The Journey of Striving (Indigenization of Christianity in China)

Author: Duan Qi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Researching Chinese Christianity (Protestantism), indigenization is one of the unavoidable important issues. What is indigenization? The definitions given by the more famous modern Christian scholars in China vary. Mr. Ying Yuan Dao once summarized the discussions on the Chinese Christian indigenization movement in the 1920s, believing that a truly indigenized Christian church should have the following characteristics: "First, it is a church of 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; sixth, it makes the religious life and experience of Chinese Christians conform to the local customs." Regarding the understanding of 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 there, otherwise it will inevitably be eliminated. For Chinese Christianity, "indigenization" means following the times, adjusting itself to adapt to the objective reality of Chinese society and culture. In fact, the issue of "indigenization" has existed since Christianity was introduced to China, and this issue has always run through the history of Chinese Christianity. This book focuses on exploring this historical mission of Chinese Christianity. We believe that "indigenization," "localization," and "contextualization" are synonyms, so we still use the term "indigenization." History is history, and respecting history is the basic principle of studying history.