Christianity in Chinese Soil

Now we may briefly summarize some results. First, we have seen how contextualization is an essential feature of the development of Chinese Christianity from the East Syrian mission, through Jesuit mission and the indigenous Christian movements, up to the modern pursuit of the Sinicization of the Christian faith. The long and many-sided experience of contextualization is agift Chinese Christians could offer other Christians around the globe. With its deep commitment, devotion, and vigor based on its Via dolorosa, Chinese Christianity could shape the future development of world Christianity. The theology of the cross matches the reality of most people in the majority world better than the commonplace prosperity gospel offering escapism through its fake promises.
Second, we have seen how the fear of foreign interference has been like a pendulum moving from one extreme to the other. The Mongols opened the door to China for Franciscan missionaries seven centuries ago. Four centuries ago, the Jesuits opened a
path by introducing Europe’s scientific achievements to the emperor. During the period of the Republic of China (1912–1949), many Chinese intellectuals believed in the renewal of China through Western science and values. During the past four decades, China adapted Western technologies, and the West invested a great deal of its production in China. Today China is the engine of the world on which the economic development and well-being of many other nations depends. China benefited greatly from the West, and now the whole world benefits economically from China. China’s global presence can facilitate the worldwide impact of mission by Chinese Christians. Third, Chinese Christianity is unique, not only in terms of phenomenal numerical growth, but also because of the qualitative transformation that its strong tendency toward contextualization and postdenominationalism can offer global Christianity. Chinese mission will not offer ready-made results to others but will catalyze processes which lead to the development of truly indigenous congregations. Chinese Christians will propagate neither their own sinicized version of the faith nor any particular denominational teachings. Rather, they will help believers in each place plant communities which will in their very essence be deeply rooted in the context where they exist; they will by nature be nondenominational. Further innovation is needed to understand—theologically and practically—the nature and mission of a non- or postdenominational church in the context of each human community, culture, and society, and how this all is rooted in the apostolic and ecumenical faith of the universal Christian church of all ages and of all places.