A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China
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About this book
What is the state of Christianity in China? Some scholars say that China is invulnerable to religion. In contrast others say that past efforts of missionaries have failed writing off those 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 on the rise. Stark approaches the topic from an extensive research background in 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 the number of Christians and the kinds of Christians that have emerged in the past 155 years. Stark and Wang claim that when just considering the visible Christiansthose not part of underground churchesthousands of Chinese are still converted to Christianity daily and forty new churches are 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 growth rate were to hold until 2030 there would be more Christians in Chinaabout 295 millionthan in any other nation. This trend 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 political social and economic ramifications seen in the West today. Whether youre 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.
