A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China, by Rodney Stark, Xiuhua Wang
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A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China, by Rodney Stark, Xiuhua Wang
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What is the state of Christianity in China, really? Some scholars say that China is invulnerable to religion. Some say that past efforts of missionaries have failed, writing off those who were 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 even on the rise. Stark approaches the topic from an extensive research background in both 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 not only the number of Christians, but 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, there are still thousands of Chinese being converted to Christianity each day, and forty new churches 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 rate of growth were to hold until 2030, there would be more Christians in China—about 295 million—than in any other nation on earth. This 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 kinds of 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.
A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China, by Rodney Stark, Xiuhua Wang- Amazon Sales Rank: #276054 in Books
- Brand: Stark, Rodney/ Wang, Xiuhua
- Published on: 2015-05-11
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.50" h x .80" w x 5.50" l,
- Binding: Hardcover
- 160 pages
Review “Sociologist Rodney Stark has done it again. Readers who enjoyed his earlier works on the Crusades, the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire, and Christianity’s role in ending slavery will be grateful that he has now applied his brilliance to China.” — David Aikman, author of Jesus in Beijing and other books, and former China correspondent for TIME magazine “This is a concise, well-written, and stimulating account of the growth and prospects of Christianity in the world’s largest socialist society. Rodney Stark, a leading theorist in the sociology of religion, well-known for his explanations of the rise of Christianity in the Mediterranean world, collaborates with a young scholar from mainland China to describe and explain the extraordinary recent growth of Christianity in China. Highly recommended.” — Graeme Lang, retired professor of sociology (2014), and founder of Asian and International Studies, City University of Hong Kong “In this brief, very readable account of Christianity in China, authors Stark and Wang argue that cultural incongruity is what has made an opening in Chinese hearts and minds for the Christian faith, while familial and social networking account for the robust patterns of conversion. And contrary to theories that reduce religion to consolation for the poor and marginal, Stark and Wang find that Chinese Christianity is more favored by the affluent and well-educated. This book is a valuable addition to the growing effort to understand Christianity’s rise in China.” — Joel Carpenter, Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity, Calvin College “Books on contemporary China have proliferated in recent years, and plenty of them address the remarkable growth of Christianity. What makes A Star in the East wholly distinctive though— and so very valuable—is its reliance on credible and strictly current quantitative evidence. The book thus provides an essential foundation for any future discussion of the religious scene in contemporary China.” — Philip Jenkins, Baylor University
About the Author Rodney Stark is the Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences and Co-Director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University and Honorary Professor of Sociology at Peking University in Beijing. He is the author or co-author of 36 books in 17 different languages, including the best-selling The Rise of Christianity (HarperSanFrancisco, 1997).Xiuhua Wang received her BA and MA from Renmin University of China in Beijing and is now working towards her Ph.D. in sociology at Baylor University. She has published several papers in American scholarly journals and at present is exploring the role of gender in conversions to Christianity in China.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Good combination of sweeping history and compelling statistics!! By kyle A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China, by Rodney Stark, is a short book that combines a sweeping history of missions to China with recent, reliable statistics on its effects and implications.Although the whole is pervaded by Rodney Stark’s sociological rigor, this book is in no way reducible to dispassionate science or mere technical research. This is the story of faith’s resilience under an aggressive, government-lead policy of persecution that resulted in the death of many million people. In 1966, under the threat of Mao Zedong’s Red Guard, whose slogans included, “Beating down foreign religion” and “Beating down Jesus following”, Christianity went underground but not into hibernation. The oft quoted maxim held true under Chairman Mao as it did under Stalin, “Religion is like a nail, the harder you hit it, the deeper it goes”. When Christianity was legalized again in 1980, the 4 million Christians who went into hiding had multiplied to 10 million. Today they number around 100 million (115). “By any standard, the recent growth of Christianity in China has been meteoric” (113). Forty new churches open every week, not counting underground house churches (2). The growth rate of Christianity since 1980 has been 7% per year. If this rate continues for 15 more years, there will be more Christians in China than in any other nation—294.6 million (114).The recent reception of Christ by millions in one of the oldest and most advanced civilizations in history—in a country with such devotion to the past, an entrenched local religion, and a historically antagonistic government—is a testimony to missionary sacrifice, the spiritual hunger of all men, and the faithfulness of God.Below were some of the most interesting parts of this book for me.Protestant Vs Catholic MissionsStark’s analysis of why Protestant missions were more successful in the long run than Catholic missions, despite the latter’s huge head start (1582 vs 1807) and initially greater numbers was fascinating. The foreign control of the pope, the hierarchical structure of the church, and the necessity for an ordained priest to conduct the mass all hampered the Catholic efforts and left them more exposed to persecution. Today, Catholics in China are outnumbered by Protestants by at least 10 to 1 (56).Liberal Christianity’s Missional FailureThe reason for liberal Christianity’s failure in mission was interesting. The Social Gospel promoted by liberal theologians was more focused on bringing sanitation than salvation. However, “it soon became obvious that people will seldom face the hardships of missionary service merely to do good deeds. Without the conviction that they were bringing priceless truths to those in need, the mission spirit quickly dissipated in liberal Protestant circles” (34). The percentage of American missionaries sent by liberal denominations has declined continuously: 90% (1900), 50% (1935), 25% (1948), 4% (2015).Vignettes Of Chinese PreachersThe vignettes of key Chinese pastors and preachers was inspiring. Chapter 3 is a short catalog of China’s “cloud of witnesses”. Their stories reminded me that even with all the recent disparagement that has accompanied the unChristianizing of cultural America, we really don’t know what persecution means. We Christians in the West have prided ourselves for a long time on our theological superiority and advancement when compared to non-Western countries, but we are far behind them in suffering. I was very pleased to see the inclusion of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee in this chapter. To overlook their positive contribution to Christianity in China is simply biased historical scholarship.Debunking Marxist Theories Of ReligionChapters 4-5 debunk the Marxist theory of religion—that it is the opium of oppressed people in their material misery—with statistics showing that the more educated someone is in China, the more likely he is to be Christian and the less educated he is, the more likely he is to be Buddhist. Stark’s views on spiritual deprivation and cultural incongruity and how they are responsible for so many well educated Chinese accepting Christianity is fascinating.Equally fascinating is Stark’s view that “social networks are the basic mechanism through which conversion takes place” (50). Stark argues that most people convert to a new religion due to social ties not attractive doctrines (49). Of course doctrines are important, they practically define a religion, but Stark argues that they function more in retaining converts and prompting them to share their faith, rather than convincing them initially. This might be a little too sociological reductive for me, but seems to me there is some truth here.Faith’s Amazing Resilience And God’s Amazing SovereigntyAnother highlight for me was the perseverance and success of mission work in China despite huge, continual setbacks. Gamaliel’s word in the book of Acts comes to mind, “Should this counsel or this work be of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them, lest you be found to be even fighters against God” (Acts 5:38-39). History continues to prove that the gospel cannot be stamped out by the brute force of totalitarian governments. The paradox of the gospel is that a weak Jesus who can die produces a powerful message that can save, enliven, and overcome. The rise of Christianity in China with all its major players is certainly God’s doing.Here is a brief timeline of the major setbacks in China, with a few other key events included:1524: the first Catholic missionary arrives in China (Matteo Ricci)1724: the emperor outlaws Christianity as an evil cult1807: the first Protestant missionary arrives in China (Robert Morrison)1814: the emperor issues an edict stating that all those spreading the gospel “shall be sentenced to death by immediate strangulation” while hearers or followers of Christianity shall be shipped to Muslim cities as slaves1859: a treaty imposed on China by Western powers legalizes the open preaching of the gospel1864: the Taiping Rebellion rages, resulting in 20-30 million deaths, mostly civilians, by 18711899: the Boxer Rebellion to rid China of all “foreign devils” begins. The Boxers murder at least 30,000 Christians1914: World War I reduces the missionizing efforts of European countries1919: the May Fourth Movement erupts and a new form of militant nationalism hostile to Christianity forms1922: the Anti-Christian Federation is formed, soon renamed as the Anti-Religious Federation1930s: the Great Depression greatly reduces the funding and support of American missions1937: Japan invades China displacing many missionaries1939: World War II starts. No new missionaries arrive until after the war1945: with World War II over, the Chinese civil war resumes1949: Communists take control of China1950: foreign missionaries begin to be arrested and charged with spying, much church property is seized1953: all foreign missionaries are expelled from China1966: Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution beings, leading to aggressive persecution of Christians1979: Christianity is legalized again
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. The surprising, stunning growth of Christianity in China By Jeri It was once axiomatic among western intellectuals that China would never embrace Christianity. Centuries of missionaries had failed. The only converts were 'rice Christians', those "cynical souls who had frequented the missions for the benefits they provided" (p 1). And then came communism, and the suppression of any religion. The few Chinese who clung to Christianity were martyred, set to prison, or persecuted. With such a background, it seemed impossible to imagine an explosion of belief. But that is exactly what has happened.Estimates of the number of Christians in China today vary widely, from 16 million to 200 million. Some westerners have argued China has been struck by a kind of religious fervor, and all sorts of beliefs growing among the uneducated rural poor. This idea was solidly debunked by statistics found by Stark and Wang, whose research clearly showed no difference at all between urban and rural belief patterns. In fact, Christianity was growing most in the educated elite, and it was spread through family contact as well as friends. Still, how many Chinese Christians are there? Stark and Wang set out to discover reliable statistics on Christianity in China, and would they found is astonishing.First off, it is important to note that many Chinese people practice a folk religion, which is based on ancestral worship with some Confucianism and Buddhism thrown in, and yet will nevertheless say that they don't practice a religion. For the Chinese, religion means an organized religion. Even a large number of Chinese who "believe in Jesus Christ... (deny) that they are Christians" (p 5), since they aren't currently members of any particular congregation. Getting exact statistics under such conditions has proven very difficult.Christianity began in China with Catholic missionaries who arrived in the 1500s. By 1724 "the emperor outlawed Christianity"...and in 1814 another emperor proclaimed "those spreading the gospel 'shall be sentenced to death'" (p 13). Protestant missionaries began entering China in the 1800s. It was the Catholic church, however, that sustained the brunt of persecution, even later under the communists, "because the Catholic church acknowledges the pope's authority" (p 14), and perhaps also because "in China overall, Catholics outnumbered Protestants by three to one" (p 26).Chinese resentment of European activities led to the Boxer rebellion, and the murder of 30,000 Chinese Christians, as well as priests, nuns, and Protestant missionaries, as well as 53 children of the Protestant missionaries. Furthermore, vast cultural changes in the west had occurred. "Protestant...elite seminaries were dominated by theologians who...rejected most traditional Christian doctrines as outmoded from the standpoint of of modern science and knowledge" (p 32) and were uncomfortable with missionary activity.Then came Mao and the communists. In 1966 Mao began the decade of the brutal cultural revolution, which attacked anything foreign. "Ironically, the persecution of Protestants may have been the single most beneficial event for the success of Christianity" (p 43-44), turning the movement into one that had become entirely Chinese. "The continuing growth of Christianity in China during the years of the Cultural Revolution was truly an underground activity" (p p 50) which spread from person to person and through family contacts.Meanwhile, Catholics were severely persecuted. About 4,000 schools were Catholic, and all were closed, as well as hospitals and orphanages and printing presses. Many priests and bishops were killed. "By 1954 three hundred Chinese priests were in prison...and then...there was a mass arrest of more than two hundred clergy" (p 53) and Catholics.One interesting fact noted is that persecution has had an immense impact on the growth of Christianity in China, but only among the most traditional forms of Christianity. Protestants "are almost uniformly members of extremely conservative and intense congregations. Why? ...Lukewarm liberalism simply could not generate the level of commitment needed to hold onto one"s faith in the fact of considerable personal risk" (p 72).Another surprise is that among the Chinese, it is the more educated who are interested in Christianity. It is on Chinese college campuses that one hears the argument that "'we have realized that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. That is why the West is so powerful. the Christian moral foundation...was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then...democratic politics'" (p 82).Stark and Wang conclude that by 2007 there were some 60 million Christians in China, which was equal to the number of people who were members of the communist party. If this rate of growth continues for the next fifteen years "there will be 294.6 million Chinese Christians" (p 114) by only 2030.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Brief and insightful By Lemas Mitchell This book was good.1. I counted something like 140 references. That works out to just about one primary reference per page.2. Baylor University is known to be a Baptist university, yet the authors were very even handed in their treatment (even though one could imagine that they would have had reasons to be enthused about the Christianization of China or reasons to be smug about the failure of the Catholic church to expand in China).3. The book was wonderfully brief (the whole thing can be read in about 3 hours). The actual text is something like 140 pages (I have to estimate because Kindle does not give page numbers).4. The book is several things in one. There are 6 chapters.a. New Religious Awakening (current circumstances in China and the dramatic increase in recent years);b. Christian Missions to China (detailing how Christianity came to be what it is in China (exclusive of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau) and some of its various persecutions (i.e. the Boxer Rebellion));c. Repression and Christianity (the stories of some Chinese Christians who would not be broken of their beliefs in spite of years of imprisonment/ physical torture/ persecutions);d. Converting the Educated;e. Converting Rural China;f. Future Prospects and Consequences (295 million by 2030 and 580 million by 2040).What do we learn from this neat little book? Quite a bit, as it happens:1. A lot of people (academics) try to smear the church as an institution of poor and stupid people. This is not quite right. It appears that a most of the missionary work is done to upper class Chinese people. (University graduates, etc.) At best, number of people who were converted among poor and rich was about equal.2. Some people like to imagine that the missionary work is done by foreigners trying to find a way to convert Chinese people. But according to these authors (convincingly), most of the work is done by local Chinese converting their own kinds.3. It is commonly imagined that the Chinese state is repressive toward the church. But that appears to not be the case. In the same way that China is nominally Communist-- but not really (in practice, they are open to market reforms and state capitalism), here they appear to be nominally atheist (but in practice willing to leave the people to worship as they will).4. We learn a bit about "the strength of weak ties." This is a famous idea in the academic world-- but brought to life in an interesting and unforeseen way here. In a nutshell, people who are poorer tend to have stronger ties with fewer people, but those who are wealthy have weaker ties with a larger number of people. Apparently, the latter types of ties are more useful in leveraging for building careers. Could it be that the church will create such a network of people in China? Only time will tell.,5. The authors take to task the MANY authors who have made predictions both about China (the 2006 prediction that the country would be democratic by 2015) as well as popular misconceptions that just won't die (Protestant work ethic).6. Finding a religious belief is not usually something that is done by poor people. And this is because finding food and shelter is "to be wholly without a sense of futility" (Eric Hoffer). But it people who are well-fed who have time to ponder existential questions, such as "values" and the "meaning of life." Why should we not be surprised that as China gets richer there are more people who have time to find such needs?7. There is discussion of why the Protestants have succeeded in conversion whereas the Catholics have not. (Doesn't it seem like the Catholic Church has a lag time of at least 500 years?) The answers that they give are: a. The Catholic Church insists on uniformity of doctrine (and therefore charismatic preachers/ preachers who have not been trained for years and years can't get a start) and the right to appoint its own bishops (this is a sovereignty issue that the government will not "just drop").Verdict: This book is worth the time that it takes to read because it gives just a little bit more insight into a specialized aspect of the fascinating land of China.It is better and more thoroughly researched than David Aikman's book Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming China And Changing the Global Balance of Power (even though that book is cited in this) and should be read in preference to that book.
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