Fortress Press

"Kim-kwong Chan has produced a valuable and informative deep-dive into Christianity in China from 1949 to the present. Based on four decades of observation, he gives insight to how the atheist-grounded, socialist Chinese government reshapes the way Christianity is handled and affects the social and institutional response of Christianity as it interacts both theologically and institutionally with the government and society. The book also describes the unfolding of Chinese Christianity that may impact the global church in the years to come."

"Based on his four-decades of observing China, Kim-kwong Chan, a sinologist and theologian, provides a unique perspective for reading Christianity in China in the context of China since the late 1970s. He gives refreshing insights on the spirituality and rapid growth of the Chinese Christian community. His volume includes not only the Protestants but also the Catholics and the Orthodox in China as well. A must-read for the students of Christianity in contemporary China."

"From his unique observation post in Hong Kong, Kim-kwong Chan has spent the last four decades visiting with, studying, and analyzing the rebirth of the Christian movement in post-Cultural Revolution China. In Understanding World Christianity: China, he integrates his massive storehouse of historical, sociological, and demographic data in a sober, objective, and most insightful report—by far the best overview we now have of the diverse, vital, and growing church in the world’s largest country."

"This book is the finest scholarly account in English of the growth and varieties of Christianity in contemporary China. The author visited Christian churches and talked to leaders and believers in all of the regions of China and among Christianized ethnic minorities during repeated visits over the past forty years. He also illuminates the complex and changing relationships between the state and various rural and urban Christian groups during this period. His training in both sociology and theology, and his decades of conversations, research, teaching, and participant observation throughout China, make this book a unique and exceptionally valuable resource. Highly recommended."

"This is the most complete, comprehensive, and balanced overview of Christianity in China, drawing on a lifetime of scholarly activity and field research in all of China’s provinces, covering all branches and movements among Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox. It is an essential resource for the general public, for church communities, and for academics and experts alike."