After simmering in the countryside for decades, Chinese churches are exploding among young urban college educated professionals. Chinese Christians now outnumber Communist party members. What’s an atheist state to do?
“Christianity is hard to control in China and getting harder all the time. It is spreading rapidly, and infiltrating the party’s own ranks. The line is blurring between house churches and official ones, and Christians are starting to emerge from hiding to play a more active part in society. The Communist Party has to find a new way to deal with all this.” -The Economist
It was too expensive to obtain permission to reprint this important article in the November 1, 2014 issue of the Economist, so we’re providing the link here: “Religion in China: Cracks in the Atheist Edifice.”
Hot faith: Beijing Pastor Jin Tianming was arrested in 2009 after preaching to hundreds of young urban Christians at an outdoor worship service (during a snowstorm), but such policies may now be changing.
See other post in ongoing series:
A Critique of ALL Religions: Chinese Intellectuals and the Church, by David Jeffrey
