Skip to main content

China's Reforming Churches







China’s Reforming Churches: Mission, Polity, and Ministry in the Next Christendom Edited by Bruce P. Baugus

The explosion of church growth in China has been happening at an alarming rate.  The house church movement has seen dramatic growth over the past 25 years.  Yet, what is happening in the church of China as it connects to Reformed worship and practice?  These and other questions are ones tackled by the contributors to the new book entitled China’s Reforming Churches edited by Bruce Baugus.  The book is split into four sections that outline the history, present state, challenges and tradition of Presbyterianism in China.  With 13 chapters, a conclusion and two appendices, the book provides a thorough analysis of the issues regarding Presbyterianism in China.  

Michael M. traces the early Protestant missionary involvement in China to Robert Morrison in 1807.  With restrictions on proselytizing, Morrison in his twenty-seven years in China was able to translate the Bible into Chinese, found a college, put together a Chinese-English dictionary and do many other activities that promoted Christ (10).  Coming from a conservative Presbyterian conviction, Morrison also relied heavily on the WCF as he taught his way through the Scriptures.  Even throughout the early missionary efforts, there was no less than 12 particular Presbyterian and Reformed church bodies in China, from the northeast to other eastern provinces (see pp. 32-33 and table on 32). 

One of the fascinating challenges of the Christian faith in China is the relationship between the way the culture views the faith and the participants of the faith.  One government scholar from China writes, “In the eyes of the average Chinese, Christianity is still regarded as a religion of the West and an “imported product” of Western culture….In China’s mainstream media and publications, Christianity has only changed from having a negative role to a “neutral” one; its presence it tolerated without the need for public criticism (109).”  There is still not widespread openness to the publication of Christian materials in China.  Yet, there moving from a negative to a neutral (if neutral positions even exists) can lead Christianity to a better viewpoint for most Chinese.

One of the challenges of promoting Biblical Presbyterianism is China is the often mish mash of certain Presbyterian practices within house church movements.  “When these churches began to discuss the possibility of establishing a presbytery, it became clear that they wanted to maintain the status quo of episcopal structure and diversity of practices (127).”  The structure of Presbyterian government, including Presbyteries, is designed so that each member works together as part of organic unit.  If one pastor engages in practicing infant baptism but another adamantly rejects this teaching, how does unity continue in the church?  I would add that the complicated relationship between Presbyterian denominations in America connecting with churches in China often add to the turmoil that exists in these local congregations.  The way forward is not to pick up a certain few elements of Presbyterianism and adopt them, but to carefully seek to form Presbyterian practices that each elder commits to as a whole. 

I really enjoyed this book, even as it was written by many contributors.


Thanks to Cross Focused Reviews and Reformation Heritage Books for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rise of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman

  The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman Navigating the culture that we take up residence in, with its laser focus on sexual identity, tolerance, and an individualism that raises its head at every corner, Christians need a robust account of how we got to this point in our Western culture without retreating to our churches nor morphing with the latest trends.   Carl Trueman, professor of religion and theology at Grove City College, brings his keen historical research to bear on this issue in his new book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.   Part historical survey and philosophical analysis, Dr. Trueman traces the trajectories of key thinkers such as Rousseau, Freud, and Marx, while also incorporating the insights of Charles Taylor and Phillip Rieff to form a cogent argument as to how we got to this point in our history, both in our expressive individualism and sexual freedom outlooks.   The book is surprisingly insightful and yet demands from the reader the pa
Post a Comment
Read more

The Conditioned Mind

The Conditioned Mind: Overcoming the Crippling Effects of Sin and Guilt by Michael J. Mannia Counselor and author Michael J. Mannia knows firsthand how the spiraling of sin and guilt can eat away at life.  His new book, The Conditioned Mind, is a look into how believers can overcome the effects of sin and guilt and live in the freedom that we have in Christ.  Through a careful look into the patterns that we develop and the mindsets that we get ingrained in, Michael is able to offer ways through guilt that bring freedom and healing.  I think this is not only a timely but a book that aims toward bringing real healing to its readers. In the first chapter Michael looks at two needs that we have: our need for love and our need for security.  Love isn’t something optional for the human race, but something it needs at its core.  “Additionally, we need to reciprocate love.  We need to feel loved as much as we need to love others (8).”  Love is a two-way street that inv
Post a Comment
Read more

Passover and Jesus

The Messiah in the Passover , Edited by Darrell Bock and Mitch Glaser Why should Christians celebrate and remember the Passover?   This is a striking question that needs to be understood as well as the historical and theological context of the Passover.   However obscure we sometimes view the Old Testament, there is some significant reasons why we should reach back and study the Passover.   Mitch Glaser in the Introduction states, “When Christians celebrate the Passover, they grow in their understanding of the Old Testament, affirm the Jewishness of the Gospel, deepen our understanding of the Lord’s Supper, and build community with fellow Christians…” (20).   This book is answer to why celebrate the Passover but even more importantly an answer to what the Passover is and what it signifies to us today.   The various contributors of this book, Messiah in the Passover, bring a wealth of ministry experience in relating the Jewishness of both Jesus and the Old Testament to
Post a Comment
Read more