Christianity in Chinese Public Life Religion, Society, and the Rule of Law

Today a quarter of all Chinese claim a major religious tradition, yet the state remains deeply concerned about religious activity. The West tends to view religion-and-state relations in China in bipolar terms: dissidents' resistance and government repression. But as this work shows, the interaction of religion, society, and governance in China is much more subtle and complex than that. The contributors of this volume focus on Christianity in China to examine the prospects for social and political change. Students of democratization say that when citizens escape poverty, they seek more freedom of expression and they establish agencies to express those values. The resulting 'civil society' helps citizens mediate between their interests and those of the state and seek the public good through non-governmental means. Christianity in Chinese Public Life deftly explores the question: does an increase of religious activity in China amount to a nudging forward of democratization?

Joel A. Carpenter is Professor of History and Director of the Nagel Institute at Calvin College, USA. His best-known book is Revive Us Again: The Reawakening of American Fundamentalism (1997). His most recent book is an edited work, Walking Together: Christian Thinking and Public Affairs in South Africa (2012).

Kevin R. den Dulk is Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College, USA. He is the co-author of several books, including The Disappearing God Gap? Religion in the 2008 Presidential Election (2010) and Pews, Prayers, and Participation (2008).

Introduction; Joel Carpenter
1. Reshaping the Civic Space: The Rise of Unregistered Protestantism and Civic Engagement in Urban China; Li Ma and Jin Li
2. Belief, Ethnicity and State: Christianity of Koreans in Northeastern China and their Ethnic and National Identitiess; Juhong Ai
3.The Rise of a Human Rights Studies and Education Movement in China; Zhang Wei
4.The Importance of Gathering Together: Religious Land Use in the U.S. and China; Jennifer E. Walsh
5. Political Constitution and the Protection of Religious Freedom: A Jurisprudential
Reading of the Article 36 of Chinese Constitution; Zheng Yushuang6. Religion and Rights Revolution in China: A Cross-National Perspective; Kevin R. den Dulk