History of Christianity in China
As early as 635 AD missionary activity, were noted in China in pursuit of establishing the religion. This was recorded in the stone stele discovered by accident in 1625. Christianity’s efforts to grow came to a halt in 845, through the political and economic Unrest when emperor Wuzong banned Christianity, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism. It was reported by a rector In 986 that Christianity was vanished in china. There was no any significant presence until in the 13th century when the mongol tribe established the Yuan Dynasty, Christianity made some strides during this period, however this was very short lived since most Mongols were converting to Islam and the few Christians were persecuted and treated as second division citizens.
Mission work was introduced in China 1289 by a European missionary. For about a century they operated in agreement with the Nestorian Christians but collapsed in 1368, following the directives issued by the Ming Dynasty to expel all foreign inspirations. The Ming dynasty declared all foreign religions including Christianity unlawful and issued orders for the profane belief to be wiped out from China. The re-birth of Christianity was owing to the creation of the Society of Jesus and the direct European maritime that resulted to the increase in number of Chinese participating in Christian activities, as a consequence of interaction with foreign powers. Russian Orthodoxy was adapted in 1715 and Protestants began entering China in 1807.
After the Mongol empire collapsing it took more than two centuries for Christianity to make a comeback trip, this time to stay. This happened after the arrival of the highly trained Jesuits via the sea in Southern China. The Portuguese arrived thereafter in 1582. The missionary expansion that happened between 1807 to 1900 began by Robert Morrison climaxed into the translation of the bible and compilation of a Chinese dictionary. The stride of missionary activity amplified significantly after the First Opium War in 1842. Christian ministers and their schools, under the defense of the Western supremacies, went on to produce a chief role in the Westernization of China in the 19th and 20th centuries. Through the 1840s, Western ministers spread Christianity quickly through the coastal cities that were exposed to foreign trade. The beginning of the twentieth century was an era of change for both the church and the nation. The social gospel approach increased thrust, and Chinese molded their own faith sects and independent churches
China turned to communism and atheism was really promoted after the World War 2 this was promoted as a component of the Marxist ideology of the Chinese community party. This heavily impacted on the missionary work. Majority of the missionaries had to leave after the expulsion and also the ban of Vatican interference, leaving the native churches to do their own management. The synopsis of Christianity in China has not been a smooth one. It has moved from suppression to controlling to contain. None the less despite the rough terrain to the growth of Christianity in China, Christianity is growing rapidly and this has even culminated to changes in policy. The Chinese government is now more tolerant to Christians as far as they do not become political. The growth was more started in the rural areas but in the recent past the focus has changed to urban areas and its now being related to modernism .
Work Cited
Bays, Daniel H. "Anew History Of christianity in China." Blackwell Guides to Global Christianity (2012): 256.
—. Christianity in China:. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1999.
Uhalley, Stephen and Xiaxon Wu. China and Christianity:. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2001.
