Estimates of the number of Christians in China vary from 16 million to 200 million. Because of the Chinese government’s often hostile approach to religion, getting a credible count has been nearly impossible. Now, in a recent First Things article (First Things, May 2011, pp. 14-16), three Baylor sociologists claim they have arrived at a reasonably accurate count, and they place the number at 70 million.
When the Communists came to power in 1949, there were about one million … [Read More]
How Many Chinese Christians Are There?
Out of Mao’s Shadow
Out of Mao’s Shadow
Reviewed By: Bruce Riley Ashford
Recently, I had opportunity to read Philip Pan’s Out of Mao’s Shadow. I had always wondered how the Chinese government managed to steer its mammoth populace toward a decade of globally unprecedented growth. Now I know, but almost wish I didn’t. In the book, Pan gives us the “no holds barred” narrative of recent Chinese history, and in particular China’s attempt to balance its version of capitalism with its … [Read More]
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Global Context (China): Chinese Lessons
Global Context (East Asia-China): Chinese Lessons
By: Bruce Riley Ashford
This series of posts deals with the global context in its many dimensions-historical, social, cultural, political, economic, and religious. We will provide book notices, book reviews, and brief essays on these topics. We hope that you will find this series helpful as you live and bear witness in a complex and increasingly hyper-connected world.
Chinese Lessons is a lively, witty, and intimate portrait of five Chinese nationals who … [Read More]
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Global Context (International): The World is Flat 3.0
This series of posts deals with the global context in its many dimensions-historical, social, cultural, political, economic, and religious. We will provide book notices, book reviews, and brief essays on these topics. We hope that you will find this series helpful as you live and bear witness in a complex and increasingly hyper-connected world.
Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century was written in the context of his taking over … [Read More]
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Global Context (International): The Clash of Civilizations
This series of posts deals with the global context in its historical, social, cultural, political, economic, demographic, and religious dimensions in particular. We will provide book notices, book reviews, and brief essays on these topics. We hope that you will find this series helpful as you live and bear witness in an increasingly complex and hyper-connected world.
Here’s a tip: If you care anything at all about global issues, and you haven’t read Samuel Huntington’s The … [Read More]
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