Megan+Fisher

Topic: **To what extent did the Communist Revolution impact the practice of Christianity in China during the years 1949 - 1979? **

4/22/12 Historical investigation full SRD

__ Part A—Scope of Investigation __ To what extent did the Communist Revolution impact the practice of Christianity in China during the years 1949 - 1957 ?

Christianity has existed in China since the eighth century A.D. After the Communist Revolution and the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, religion was officially outlawed and many Christians went into hiding for fear of persecution. The purpose of this investigation is to determine to what extent the Communist Revolution impacted the practice of Christianity in the newly formed People’s Republic of China, through both researching the years 1949 - 1957 in China and tracing the development of Christianity as it was affected by Communist policies. The scope of this investigation will include the cooperation efforts during the years 1949-1957 but will not encompass events after 1957.

__ Part B—Summary of Evidence __ The summary of evidence is organized thematically in order to clarify the various areas addressed under the People’s Republic of China in their attempt to create a communist state. The following categories; New Laws, Organizations, Co-operation, and Response/Reactions are intended to separate out the different elements of the issue for further analysis. //*Note: Article 88 of the 1954 Chinese constitution ensures that “Citizens of The People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief.”// ○ In 1949, The Party State banned all cultic or heterodox sects of Chinese traditions because they were deemed antirevolutionary. Their leaders were arrested and all activities were banned. ○ However in 1950, regional government officials were instructed 1. to permit freedom of religious activity, 2. not to seize religious edifices, 3. to protect buildings and properties of religious societies, 4. to consult with religious leaders if it was actually necessary to requisition certain buildings, and 5. to ‘fully restore to their rightful owners’ such buildings as were used by the government. ○ “Christianity is a special case...Christians could be singled out and deprived as their rights as citizens, not because of their religious faith but because of their “rightist sympathies” or relationships with foreign missionaries” ○ What happened in 1955 or later ○ In 1950 a group was formed under the Commission of Culture and Education with orders to investigate the religious situation and problems. ○ In 1951 this group became the Religious Affairs Department. It focused on driving out foreign missionaries, encouraging Catholics and Protestants to sever ties with foreign countries, and handling the religious bodies, charity organizations, and educational institutions that received funding from the United States. ○ What did this evolve to? ○ What fought against it? ○ What happened later on? ○ In 1949, the following policy was applied: “schools which ‘obey laws and regulations of the People’s Government and are not against the…New Democratic Principles, will be permitted to exist.’ One can read between the lines a death knell for Christian institutions…already judged to be against the ‘new principles’.” ○ The First National Political Consultative Conference was a meeting held by the Religious Affairs Bureau in 1949 consisting of seven religious representatives, including W. T. Wu, that called for Chinese Protestant Churches to be self-ruling, self-supporting, and self-propagating. ○ This later led to the formation of the Protestant Three-Self Reform Movement, in 1950, which called for churches “to thoroughly, permanently, and completely sever all relations with American missions and all other missions” and thus realizing the Three-Self formula. ○ Catholic reactions?? ○ 1955’s? ○ Many protestant denominations choose to cooperate with the new government instead of going underground. ○ In 1951, Y. T. Wu emerged as the president of the Three-Self Movement. His goal was to find a place for the Christian faith and people to live and to serve in a totalitarian revolution and reconstruction convinced of the early demise of religion. “The survival of the church may be regarded as the principal achievement of Wu in his capacity as the leader of the Three-Self Movement.” ○ The Christian Manifesto a short statement of less than 1000 Chinese characters that was published in July 1950 was actually titled //Direction of Endeavor for Chinese Christianity in the Construction of New China.// It lamented that the church “unfortunately” had been tied to imperialism. ○ In short the manifesto stated that “All Christian churches and organizations in China that are still relying upon foreign personnel and financial aid should work out concrete plans to realize within the shortest possible time their objective of self-reliance and rejuvenation.” ○ Within two years only half of the entire population of Chinese Protestants had endorsed the manifesto. ○ Quote about the growth of the catholic population ○ What happens in 1955-1957?
 * New Laws **
 * Organizations **
 * Co-operation **
 * Response/Reactions **

__ Part C—Evaluation of Sources __

The author, George Thompson Brown, was born and raised in China by missionary parents. He has been a missionary to Korea, the Far East Secretary for the Board of World Missionaries, Director of International Mission for the Presbyterian Church, and now China’s Consultant for International Mission and Associate Professor of World Christianity at Columbia Theological Seminary. He has graduate degrees from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia and Princeton Theological Seminary. This revised edition was written to address the lack of material concerning the Roman Catholic Church in China and at the suggestion of many readers of the first version who want some parts to be corrected. This book was designed to help people understand the development of Christianity in the People’s Republic of China. This book has detailed accounts of the Chinese Christian Movement in 1949, and the Roman Catholic resistance to Communist rule. Including a chapter on the Proletarian Cultural Revolution with a section focused on The Church during that time. I’m hoping that this book will help me narrow down the years I want to focus on, and provide me with a general overview of The Church after the Communist Revolution. This book is not the original edition, but it has been revised and corrected. Given that the author grew up in China and is a missionary the information could be biased toward the foundation of religion. Also, this book is a very general overview of Christianity during the People’s Republic of China.
 * Brown, G. Thompson. //Christianity in the People's Republic of China//. Revised ed. **

Fenggang Yang is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University. Yang conducted the study that eventually turned into this book to answer the question of how religion had survived and thrived in China under Communist rule. He strove to understand how even after a complete ban of any religion during the Cultural Revolution, more Chinese people consider themselves religious than ever before. Yang’s in depth study is relevant to my research question because it addresses the struggles religious people had to overcome in the People’s Republic of China. Yang’s book explores four distinct periods of religious reformation under Communist rule. I am particularly interested on the period between 1949-1957 when the Communist rulers tried to both co-operate with and control religious institutions. Limitations of this source include the fact that it was written by a single author and is thus subject to bias and also that was published very recently and has not be subjected to the same level of scrutiny that old sources have.
 * Yang, Fenggang. Religion in China: Survival and Revival under Communist Rule. New **** York:Oxford UP, 2012. Print. **

__ Part D—Analysis __ To what extent did the Communist Revolution impact the practice of Christianity in China during the years 1949 – 1957?

After the Communist Revolution, article 88 of the 1954 Chinese constitution ensures that “Citizens of The People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief.” The new government appeared strong, accepting, and intelligent. However, a mere 15 years later in 1949, The Party State banned all cultic or heterodox sects of Chinese traditions because they were deemed antirevolutionary. Their leaders were arrested and all activities were banned. The new Communist government of China began to show its true intentions of crushing the “opium of the people” and severing the country from outside influence. The bipolar tendencies of the communist government became visible through the policies implemented in 1949 and 1950. Government officials were instructed to permit religious freedom and religious buildings and schools which accepted the “New Democratic Policies” were allowed to remain. The communist government did not fear religion because they believed that once everyone was made aware of the benefits of communism they would have no need for religion and it would be abandoned. However, “Christianity [was] a special case...Christians could be singled out and deprived as their rights as citizens, not because of their religious faith but because of their “rightist sympathies” or relationships with foreign missionaries.” It was those “rightist sympathies” that got thousands Christians put on trial, imprisoned, and murdered for being affiliated with the Church. When the Religious Affairs Department which focused on driving out foreign missionaries, encouraging Catholics and Protestants to sever ties with foreign countries, and handling the religious bodies, charity organizations, and educational institutions that received funding from the United States was formed in 1951, Catholics and Protestants were left with two choices; change to please the communist government or continue worshiping underground. Many Protestant denominations chose to cooperate with the government while the Catholics moved about in secret. These choices only deepened the divide between Catholics and Protestant and resulted in one of the most significant changes in Chinese religious practices between 1949 and 1957. How?

__ Part E—Conclusion __ Between 1949 and 1957, Religious organizations in China were attacked under the guise of fighting “rightist sympathies”. The Catholics moved their operations underground while many Protestants adopted the Three-Self Movement—both were persecuted for their beliefs. The People’s Republic of China striped religious institutions of their connections to the Western world, of their funding, of their Priests and leaders, of their places of worship, but it made the Church in China strong. It put native Chinese Priests and ministers in place to lead the people. The Communist Revolution created a new form of Christianity in China—one that was fundamentally the same but completely separated from the Western world.

__ Part F—List of Sources __ Bays, Daniel H. //Christianity in China: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present//. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1996. Print.

Brown, G. Thompson. //Christianity in the People's Republic of China//. Revised ed. Atlanta: John Knox, 1986. Print.

Bush, Richard Clarence. //Religion in Communist China//. Nashville: Abingdon, 1970. Print.

Yang, Fenggang. //Religion in China: Survival and Revival under Communist Rule//. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.

Word Count: 1,542

Yang, Fenggang. //Religion in China: Survival and Revival under Communist Rule//. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Print. According to Yang, communist rule in China is divided into four distinct periods. His book prompted me to choose the period 1949-1957 when the communist government of China created organizations to incorporate government officials into religious institutions to gain more control over the “opium of the people” (Yang 65). (Brown 76) Ibid 66 Bush, Richard Clarence. //Religion in Communist China//. Nashville: Abingdon, 1970. Print. Pg. 104  Brown, G. Thompson. //Christianity in the People's Republic of China//. Revised ed. Pg. 78  (Yang 67) (Bush 71) (Yang 68) (Brown 84) Ibid 79 Bays, Daniel H. //Christianity in China: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present//. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1996. Print. Pg. 343  Ibid 344 (Bush 42) (Bays 344) (Brown 76) (Yang 66) Ibid 65. See endnote i.  (Brown 78) (Yang 67)

3/12/12 Draft 1 // *Disclaimer: I only have four good sources, all of which happen to be books… I am currently looking for more sources and source variety. //

__ Part A - Scope of Investigation __ To what extent did the Communist Revolution impact the practice of Christianity in China during the years 1949 - 1957[i]?

Christianity has existed in China since the eighth century A.D. After the Communist Revolution and the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, religion was officially outlawed and many Christians went into hiding for fear of persecution. The purpose of this investigation is to determine to what extent the Communist Revolution impacted the practice of Christianity in the newly formed People’s Republic of China, through both researching the years 1949 - 1957 in China and tracing the development of Christianity as it was affected by Communist policies.

__ Part B - Summary of Evidence (Thematically) __ //__** paragraph needed **__//

○ The Party State banned all cultic or heterodox sects of Chinese traditions because they were deemed antirevolutionary. Their leaders were arrested and all activities were banned.[ii] ○ “Christianity is a special case...Christians could be singled out and deprived as their rights as citizens, not because of their religious faith but because of their “rightist sympathies” or relationships with foreign missionaries”[iii] ○ In 1950 a group was formed under the Commission of Culture and Education with orders to investigate the religious situation and problems. In 1951 this group became the Religious Affairs Department. It focused on driving out foreign missionaries, encouraging Catholics and Protestants to sever ties with foreign countries, and handling the religious bodies, charity organizations, and educational institutions that received funding from the United States.[iv] ○ //Probably should add more here…// ○ The First National Political Consultative Conference was a meeting held by the Religious Affairs Bureau in 1949 consisting of seven religious representatives, including W. T. Wu, that called for Chinese Protestant Churches to be self-ruling, self-supporting, and self-propagating.[v] ○ This later led to the formation of the Protestant Three-Self Reform Movement, in 1950, which called for churches “to thoroughly, permanently, and completely sever all relations with American missions and all other missions” and thus realizing the Three-Self formula.[vi] ○ Many protestant denominations choose to cooperate with the new government instead of going underground.[vii] ○ In 1951, Y. T. Wu emerged as the president of the Three-Self Movement. His goal was to find a place for the Christian faith and people to live and to serve in a totalitarian revolution and reconstruction convinced of the early demise of religion. “The survival of the church may be regarded as the principal achievement of Wu in his capacity as the leader of the Three-Self Movement.”[viii] ○ The Christian Manifesto a short statement of less than 1000 Chinese characters that was published in July 1950 was actually titled //Direction of Endeavor for Chinese Christianity in the Construction of New China.// It lamented that the church “unfortunately” had been tied to imperialism.[ix] ○ In short the manifesto stated that “All Christian churches and organizations in China that are still relying upon foreign personnel and financial aid should work out concrete plans to realize within the shortest possible time their objective of self-reliance and rejuvenation.”[x] ○ Within two years only half of the entire population of Chinese Protestants had endorsed the manifesto[xi].
 * New Laws **
 * Organizations **
 * Co-opt **
 * Response/Reactions **

__ Part C - Evaluation of Sources __

Brown, G. Thompson. //Christianity in the People's Republic of China//. Revised ed. Pg. 78 The author, George Thompson Brown, was born and raised in China by missionary parents. He has been a missionary to Korea, the Far East Secretary for the Board of World Missionaries, Director of International Mission for the Presbyterian Church, and now China’s Consultant for International Mission and Associate Professor of World Christianity at Columbia Theological Seminary. He has graduate degrees from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia and Princeton Theological Seminary. This revised edition was written to address the lack of material concerning the Roman Catholic Church in China and at the suggestion of may readers of the first version who want some parts to be corrected. This book was designed to help people understand the development of Christianity in the People’s Republic of China. This book has detailed accounts of the Chinese Christian Movement in 1949, and the Roman Catholic resistance to Communist rule. Including a chapter on the Proletarian Cultural Revolution with a section focused on The Church during that time. I’m hoping that this book will help me narrow down the years I want to focus on, and provide me with a general overview of The Church after the Communist Revolution. This book is not the original edition, but it has been revised and corrected. Given that the author grew up in China and is a missionary the information could be biased toward the foundation of religion. Also, this book is a very general overview of Christianity during the People’s Republic of China.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Yang, Fenggang. Religion in China: Survival and Revival under Communist Rule. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fenggang Yang is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University. Yang conducted the study that eventually turned into this book to answer the question of how religion had survived and thrived in China under Communist rule. He strove to understand how even after a complete ban of any religion during the Cultural revolution, more Chinese people consider themselves religious than ever before. Yang’s in depth study is relevant to my research question because it addresses the struggles religious people had to overcome in the People’s Republic of China. Yang’s book explores four distinct periods of religious reformation under Communist rule. I am particularly interested on the period between 1949-1957 when the Communist rulers tried to both co-operate with and control religious institutions. Limitations of this source include the fact that it was written by a single author and is thus subject to bias and also that was published very recently and has not be subjected to the same level of scrutiny that old sources have.

[i]Yang, Fenggang. //Religion in China: Survival and Revival under Communist Rule//. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Print. According to Yang, communist rule in China is divided into four distinct periods. His book prompted me to choose the period between 1949-1957 when the communist government of China created organizations to incorporate government officials into religious institutions to gain more control over the “opium of the people” (Yang 65). [ii] Ibid 66 [iii]Brown, G. Thompson. //Christianity in the People's Republic of China//. Revised ed. Pg. 78 [iv] (Yang 67) [v] (Yang 68) [vi](Brown 84) [vii] Ibid 79 [viii] Bays, Daniel H. //Christianity in China: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present//. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1996. Print. Pg. 343 [ix] Ibid 344 [x]Bush, Richard Clarence. //Religion in Communist China//. Nashville: Abingdon, 1970. Print. Pg. 42 [xi] (Bays 344)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">February 24, 2012 __<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Source Evaluation #4 __ Religion in Communist China. By Richard C. Bush. Nashville and New York: Abingdon Press, 1970.
 * Origin:** Richard C. Bush JR. served as director of the Christian Study Centre on Chinese Religion and Culture in Hong Kong and is currently professor of religion and philosophy at Tunghai University in Taiwan where he also serves as director of the Center for the Humanities. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago an formerly served as chaplain at the University of Philippines and as a professor at Union Theological Seminary in Milan.
 * Purpose:** This book was written as a record of Bush's comprehensive study on the suppression and exploitation of major institutionalized religions under China's communist government.
 * Value:** This book is different than some of the others I am reading because it was written with the intent of exposing the truth about religious persecution in the People's Republic of China. Chapters I am particulary interested in include: The Chinese Communist View of Religion, Catholic Resistance to Communist Efforts to Control the Church, and The Catholic Church Under Communist Control. I expect that this book will provide different insight into the conflict between church and state in Communist China.
 * Limitations:** This book is rather long and dense, and may be difficult to fully understand. Also it was written in 1970 which might not be a time period I eventually end up focusing on. Additionally since it was only written by one author it is subject to bias.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">February 19, 2012 __Source Evaluation #3__ Bays, Daniel H., ed. //Christianity in China: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present//. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1996. Print. (same as source 2, but different chapter)
 * Origin:** Daniel H. Bayes has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and is a professor of history at the University of Kansas. The contributor specifically related to the chapter I am referencing, Gao Wangzhi was formerly the director and professor of Christian studies, the Institute of World Religions, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and has done post-doctoral research as an associate at the University of California, Berkeley.
 * Purpose:** This book was a twenty person collaboration intended to challenge the stereotypical assumptions about the relationships between Christianity and the government of modern China.
 * Value:** The particular chapter I am interested in is titled, Y.T. Wu: A Christian Leader Under Communism. This chapter focuses on the ever growing Christian movement in the East even in the Peoples' Republic of China. I am considering using some other chapters from the collaborative work as well because they all provide a different inside view of Christianity in China.
 * Limitations:** Because this is a collaboration, it represents many different opinions which might be conflicting in some cases. Also, a significant portion of the book is focused outside of the time period I am looking into.

February 3, 2012 __Source Evaluation #2__ Bays, Daniel H., ed. //Christianity in China: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present//. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1996. Print.
 * Origin:** Daniel H. Bayes has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and is a professor of history at the University of Kansas. The contributor specifically related to the chapter I am referencing, Murray A. Rubinstein, received his Ph.D. from New York University and is a professor of history at Baruch College at the City University of New York.
 * Purpose:** This book was a twenty person collaboration intended to challenge the stereotypical assumptions about the relationships between Christianity and the government of modern China.
 * Value:** The particular chapter I am interested in is titled, Holy Spirit Taiwan: Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in the Republic of China. This chapter focuses on the ever growing Christian movement in the East even in the Peoples' Republic of China. I am considering using some other chapters from the collaborative work as well because they all provide a different inside view of Christianity in China.
 * Limitations:** Because this is a collaboration, it represents many different opinions which might be conflicting in some cases. Also, a significant portion of the book is focused outside of the time period I am looking into.

January 20, 2012 __Source Evaluation #1__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Christianity in the People's Republic of China revised edition. [|George Thompson Brown]. John Knox Press, 1986. Print. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Origin:** The author, George Thompson Brown, was born and raised in China by missionary parents. He has been a missionary to Korea, the Far East Secretary for the Board of World Missionaries, Director of International Mission for the Presbyterian Church, and now China’s Consultant for International Mission and Associate Professor of World Christianity at Columbia Theological Seminary. He has graduate degrees from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia and Princeton Theological Seminary. (From the back cover of the book.) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Purpose:** This revised edition was written to address the lack of material concerning the Roman Catholic Church in China and at the suggestion of may readers of the first version who want some parts to be corrected. This book was designed to help people understand the development of Christianity in the People’s Republic of China. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Value:** This book has detailed accounts of the Chinese Christian Movement in 1949, and the Roman Catholic resistance to Communist rule. Including a chapter on the Proletarian Cultural Revolution with a section focused on The Church during that time. I’m hoping that this book will help me narrow down the years I want to focus on, and provide me with a general overview of The Church after the Communist Revolution. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Limitations:** This book is not the original edition, but it has been revised and corrected. Given that the author grew up in China and is a missionary the information could be biased toward the foundation of religion. Also, this book is a very general overview of Christianity during the People’s Republic of China.