Faith in China: religious belief and national narratives amongst young, urban Chinese Protestants

Entwistle, Phil

doi:10.1111/nana.12162

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Moreover, given that there are no restrictions to obtaining information from independent sources, Chinese people in Germany are fairly free to form their own opinions. This approach echoes Carlson’s call for scholarly attention to the role of “boundary-spanners”, referring to those who subscribe to plural identities [ 5 ], for example the Chinese Protestants studied by Entwistle [ 6 ]. Chinese communities in Western countries have a different media and cultural environment as compared to domestic Chinese people.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

COVID-19 and the Wuhan Diary –how does the overseas Chinese community react to group criticism?

Wang

Rieger

2022

J OF CHIN POLIT SCI

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We conduct an online survey to explore how Chinese people living in Germany perceive and react to group criticism in the context of the debate on the Wuhan Diary, a chronicle about life during the lockdown in Wuhan. We find that the majority rating of the book is a lukewarm “neither like nor dislike.” Most participants are open to criticism in principle and do not agree that the book only spreads so-called “negative-energy”. However, many participants were skeptical about the objectivity of the book and concerned about its potential use by so-called anti-China forces, even though the degree of blind patriotism is relatively low in our sample. The factors influencing the book’s evaluation are intriguing: perceived Western sentiment, media exposure and uncritical patriotism all affect COVID-19-related conspiracy beliefs, which in turn lead to a more negative evaluation of the book. A cluster analysis reveals two groups which differ in terms of properties like blind patriotism, belief in certain conspiracies, and also demographic parameters. Our results shed light on identity politics, motivated beliefs, and collective narcissism.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

COVID-19 and the Wuhan Diary –how does the overseas Chinese community react to group criticism?

Wang

Rieger

2022

J OF CHIN POLIT SCI

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“…An initial review of the literature sought to outline major sociocultural and historical factors which have shaped each group (Rupp, 2019). Six major sociocultural factors which have been present in the social context of Chinese house church pastors are: (i) a history of agrarian living (Fei, 1992;Scollon and Scollon, 1994), (ii) Confucian philosophy's influence on family and interdependent identity construction (Hsu, 1949(Hsu, , 1980(Hsu, , 1985Lin, 1935Lin, , 1937Lin, , 1959Yan, 2009a), (iii) the role of facework in maintaining interdependently held identity (Hu, 1944;Fu, Watkins, and Wei, 2004;Ting-Toomey, 1994;Wu, 2009) (iv) a desire by the Chinese church to be viewed within broader society as independent from foreign influence (Koesel, 2013;Lee, 2007;Leung, 2011), (v) historic Communist Party policies (Lin, 1935;Yan, 2009bYan, , 2010, and finally (vi) current Party-state policies in the midst of rising nationalism (Entwistle, 2016;Fulton, 2015;Ma and Li, 2017;Yang, 2005).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inside and out: Knowing Chinese and US models of ministry

Rupp

2020

Missiology

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Increasing numbers of US millennial missionaries are working alongside Chinese house church pastors in China, and conflicts between the two groups have been noted. To date, a majority of scholarly works have explored each of these group’s more surface-level needs, values, and preferences. This basic qualitative study seeks to describe differences in their tacitly held working models of ministry. Working models of ministry have been defined as taken-for-granted assumptions about what it means to be a minister. Analysis of qualitative data yielded from 16 semi-structured interviews resulted in a description of how each of these two groups have conceptualized ministry. In responding to different social contexts, each model has had a different structure, mechanism, and movement. Metaphorically, Chinese participants have been ministering as shepherds by establishing in-group boundaries, embodying clear direction, and taking responsibility for their flock’s growth. In contrast, millennial participants have been ministering as Sherpas by coming alongside those whom they are discipling, walking with them, and sharing burdens during the journey. This study recommends Chinese house church pastors adopt certain aspects of the US model as they lead millennial missionaries. This study also recommends millennial missionaries adopt certain aspects of the Chinese model as they disciple Chinese Christians.

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“…In this way, the Bible handcopying movement becomes a vehicle for 21st century Chinese Christians to see themselves through a new identity, not as the "persecuted church" of the West's imagination nor only as "patriotic citizens" who are loyal fellow-travelers to the Communist Party in the People's Republic of China (Entwistle 2016;Vala 2013). Instead, they are heirs of a longstanding religious and historic tradition that was central to recording and preserving the scriptures.…”

Section: Writing In Cultural Perspective: Bible Handcopying As Religimentioning

confidence: 99%

Online and Offline Religion in China: A Protestant WeChat “Alter-Public” through the Bible Handcopying Movement

Vala

Huang

2019

Religions

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Studies of digital religion frequently take democratic regime settings and developed economic contexts for granted, leaving regime and economic development levels as background factors (Campbell 2013). However, in China, the role of the authoritarian state, restrictions on religion, and rapid social change mean that online and offline religious practices will develop in distinct ways. This article analyzes the 2019 Bible handcopying movement promoted through China’s most popular social media WeChat as a way to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the publication of China’s most widely used translation of the Bible. Drawing on interviews by and communication with the movement’s founder, the co-authors participated in and collected postings from a 500-member WeChat group from March to August 2019. We argue that while offline handcopying is an innovation in religious practice due to Chinese cultural and historical traditions, the online group constitutes a micro-scale “alter-public” (Chen 2015; Warner 2002), a site for religious discussion, prayer, and devotion that strengthens an “alternative” Protestant identity alongside that of Chinese citizen of the People’s Republic of China.

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Faith in China: religious belief and national narratives amongst young, urban Chinese Protestants

Cited by 12 publications

References 35 publications

COVID-19 and the Wuhan Diary –how does the overseas Chinese community react to group criticism?

COVID-19 and the Wuhan Diary –how does the overseas Chinese community react to group criticism?

Inside and out: Knowing Chinese and US models of ministry

Online and Offline Religion in China: A Protestant WeChat “Alter-Public” through the Bible Handcopying Movement

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