China, now I can answer!
 
Coil said:
I think we're just approaching this from two very different impressions of the Chinese churches. I definitely don't think they're as effective as they could be, but, like I said, the one I attended has preached the gospel many times to a church full of people. And I've never heard the prosperity gospel preached there, either.

So I would definitely disagree that the iron wall was better for China!

Anyways, as you see in the US (you are in the US, right?), we also have our fair share of non-gospel oriented churches, but you wouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water and say that it's better to have no churches at all, would you?
Click to expand...
I talked with a Chinese student here, and she talked about how the government requires that registered churches not speak too much truth, but only things that benefit the government.

I'm in Missouri.

Everything I see, read, and hear about registered churches is that they do not have the Holy Spirit.


I'm not against Christianity or churches, please don't get me wrong.
 
jimmydiggs said:
I talked with a Chinese student here, and she talked about how the government requires that registered churches not speak too much truth, but only things that benefit the government.

I'm in Missouri.

Everything I see, read, and hear about registered churches is that they do not have the Holy Spirit.


I'm not against Christianity or churches, please don't get me wrong.
Click to expand...

I have no particular knowledge regarding this that you do not. I'd have to understand what "truth" was referring to in this particular situation. Because obviously the government thinks it's all smoke and mirrors and one big lie. But I think one way around any restrictions could be foreign speakers. The government church I've gone to has had a few, and I feel they may not have the same constraints.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back