Uneasy Encounters: Christian Churches in Greater China [Paperback]

The book examines the dynamic processes of the various social, political, and cultural negotiations that representatives of Christian groups engage in within authoritarian societies in Greater China, where Christianity is deemed a foreign religious system brought to China by colonial rulers. The book explores the political and social cooperation and negotiations of two particular Christian groups in their respective and distinct settings: the open sector of the Catholic Church in the communist Peoples Republic on mainland China from 1945 to the present day, and the Presbyterian church of Taiwan in the Republic of China in Taiwan during the period of martial law from 1949 to 1987. Rather than simply confirm the domination-resistance model of churchstate relations, the book focuses on the various approaches adopted by religious groups during the process of negotiation. In an authoritative Chinese environment, religious specialists face two related pressures: the demands of their authoritarian rulers and social pressure requiring them to assimilate to the local culture. The book uses two case studies to support a wider theory of economic approach to religion.

Introduction.- Part 1: Presbyterian Church in Taiwan during the martial law.- Chapter 1. A Historical Overview of the Presbyterian Mission in Taiwan.- Chapter 2. The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan under the Nationalist Rule during the Martial Law.- Chapter 3. Re-sinicization and the Struggle for Localisation.- Chapter 4. Churchs struggle for Taiwanese National Identity.- Chapter 5. Church and the Human Rights.- Chapter 6. The Promotor of Democratisation.- Part 2: Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association in the Peoples Republic of China.- Chapter 7. A Historical Overview of the Catholic Mission in China.- Chapter 8. Catholic Church under the Communist Rule.- Chapter 9. Sino-Vatican Relations.- Chapter 10. Catholic Church in the Light of Policy and Legislation Documents on Relil³½