The Journey of Striving—The Indigenization of Christianity in China

Author: Duan Qi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: The study of Chinese Christianity (Protestantism) involves the inescapable important issue of indigenization. What is indigenization? Prominent modern Chinese Christian scholars have offered different definitions of it. Rev. Yuan Dao once summarized the discussions on the Chinese Christian indigenization movement in the 1920s, believing that an indigenized Christian church should possess the following characteristics: "First, it is a church for the Chinese people; second, it is established based on the experiences of Chinese Christians; third, it is rich in Chinese cultural elements; fourth, it unites Christianity with Chinese culture; fifth, it suits the spirit and psychology of the Chinese nation; and sixth, it aligns the religious life and experience of Chinese Christians with the local context." Regarding the term "indigenization," church leaders have had different interpretations from the beginning, but everyone acknowledges an undeniable fact: an imported religion must adapt to the local society and culture to take root, otherwise it will inevitably be eliminated. For Chinese Christianity, "indigenization" means following the times and adjusting itself to adapt to the objective reality of Chinese society and culture. In fact, the issue of indigenization has existed since Christianity first entered China, and it has always been a part of the historical process of Chinese Christianity. This book focuses on exploring the historical mission of Chinese Christianity, and we believe that "indigenization," "localization," and "contextualization" are synonyms, so we still use the term "indigenization." History is history, and respecting history is the fundamental principle of studying history.