The Christian Faith in China

The Christian faith is often portrayed as a charismatic faith, a lifelong commitment and performance that creates a “new creature.” Putting on “the whole armor of God” involves a process of de-subjectivation and re-subjectivation. This process may take the form of spiritual boot-camp, where intense work on the body produces a militant Christian subject. But is this truly Christian?

While evangelicals often advocate for a more inclusive, pluralistic, and democratic worldview, they are not necessarily representative of mainstream American evangelicals. The evangelical movement is also a diverse, discursive community that thrives on tension, conflict, and threat. Evangelicals are the advocates of reason, while the dominant intellectual trend calls for a reloading of the Enlightenment and the restoration of sanity in politics.

A growing number of Chinese Christians are attracted to Christianity as a practical form of healing. Many Chinese see divine healing as an important aspect of Christianity and view it as a means to restore physical health. This healing concept may be the driving force behind the extraordinary growth of Christianity in China. The True Jesus Church, for instance, is not affiliated with the CCC, but is a separate denomination that operates independently. In addition to its religious affiliation, there are congregations in China that are non-Catholic and non-Christian.

Pentecost is the dominant mode of Holy Spirit empowerment. In Acts 2:1-13, the apostles are recorded as speaking the gospel in their native tongues or dialects, and as many as 3,000 people were saved that day. The gospel message is delivered in any language, including one’s own. A person who can speak multiple languages is known as a missionary. However, it is unclear whether tongues ministry is an essential element of the gospel.