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Key research themes
1. How did Christianity undergo inculturation and local adaptation in late imperial China despite official proscription?
This research theme explores the processes through which Christianity, especially during the 18th and 19th centuries under the Qing dynasty, transformed from a foreign religion into a locally adapted popular religion in China. It examines the forms of Christian practice, belief, and organization that mirrored or integrated with indigenous religious traditions and social structures, as well as the social consequences of such inculturation. Understanding inculturation sheds light on the resilience and evolution of Christianity in restrictive environments and the complex interactions between Christian converts, missionary agents, and Chinese society.
Key finding: This seminal work highlights that after the Yongzheng emperor's 1724 prohibition of Christianity, local Chinese Christians, including degree holders and elite women, practiced Christianity as a covert, socially embedded... Read more
Key finding: This doctoral thesis provides an in-depth study of popular Christianity during the mid-Qing period, particularly during the century of missionary prohibition. It demonstrates that in the absence of European missionaries,... Read more
Key finding: Using archival materials from Beijing and Rome, Laamann identifies a process of inculturation in 18th century Chinese Christianity characterized by increasing similarities with Buddhist sectarian groups and local forms of... Read more
Key finding: This study examines rural Catholic Christian communities as socially distinct groups within Qing China, revealing how Christian converts maintained separate identities and norms that contrasted with mainstream Confucian... Read more
Key finding: Through legal and archival analysis of the Qing proscription period, this work reveals state mechanisms and legal rationales applied against Catholicism. It contextualizes official persecution within discourses of social... Read more
2. What was the nature of the earliest encounters and cultural transmission of Christianity in China during the Tang dynasty?
This theme investigates the initial establishment of Christianity, specifically East Syriac (Nestorian) Christianity, in Tang China (7th-10th centuries). It addresses how Christian missionaries translated their beliefs into Chinese cultural and religious idioms, the role of linguistic and conceptual translation, and the interactions with existing traditions like Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. This theme matters for understanding the roots of Sino-Christian exchange and the historical precedents of religious acculturation in China.
Key finding: Johnson analyzes how East Syriac Christian missionaries, arriving in Tang China, negotiated their religious identity by translating Christian concepts into the Chinese 'jingjiao' linguistic and cultural framework. This... Read more
Key finding: This comprehensive survey provides annotated translations of Tang-era Chinese Christian texts and stelae, reconstructing the geography, organization, and cultural milieu of the Church of the East in China. It demonstrates how... Read more
Key finding: This paper situates Tang dynasty Christianity within the broader history of the Church of the East’s expansion, emphasizing the importance of the Xi'an Stele and figures like Adam Jingjing, who intentionally engaged with... Read more
Key finding: While focusing mainly on early 20th-century missions, this study traces historical precedents to early Christian missions including Tang-era Nestorianism. It notes that initial acceptance and adaptation involved interactions... Read more
Key finding: Although focusing on the 19th century, this paper draws on the synthesis of Christian and Chinese traditions—some having roots in earlier Christian transmissions—showing how Christian apocalyptic narratives were interwoven... Read more
3. How has Christianity influenced and transformed within modern China's socio-political and globalization contexts?
This theme covers the revival, growth, and sociological characteristics of Christianity in mainland China and the Chinese diaspora from late imperial times through the contemporary period, especially in relation to globalization, state policy, and civil society. It focuses on the dynamics of church-state relations, indigenous Christian identities, statistical debates on Christian population size, and Christianity’s role in social networks and economic globalization, offering a modern perspective on Christianity’s adaptation and impact in China.
Key finding: This essay argues that Protestant Christianity in contemporary China operates as a sinicized social and moral resource, especially within globalized Chinese business networks. It challenges simplistic Western portrayals by... Read more
Key finding: This article charts the dramatic resurgence of Protestant Christianity in China since the 1980s, analyzing its organizational fragmentation, popular religious expressions, and complex relationship with the state (notably... Read more
Key finding: This study critically assesses statistical estimates of the size of China's Christian population, noting widely varying figures between official, independent, and evangelical sources. It argues the difficulty of accurate data... Read more
Key finding: This critical review interrogates popular claims and statistics about the rise of Christianity in China, exposing methodological weaknesses and confirmation biases in prior demographic claims. It advocates for more rigorous... Read more
Key finding: Focusing on contemporary China, this work examines Christianity’s potential role in fostering civil society amid authoritarian governance. It contextualizes Christian missionary history (including the legacy of Matteo Ricci)... Read more