28 Comments Add your own

• 1. Dan N  |  December 15th, 2010 at 6:42 pm

  It is my opinion that China’s economic rise (with a little help from the age of the Internet) will allow for an unprecedented spread of Christianity in China in the years to come. I just finished reading Susan Shirk’s China: Fragile Superpower and she claims that, after their “close call” in 1989 (Tiananmen Square), China’s leaders became fixated on what they call “social stability” as a way to stay in power. “Society is changing so fast that Communist politicians can’t discern which groups are solidly in their camp and which groups might form the base of an opposition – so they try to satisfy them all,” says Shirk. In other words, they are having nightmares about which straw will break the camels back. Beggars can’t be choosers.

  Not only are the Communists now trying to keep everyone happy, they are increasingly focusing all of their efforts on keeping the economic “beast” in its cage. If (or when) the day comes when the people rise up against them, many believe that the most likely cause would be the rampant unemployment caused by an economic slowdown. Shirk estimates that China will have to create twenty-four million new jobs each year through 2015 to prevent labor issues from boiling over. The Communists don’t have time to control who the people worship any more, they are too busy keeping them all employed.

• 2. Amanda Podesta  |  December 23rd, 2010 at 7:10 pm

  I can’t help but believe that religion would be largely independent of economic development unless conditions are so severe as to be life-threatening (“There are no atheists in a foxhole”).
  Human beings are so much more complex than simple biological creatures (we don’t stop asking questions just because our basic needs are met) and from our souls will always come: “Why was I put here? What is the meaning of life?”

  Religions of all sorts at all times (and most places) have been persecuted and/or controlled… the situation in China is not unique to history. Religion survives.

  On the flip side of the coin, with economic development, sure we live longer and better (and thus theoretically have less to ask God for) but we still look for answers. We still love and fear. Religion survives.

• 3. Robbin Forsyth  |  December 28th, 2010 at 7:54 pm

  I want to preface this entry with the facts that I am not a religious person and I do not consider myself a Christian.

  Economic growth is a huge contributor to the growth of religion worldwide in that wealth provides people with extra time. When people have the means to afford leisure time they are drawn to reflect on the condition of their lives and lives of others. This is part of the human condition and happens globally. Religion and philosophy help to fill this void and fuel a drive for charity.
  I believe that the economic growth of China will enable the spread of religion overall. Christianity will be included in this growth, but I believe that remain mainly eastern in religious philosophy and practice. Christianity will play a key role in the evolution of the Chinese government because of its focus on the well being of others and charitable action. Buddhism is a more internalized idea of religion. Buddhist believe in charitable acts, but time is spent on improving the self first. Most Christians are external in thought and action based. Globally, Christianity is a major factor in the visibility, education and enforcement of human rights. When combined with the idea of charitable action and the shear number of potential Chinese Christians the Chinese government will be forced to evolve towards a more democratic model to maintain civil order.

• 4. Cassie Bettencourt  |  December 28th, 2010 at 8:07 pm

  I, also, have never thought of this question before reading this post and watching the video. I feel that the connection between the economics and religious faith is somewhat of a stretch. They may be correlated but not causal. It would make more sense to me that Christianity is spreading in China due to some of the other factors mentioned in the video, such as the fact that some of the traditional faiths of the Chinese have collapsed because of social changes. However, these do not necessarily tie to economics. I also think the Internet and more readily available communication and information may account for some of the growth. The Chinese people now have access to the details of Christianity that they may not have had before.

  I feel that social change has been the main encouraging factor of religious faith in all countries. Many countries that are historically Christian-based believe in Christianity because its settlers did or it was exposed (sometimes forcibly) to them in some way. I agree with Amanda’s comment that as long as we still look for answers (as human beings will always do), religion survives. The video alludes to this as well in its mention of the hollowness people feel in these times of change.

• 5. David Hart  |  January 5th, 2011 at 5:26 pm

  I have a feeling that this topic will become more of an issue as time goes on. It would not surprise me to see both economic and religious growth in China as time goes forward. It would be interesting to see if the two are related or not. Cassie makes a good point that even if they are related, they may not have a causal effect.

  In other countries in places like Africa and South America, Christianity seems to be spreading quickly. Of course China is a different place. Also, it seems as though Christianity does not spread as quickly in some of the more developed countries. It does seem that people who are in more humble economic circumstances are sometimes more open to embracing a new religion or philosophy.

  If religious views such as Christianity do expand in China, it will be interesting to see what factors cause this. This is certainly a more complex topic than simply economics–there are many factors. People will always look to find the meaning of life, no matter what the economic conditions are. Two interesting questions are 1. Where will the Chinese look for meaning in life? 2. Does the economic situation have any impact on the spread of new religions in China? It will be interesting to see how this topic unfolds in the coming years.

• 6. Katie Moeller  |  January 6th, 2011 at 8:05 pm

  I am debating on how to answer this question as it could open a whole other set of questions and debates but I will answer it how I feel right now. I believe that there is a connection between economic development and religious faith. First, I personally believe that when people are in a financial (or personal) crisis, they tend to turn to faith more in these dire needs. People are looking for someone to turn to, needing a sense of direction, and safety. On the other hand, when people are doing well, faith will be more ignored. (Obviously these are all blanketed statements. And I believe they would apply to all countries.) Therefore, when the economic development is on the rise, the connection to faith will decrease.

  I guess my interpretation is different than what this video portrays since there is an economic rise and an increase in faith. Either way, it is an interesting question to think about as I have not related the two before.

  I did enjoy the reading because it showed that the Chinese people are starting to take more control over their lives from the government. I love how the police had to pay Ms. Tian less than a dime for symbolic damages. I also thought it was interesting how they had to disguise the church to ward off intruders.

• 7. Brady Haug  |  January 8th, 2011 at 9:39 pm

  In my opinion, economics is not a factor that determines the religious devotion of country, no matter what the continent. First, my personal thought is that religious beliefs are not simply fostered by economic prosperity. As mentioned in Kristof’s article, “The central government’s policy toward religion is much more relaxed than a few years ago, and in coastal areas the government usually lets people worship freely.” I would think the seeming religious boom could be attributed to this very reason. It is possible that Chinese citizens are simply feeling less threatened about religion. I think that changes in government, as witnessed by Tian Yinghua’s victory over the police, are the catalyst for the religious boom in China. Also mentioned was the idea that hollowness has been left in the people of post Maoism China. I think it is human nature to turn to religion in a time of hollowness. This rise of house churches and other places of worship are certainly an indicator of religious fervor, but I don’t think that economic prosperity is the true indicator.

• 8. Jessica Shayler  |  January 16th, 2011 at 7:26 pm

  The church I was part of in high school (10-12 years ago) used to send “undercover” missionaries to China with Bibles and encouragement to the struggling Christian communities there. I recall the pastor telling us that there was a real possibility of severe repercussions from the Chinese government if they were caught. I posit that the recent “boom” in Christian followers is at least partially a simple boom in the number of existing Chinese Christians who are now willing to admit being Christian because “The central government’s policy toward religion is much more relaxed than a few years ago…”

  Local and national economics always influence how people behave including religious devotion. However I agree with some of the above commenters that it is unwise to give all the credit of burgeoning Christian communities in China solely to China’s economic growth. I feel the “hollowness” some feel can become acute enough for some to seek religious solace during economic growth or decline, but others have the exact opposite reaction. Thus, economic change (positive or negative) should not be used to predict a change in religious devotion (positive or negative).

• 9. Tim Easton  |  January 18th, 2011 at 9:39 pm

  This is an interesting question that I have not thought about before. I believe that economic development will promote the growth of Christianity in China. With the influx of business men from western countries, they will bring their religious backgrounds with them. Most western countries will say that Christianity is their major religion, and these businessmen will look for a church to practice their religion. The development of churches, and the Chinese desire to believe in something (as mentioned in the video), will promote the growth of Christianity in China. I also believe the same holds true for South America and Africa. In the United States Christianity was the religion that our country was founded on, so it is hard to argue that economic development promoted the growth of Christianity. The argument that Robin made, that wealth provides people with extra time to reflect on their life, is one that I agree with. People want to believe in something and help one another out. Therefore this argument can be applied to the growth of religion in Europe and the United States. Very interesting blog and I would like to see how this plays out in the future.

• 10. Will Moeller  |  February 1st, 2011 at 11:27 am

  This is a potentially touchy subject. Furthermore, it’s an interesting idea to juxtapose religion and economic growth.

  As I was watching the video, I couldn’t help but think of a statistic I learned in England this summer - less than half of the country identifies itself as associated with any religion. I don’t claim to understand English culture well enough to explain precisely why this is, but I did get the idea that this was as low as England’s religious population has ever been. The U.K. is still economically strong, but its days of fastest growth are likely behind it.

  The same thing could be said for the United States - it’s fastest economic growth days could very well be behind it. As someone who identifies himself as Christian, I am also aware that the population of Christians in the United States is dwindling as well. Just as England’s economic future is probably the United States’ economic future, is the United States bound to go the same way in terms of religion? That would be my assumption.

  So how does this tie to China? I think Robbin made a good point - religious identification rises with economic growth. I don’t pretend to know enough about Chinese culture to say that it will be the same in China, but the article generates thought in that direction. If China follows the same economic development path as the U.K. and the U.S., maybe its growth of Christianity can be expected to rise…and then subsequently dwindle with slowing economic growth.

  Either way it will be interesting to see how the Christianity story unfolds in China.

• 11. Ashley Ogden  |  February 3rd, 2011 at 8:48 am

  I think that economic growth does have an effect on the growth of Christianity in China. I don’t think that the same is true in the US however. In China, I agree that the more relaxed rules about religion and the growth of the internet has contributed to the growth of Christianity; religious people in China are coming out and sharing with others now that they have more religious freedom. In the US I feel that it is a different story. We were founded by religious people and the fact that Americans should have the freedom of religion. From our very beginning, our country has always been pretty religious. I agree with Robbin’s statement that as people become wealthier they can devote more time to religion, but I think that the US has always been religious and that our economic growth did not really have an effect, like it will in China.

• 12. Kristine Spencer  |  February 4th, 2011 at 6:26 pm

  I have always been very interested by religion and politics, so this is something that I have thought about before. I tend to agree with the notion that people take solace or search for meaning in a divine spirit when times are hard. When times are good, people turn to this less. But I also feel that culture and the history of a society play a large role. When I studied in Denmark, I learned that the attendance at beautiful, historic churches was so small that they were trying to find other uses for the buildings. From what I could observe from my time there, the Danish people have a lifestyle and beliefs where most of them choose not to devote time to religion or church. I think that Christianity will grow in China because they are a historically spiritual society, and their religious practices have been completely suppressed by the government since the Cultural Revolution until now. I feel that many people will be looking to explore their spirituality now that they can without getting thrown in jail. This is also a time of great economic and social change in China, which can lead people toward religion. I also think that Christian missionaries will have some impact on the rise of Christianity. I actually know someone who is on a yearlong mission in China, and I’m sure that Christian organizations are targeting China with similar strategies because of the Chinese’s newfound religious freedoms. Only time will tell if religion will become a bigger force in the times of higher living standards and fast change. I am interested to see how this complex relationship plays out. Either way, I am glad that the Chinese are getting closer to freedom of religion.

• 13. Jason Jay Sharma  |  February 7th, 2011 at 7:26 pm

  It’s hard to look at history and ignore the role religion has played in the development of most industrialized nations. While I personally hope that development doesn’t necessarily need to be tied down to faith, history tells me otherwise. When you look at the vast history of Europe, the establishment of the United States, or even as far back as Ancient Egypt, I think religious faith has played a drastically significant role in guiding people of these regions/countries.

  As China develops, I would be shocked if religion does not become a greater part of the Chinese people’s lives. While Christianity might not be the largest group, chances are it will encompass a large percentage. When I think of the United States from a religious aspect, it always surprises me that a modern nation is also one of the most religious.

  And a note to on the video–I found that make-shift church house very interesting. In various religions, families have a specific prayer room or area in their home, and so the video didn’t shock me too much when Nicholas Kristoff mentioned that the church was actually a room shared by two homes used solely for the purpose of faith. If anything, it gives the Chinese people hope and depicts freedom in their religious choices. It’ll be interesting to see in the years to come if they decide to stay confined to such private religious meetings places or start developing larger scale churches.

• 14. Chris Bruns  |  February 9th, 2011 at 11:15 am

  As mentioned by other people commenting above, I have never given much thought to the concept of if economic development helps or hinders the growth of Christianity in China. After watching the video and reading some of the comments my opinion is that economic development helps the growth of Christianity in the sense that it provides the people of China with more options. And these options aren’t limited to just religion, but ideas and concepts as a whole. I believe that as people now have higher means and higher standards of living, they are readily able to learn and/or develop ideas to themselves, versus just accepting the status quo.

  I really took to heart the final bit of the video where Kristof says “…there is also a sense of hollowness that many people feel, a need to believe in something, especially at a time of tremendous economic and social change.” I think that all people are looking for something, and it happens that Christianity is the emerging idea that the people of China have accepted.

• 15. Sarah Weinzapfel  |  February 12th, 2011 at 12:53 am

  I think that the spread of religion has something to do with economic development, but I don’t they are interdependent. I agree with many of the reasons for the spread of Christianity that the video gave. I believe Mao’s death had a good deal to do with Christianity becoming more prevalent; there is internet access and the people also just simply feel more safe expressing themselves.

  I also think that there is a sense of hollowness since Mao that the video suggested. People are looking for something bigger than them to turn to. I have to disagree with comments made about economic factors such as more money therefore more free time lead to people turning to religion. Basically, I think that more social changes will lead to the spread of Christianity and religion in general more than economic changes.

  Also, I believe that most people are religious to begin with and that the China is a religious culture in general, but are now just more comfortable with freely expressing their choosen religion.

• 16. Tyler Sereno  |  February 13th, 2011 at 2:23 pm

  I believe that if economic development had any influence on religious faith, it would work against it in Europe and The United States. As the economy grows, more business becomes available and I believe more people in the U.S. and Europe would spend time trying to capitalize on the market, rather than building their religious faith.

  On the other hand, I believe economic development would promote religious faith in China. Many Chinese people have a very poor standard of living, and the economic boom has provided many of them with jobs, more money, and better lives. This gives them something to be thankful for and provides a “ground fertile for devotion” as stated in the video. Kristoff also mentions in the video that many Chinese people will look to Christianity for religious faith. This is due to the collapse of Maoism, and the need to believe in something during the time of social and economic change.

• 17. Anthony Kallioinen  |  February 14th, 2011 at 6:46 pm

  Kristof says that the recent economic development in China has left many feeling ‘hollow.’ This is due to the ‘collapse of Maoism and traditional forms of faith.’ This is a hollowness that religion seems to fill. Many people are searching for something; there is a very real sense of and desire for devotion directed towards something. Currently, there is a huge boom in religion possibly in part due to the economic development that has taken place in the country as of late. I think the two are connected: with better living conditions and a more global lifestyle, many Chinese are not as concerned with finding food/shelter/earning money as the primary goal of their day but are afforded the time to pursue religious callings. With a little freedom and everyday pressure, man has historically turned to something for strength and a deeper purpose in life.

  Kristof contrasts the architecture of European cathedrals to the ‘living room’ churches in China, almost implying that the churches in China are less ‘official’ than their more established historical and modern counterparts in other parts of the world. It is interesting then, to note that China is on its way to becoming the world’s largest Christian country. If and when this happens, they will be responsible for redefining what churches are and how they look in the future. I think Kristof has not gone back far enough in history if this was his point. For a long time before cathedrals were the norm, Christians were persecuted for their faith (and have been ever since in much of the world). In fact, the word ‘Christian’ was originally a derogatory term for the followers of Christ.

• 18. Tara Millard  |  February 15th, 2011 at 12:32 pm

  The correlation between economic growth and the growth of Christianity is one of great complexity. I can see this issue from two different viewpoints:

  1) One in which an economic decline would cause a rise in Christianity due to a desire to have something to believe in when all else is crumbling.
  2) The economic rise stimulated by the evolution of the internet and global communication would cause a rise in Christianity due to a rise in a global way of thinking.

  Due to these two contrasting viewpoints, I am led to believe that while religion and economics are correlated they are questionable in their causality. I believe China’s Christian population may be rising due to the recent collapse of other religions, or due to the rise of Western immigrants in China due to the Economic Boom. The rise in China’s economy is bound to increase the country’s diversity by attracting immigrants worldwide. This flux in immigration to China will undoubtedly bring with it a change in religious tones, whether or not this will change the culture of religion is yet to be seen.

• 19. j hurley  |  February 16th, 2011 at 1:48 pm

  I have never thought about this relation or even know where to begin to understand it let alone make an educated statement.
  However, I think that as economic growth increases, ways of life increase as well as freedoms (in most cases). As freedoms increase, the separation between peoples beliefs and way of life will also increase. I think this is what we are seeing in China due to the fact that different practices are being allowed including free markets, religion, etc.( at least on some scale)

• 20. Jessie Wilkie  |  February 17th, 2011 at 9:08 pm

  It’s hard to say whether or not economic development promotes or works against religious faith. There are a lot of different examples from around the world of religion. These examples come from a variety of different cultures, places, and economic statuses. We see people cling to religion when they have nothing else (including money). We see people forsake money for religion. In Christianity, in the United States this can be done through offering and tithing. We see people who have millions of dollars praising God (Oprah). We also see people living comfortable and being atheists. With all that said, I would say that it’s hard to say what people are going to do when it comes to religion.

  On another note, I thought the video was good. I’m really enjoying Kristof’s work. I really like the fact that I can watch a 3 minute video clip and feel like I learned something. I knew that Chinese were on strict watch when it came to religion, but I didn’t know how they worked around the system. It was interesting to see the way that the Chinese practiced religion from a living room between two houses. I also thought that the projection that there would be 300-400 million Christians in China, making it the largest Christian nation, was fascinating. All-in-all this was an interesting blog post.

• 21. Kyle R.  |  February 18th, 2011 at 11:23 pm

  I think that economic development of a country does have a direct relationship to religion. Like many others have stated, when times are economically tough for people, I believe that there is more of a tendency to practice religion. On the other hand, when times are economically sound, there will be more distractions and therefore a reduced focus on religion. I also agree with Tim’s response in saying that as businessmen from the West come to a country, they will also bring their religion.

  I read an article by Nicholas Kristoff in the New York Times called “God in China” about a woman who was tortured to reveal the names of her fellow church members. The article described a horrific scenario in which she and her son were tortured in separate rooms just because they were practicing Christianity. The article states, that in remote area police can arrest people and torture or kill them with impunity, even if they are trying to do nothing more than worship God. The article also touches on the fact that 97 percent of the world’s executions take place in China, in which some of those are Christians or members of the Falun Gong sect. I think the primary influence on Christianity in China is the government’s control and not necessarily the economic conditions. Once people have the freedom to worship what they want, without the possibility of imprisonment or death from police, Christianity will spread exponentially throughout China.

• 22. Randy Camat  |  February 26th, 2011 at 8:04 pm

  From what I got in reading the NY Times article and watching the short video, economic development does encourage the growth of Christianity in China. It makes sense that there’s a growth in religious practice as the economy and standard of life improves. As things get better, there is the need to be thankful and religion/Christianity is a great outlet. Furthermore, the NY Times article highlights how many Christians in China have fought against discriminatory actions towards Christianity. These bold stands coupled with a bettering economy are perfect factors for a spread in Christianity.

  I don’t think the same thing happens in the United States. Generally when times are tough, people look to a higher power for guidance and reasoning, but when things are going well, religion, in my opinion, does not play a big factor. There are many things to take into account when times are good – what to buy next, where to go for the next vacation, let’s buy this and that. There is a sort of rush to it that makes people blind and gives them little time to slow down until they’re off to their next economic opportunity.

• 23. Ben Raymond  |  March 4th, 2011 at 5:38 pm

  Religion is often related to scientific development but I’ve never considered the effect of economic development on the spread of religion. It seems to me that the Chinese government was suppressing the spread of religion pretty strictly until recently. With China’s economic development, the government has seemed to ease up on some of their previously strict policies, such as religious suppression. If economic development continues to relax the controls of the Chinese government in order to keep maintain social stability, then it seems logical that religion will be able to spread more freely.

  As others have previously mentioned, another factor could be that with the economic development of China the citizens have more free time and more reasons to be thankful. This is an encouraging environment to get in touch with ones spiritual self. Christianity is viewed as a religion of the Western world and while the government may still be against adopting western practices, I’m sure many Chinese citizens are eager to explore religious freedoms and practice the religion of their choice.

  Overall, I wouldn’t say that in general economic development encourages or discourages the spread of religion. Their are cases where economic development allows more freedoms and in these cases suppressed practices tend to benefit.

• 24. Chris Fung  |  March 9th, 2011 at 12:32 am

  This is an interesting question. I usually assumed that religion was easier spread across the uneducated and underdeveloped areas of the world (i.e. you usually see missionaries go to those places) since many messages of religion is that god will be salvation and that the next life will be better than the current situation. This is view is further reinforced by the fact that Christianity numbers are stagnant or declining in the developed worlds. Plus with economic development comes more freedoms and temptations and many people are distracted by this. As a Catholic, I know the Pope’s Christmas message usually involves moderating modern materialism and to help those who are without faith.

  With China, however, I see an opportunity for Christianity (and other religions). This is because since there are not many religions allowed to be practiced due to government control, many people have no personal affiliation to religion. As more people live better lives, create wealth, and live longer, I am sure they begin to question if there is anything else to life and here is where religion can fill that void. Those wealthy could use their wealth to help the greater good of humanity. While not necessarily a religious only goal, it is a theme held by many religions. Plus as people have more free time due to modern conveniences, they might want to seek answers that only religion might offer.

• 25. JP Salazar  |  March 12th, 2011 at 4:46 pm

  It is my belief that increased economic development will help encourage the growth of Christianity in China. With increased economic growth comes a higher average standard of living for the people of China. Higher standards of living result in an increase in leisure time. Kristof says in his article that there is a sense of hollowness amongst people going through political and social change. Traditionally, the people of China were encouraged to internalize the Mao-esque ideals for their belief system. But increased political and social freedoms have decreased the emphasis on these fervent socialist ideals. This change provokes people’s desire to have something to hold onto. Religion is poised to fill in this gap. Turbulent social change drives people towards faith. The result of this is the unprecedented growth seen in Christianity over the past decade. I see this trend continuing into the future.
  But political and social freedoms do not always lead to religious freedoms. I found it very interesting how diverse the reaction to Christianity appeared in different regions of China. Why were local reactions so different in different areas? I have to attribute this to the different social landscapes in different regions of China. China really is a land full of huge amounts of diversity. But how different do the situations have to be to have religions tolerance in some regions and people being beaten and imprisoned in others. It just seems strange to me that such different reactions can be tolerated.

• 26. Matt Streiter  |  March 13th, 2011 at 5:00 pm

  I feel that relating religion to economic conditions may have a lose association but to find a strong correlation may be a stretch and an attempt to find something that isn’t actually there. From my observations people who are not very religious turn to religion when they hit highs or lows in their life while people who are devoted to their religion will remain consistent throughout their lives. When reflecting on this questions I feel that milestones lead to a temporary increase in religious faith as people as a whole tend to turn to a higher power to look for an explanation.

  As in 9/11 I felt that our country was more unified than in any other point in my life time and many people looked towards religion to find comfort in our nation’s tragedy. On the other extreme what came to mind was people accepting awards at the grammys, oscars, and other similar events and praising their religion for making their success possible. Sometimes I feel that it is an attempt to show humbleness rather than true reflection on religion though. Regardless, I feel that people turn to religion in searching for reasoning of milestones. Relating this to China, it may seem that religious affliliation may be on the rise due to great economic success there, but I also believe the same level would exist in a great economic recession, just for different reasons.

  If a substantial increase in Christianity did increase in China I believe that it would be due to Chinese embracing western culture and/or due to heavy migration to China which would increase the influence there. Advances in communication definitely are allowing Chinese to explore other cultures and religions that may not be native to them. I think the rise or non-rsie of christianity will be more dependent on immigration statistics.

• 27. J Vail  |  March 14th, 2011 at 12:48 pm

  I am not religious in any way, shape, or form, so I really have no idea how to take a stance on this issue. If anything, this short video reminded me of sentiments I had watching other videos in class on the factory economic expansion in China. The huge factory employment base is similar to job distribution in the Industrial Revolution in our country – a time where Christianity was solidified and expanded in our country as well. Perhaps there is a need to derive faith through working 12 hours a day? I have no idea.

  I think that now that people’s lives are more stable with economic conditions, they can look towards faith to justify the accomplishments they have made so far. The additional reading was refreshing because stories about the Chinese people having small victories over the government are infrequent at best. It seems crazy in the first place that in the 21st century people would have to disguise churches, but if Christianity can still expand in these circumstances, then most likely attendance will meet the figures they provided in the video.

• 28. Omar Pradhan  |  March 18th, 2011 at 1:18 pm

  I believe human beings need some form of narrative to give their life meaning or connect them to some larger purpose. In China, that used to occur through the ancient faith traditions such as Buddhism or Confucianism. Until recently, the anti-theistic, paternalistic state was the sole provider of meaning. With the introduction of western capitalism, Kristof and others posit that Christianity, the dominant religion of the west, is “unofficially” on the rise. I see this as a natural response to the perceived inadequacy of the Central Chinese government’s secular attempts to provide a compelling, meaningful narrative. Moreover, it seems logical that Christianity would be a comparatively fast mover in filling the void (as opposed to other Faith narratives) because the vast majority of western investors / partners are Christian. Thus, indirectly, the current arrangement of economic development encourages the growth of Christianity. I should add, as an individual who identifies as secular humanist, the educational institutions in China (or lack thereof) should be seen as a contributing factor to this phenomenon.

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