American Foreign Missions and Chinese Christianity

This course examines the history of Christianity in China from the beginning through the twentieth century. It explores both the missionary origins of the Chinese church and the subsequent historical developments that turned Christianity into a vibrant Chinese faith. The following questions are at the center of our historical inquiry: What role did Western missionaries play in the spread of Christianity in China? What helps explain the Chinese response to the Gospel? How did Christianity take root in Chinese soil and become indigenized? What distinct features and temperament has Chinese Christianity developed? What are the implications for the future of world Christianity?