Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This volume interrogates what relates and unifies the diverse religious groups claiming a Christian identity in southern China: How can one explain the variety of this tradition while considering its potential cohesion? Can social science provide a coherent model to characterize Christianity as a whole? The book borrows methodological insights from Actor-Network Theory to develop an analytical framework to conceive of the Christian phenomenon. In so doing, it offers a comparative model for the study of religion. This book particularly discusses ethnographic data from five Christian denominations in one small city of southern China (Fujian Province) to exemplify the debates with which the author engages in the Anthropology of Christianity, Comparative Theology, and the social sciences more broadly.
Synopsis
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Building Churches on Chinese Soil
Chapter 3: Chanting and Listening Together in the Face of the Lord
Chapter 4: Revealing the Church through Elderly Care
Chapter 5: Giving Thanks to God: Thanksgiving in the Gospel Church
Chapter 6: The Bloody Business of Christian Conversion
Chapter 7: Conclusion - The Tree of Life