Berkley Center

Monday afternoon, 2 p.m., Beijing. I’m standing in the center of Minzu University’s sunny schoolyard, trying to figure out the least awkward way to approach random Chinese strangers about Christianity.

“Excuse me, ma’am, do you know anything about Jesus Christ?” sounded like an ominously clichéd way to start.

I’m not trying to preach, but to pry. As part of the Associated Colleges in China program, all students are required to pursue an independent research project. I chose the development of modern Christianity in China. I’m going to be honest and say that I have a slight leg up, all things considered. I was born in China and lived here until the second grade. In addition, my own Christian roots can be traced back to China, where my family was converted by a group of American friends.

Over the years of traveling in China, I’ve accidentally encountered the topic of Christianity several times, and those experiences have inevitably become the cornerstones of my perception of religion and spirituality in China. I came to Beijing for the semester eager to learn more, but more or less expecting my research to only corroborate and solidify my preconceived notions. The required research project presented an opportunity, and I leapt.

And so I stand awkwardly in the campus square, trying to work up the courage to approach passers-by about the topic.

Christianity in China is thriving, or stagnant, or about to hit a major boom, according to whom you ask. The multi-faceted quality of this phenomenon can be attributed to the underground nature of religion in China.

First, the statistics: in 2008 the Chinese government stated that there are approximately 21 million Christians in China, but the Pew Forum and the China Aid Association both say that the number is as high as 130 million. The disparity is actually incredibly easy to explain. In China, there are two types of churches.

The first type is government sanctioned and, to some degree, government controlled. The people who attend these churches are counted as Christians by the government. The second type is the house church, comprising small clusters of people who gather privately to worship beyond the government’s reach. These churches gather their Bibles and hymnals from the Internet and choose to either follow the teachings and curriculum of a central church, or to strike out on their own.

According to these statistics, Christianity is booming in China, perhaps just beneath the surface of public awareness. There is even a hint of political conflict between the government and the just out-of-reach family churches, because even though the churches don’t consider themselves to be political organizations, most Christians look down upon abortions, especially forced abortions, and therefore refuse to support the One Child Policy.

But from my interviews and dorm room chats with college students in China, it seems as though Christianity is doing a good job of staying beneath the surface. Most students can describe some of the more universal attributes of Christianity—the cross, the weekly gatherings, and the sense of community—but I can’t help but feel as though most of them know very little beyond that. For example, they would not be able to distinguish the Holy Trinity from each other, and they’re not quite clear on when trying to get into heaven, whether a person needs to be a believer, a devout believer, or just a good person in general.

Surprisingly, most people seemed to have never (knowingly) encountered a Christian before. From my conversations with students I feel as though Christianity does not really have a strong presence in China. This, of course, disagrees with all the research I’ve read declaring that “God is Red.”

How can Christianity in China be so strong in numbers, and yet have so slight of an impact? The answer is that the only way so many Christians exist in China is by maintaining a low profile. The Chinese government, whether through lack of will or means, allows house churches to go about their own business for the time being, but no Chinese house church wants to give the government a reason to come knocking. Thus, the churches are kept small, and presence is relatively quiet. God may be Red, but in China the government still reigns supreme.