Nationalism and Chinese Protestant Christianity: From Anti-imperialism to Islamophobia

Abstract

AbstractViewing the historical development of Chinese Christianity, this chapter argues that, far from being a static concept, nationalism has constantly been constructed and interpreted. Subject to different political and economic contexts, the patriotism of Chinese Christians has taken various forms. From the early twentieth century until the 1950s, their nationalism was primarily anti-imperialist. Following the Communist Party’s assumption of power in 1949, Chinese Protestants split into two groups based on theological differences and distinct understandings of patriotism. Since China’s ‘opening up’ in 1979, the country has experienced an unexpected Christian revival and a corresponding rise in nationalism. Since the 1990s, a new wave of nationalist sentiment has emerged, one that has fashioned Muslims as a new Other.