Christianity in Chinese Public Life: Religion, Society, and the Rule of Law

141 Pages·2014·0.843 MB·English

by  Joel A. Carpenter, Kevin R. den Dulk (eds.)

Christianity in Chinese Public Life
DOI: 10.1057/9781137410184.0001
Palgrave Studies in Religion, Politics, and Policy
Series Editors: Ted G. Jelen and Mark J. Rozell
A generation ago, many social scientists regarded religion as an anachronism, whose social,
economic, and political importance would inevitably wane and disappear in the fact of the
inexorable forces of modernity. Of course, nothing of the sort has occurred; indeed, the public
role of religion is resurgent in US domestic politics, in other nations, and in the international
arena. Today, religion is widely acknowledged to be a key variable in candidate nominations,
platforms, and elections; it is recognized as a major influence on domestic and foreign poli-
cies. National religious movements as diverse as the Christian Right in the United States and
the Taliban in Afghanistan are important factors in the internal politics of particular nations.
Moreover, such transnational religious actors as Al-Qaida, Falun Gong, and the Vatican have
had important effects on the politics and policies of nations around the world.
Palgrave Studies in Religion, Politics, and Policy serves a growing niche in the discipline of
political science. This subfield has proliferated rapidly during the past two decades, and has
generated an enormous amount of scholarly studies and journalistic coverage. Five years ago,
the journal Politics and Religion was created; in addition, works relating to religion and poli-
tics have been the subject of many articles in more general academic journals. The number
of books and monographs on religion and politics has increased tremendously. In the past,
many social scientists dismissed religion as a key variable in politics and government.
This series casts a broad net over the subfield, providing opportunities for scholars at all
levels to publish their works with Palgrave. The series publishes monographs in all subfields
of political science, including American Politics, Public Policy, Public law, Comparative
politics, International relations, and Political Theory.
The principal focus of the series is the public role of religion. “Religion” is construed
broadly to include public opinion, religious institutions, and the legal frameworks under
which religious politics are practiced. The “dependent variable” in which we are interested
is politics, defined broadly to include analyses of the public sources and consequences of reli-
gious belief and behavior. These would include matters of public policy, as well as variations
in the practice of political life. We welcome a diverse range of methodological perspectives,
provided that the approaches taken are intellectually rigorous.
The series does not deal with works of theology, in that arguments about the validity or
utility of religious beliefs are not a part of the series focus. Similarly, the authors of works
about the private or personal consequences of religious belief and behavior, such as personal
happiness, mental health, or family dysfunction, should seek other outlets for their writings.
Although historical perspectives can often illuminate our understanding of modern politi-
cal phenomena, our focus in the Religion, Politics, and Policy series is on the relationship
between the sacred and the political in contemporary societies.
Titles include:
Sabrina P. Ramet
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN POLISH HISTORY: POLITICS, RELIGION, AND
CULTURAL RESISTANCE
Pasquale Ferrara
GLOBAL RELIGIONS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: A DIPLOMATIC
PERSPECTIVE
Karin Fry
BEYOND RELIGIOUS RIGHT AND SECULAR LEFT RHETORIC: THE ROAD TO
COMPROMISE
Joel A. Carpenter and Kevin R. den Dulk (editors)
CHRISTIANITY IN CHINESE PUBLIC LIFE: RELIGION, SOCIETY, AND THE RULE
OF LAW
DOI: 10.1057/9781137410184.0001
Christianity in
Chinese Public Life:
Religion, Society, and
the Rule of Law
Edited by
Joel A. Carpenter
and
Kevin R. den Dulk
DOI: 10.1057/9781137410184.0001
christianity in chinese public life
© Joel A. Carpenter and Kevin R. den Dulk, 2014.
Individual chapters © the contributors, 2014.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-42787-8
All rights reserved.
First published in 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
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this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
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Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN: 978–1–137–41018–4 PDF
ISBN: 978-1-349-49125-4
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from
the Library of Congress.
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
First edition: 2014
www.palgrave.com/pivot
doi: 10.1057/9781137410184
To Bob and Alice Evans
Wonderful mentors
DOI: 10.1057/9781137410184.0001
Contents
List of Illustrations viii
Personal Acknowledgments ix
Notes on Contributors xi
Introduction 1
Joel A. Carpenter and Kevin R. den Dulk
1 Remaking the Civic Space: The Rise of
Unregistered Protestantism and Civic
Engagement in Urban China 11
Li Ma and Jin Li
2 Belief, Ethnicity, and State:
Christianity of Koreans in Northeastern
China and Their Ethnic and National
Identities 29
Juhong Ai
3 The Rise of a Human Rights Studies and
Education Movement in China 45
Zhang Wei
4 The Importance of Gathering Together:
Religious Land Use in the United States
and China 57
Jennifer E. Walsh
5 Political Constitution and the Protection of
Religious Freedom: A Jurisprudential Reading
of Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution 79
Zheng Yushuang
vi DOI: 10.1057/9781137410184.0001
Contents vii
6 Religion and Rights Development in China:
A Cross-National Perspective 97
Kevin R. den Dulk
Index 124
DOI: 10.1057/9781137410184.0001
List of Illustrations
Table
1.1 Protestant practices that contradict public
policies in China 19
Figures
6.1 Rule of law ranking, selected countries (2012) 102
6.2 A simple model for rights “revolutions” 105
6.3 Attorneys per 100,000 residents, selected
countries (2010/2011) 113
viii DOI: 10.1057/9781137410184.0002
Personal Acknowledgments
Every book has its story. This one began with an interna-
tional seminar held in China during June of 2011. Most of
the chapter authors participated in that seminar, and we first
discussed co-publishing at that time. That seminar also has a
story; it was part of a series of such projects, all sponsored by
the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).
The CCCU’s operating partners for this seminar were the
Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity, an agency
of Calvin College; and the Plowshares Institute, an inter-
national peace-promoting organization based in Simsbury,
Connecticut. The project also enjoyed the co-sponsorship
and financial support of the Paul B. Henry Institute for the
Study of Christianity and Politics, another agency of Calvin
College. We are grateful to these institutions and their lead-
ers, notably Dr. Mimi Barnard, who was then vice president
for research and professional development at the CCCU.
Mimi assisted in the planning and fund-raising for the semi-
nar and she joined us for much of our time in China. Her
support and advocacy proved to be invaluable.
The staff of the Plowshares Institute capably handled the
lion’s share of logistics for this seminar. We are especially
indebted to Plowshares’ leaders Bob and Alice Evans, who
coordinated the team’s visits and conversations in China.
Their many contacts throughout the churches, universities,
and government offices gave us access to leaders at all lev-
els. Even more, Bob and Alice gave from their great stores
of energy, good cheer, and wisdom about group dynamics.
They served us with amazing grace and patience, even
when some of us lacked both.
DOI: 10.1057/9781137410184.0003 ix