Archbishop of Canterbury to view Christian growth in China firsthand
-02/08/06
The extr
Archbishop of Canterbury to view Christian growth in China firsthand
-02/08/06
The extraordinary expansion of religion in China and the challenges it poses for both the government and faith communities will be highlighted when the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, visits China in the autumn of 2006.
Lambeth Palace announced the visit, which has been mooted for some time, yesterday. The trip is at the invitation of the senior leadership of the post-denominational Protestant Church in China. It will take in five cities, including the capital, Beijing.
Dr Williamsí visit follows on from the long-term relations developed by other Anglican, Protestant and Catholic churches and agencies through the official ecumenical body, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
One of the Archbishopís senior staff joined a CTBI visit to China in late 2004 ñ the first such delegation to meet with both Catholic and Protestant Church leaders. In China the two major branches of Christianity are defined by the state as different religions, and ecumenical relations are less developed.
Dr Williams, who is spiritual head of the 77 million worldwide Anglican Communion, will make his visit from 8 – 23 October, starting in Shanghai before continuing inland. It is intended to provide a deeper understanding of the church in China and the varied and fast-changing context in which it is developing.
The wide-ranging programme will include opportunities to engage with religious leaders, academics, government officials, NGOs and business leaders on the contemporary challenges facing both church and society. It will build on the visits of previous Archbishops of Canterbury in 1983 and 1994.
Dr Williams declared: ìI am greatly looking forward to my first direct encounter with China. I very much welcome this opportunity to come alongside the Church in China, as well as to gain a fuller appreciation of Chinaís remarkable development in recent years and its unique cultural heritage. I am most grateful to Presbyter Ji Jianhong, the Chairperson of the National Committee of the Three Self Patriotic Movement, and to the Rev Cao Shengjie, the President of the China Christian Council, for their invitation.î
A China Christian Council delegation invited by the main Christian denominations through Churches Together in Britain and Ireland was received by Archbishop Williams two years ago.
International controversy continues to surround the nature and status of the churches in China ñ with critics arguing that the official Protestant and Catholic bodies are state controlled, and that the ëgenuineí church is underground.
However religion experts say that this is a simplistic and unhelpful picture. Christianity has made great progress as a recognized faith in China, with mass Bible distribution, growing congregations, and the government wishing to see religion contributing to the ëmoral fabricí of society ñ especially given the fragmenting impact of rapid economic modernization.
However different faith groups continue to face considerable restrictions and sometimes harassment at the hands of authorities, not least some less sympathetic regional Religious Affairs Bureaus. There is open hostility to ësectsí.
Dr Williams is likely to seek publicly to affirm positive relations between the government and the churches, while diplomatically putting the case for better treatment and understanding in private meetings.
The Rev Cao Shengjie, President of the China Christian Council, led the first official delegation to a World Council of Churches meeting last year ñ the May 2005 Conference on World Mission and Evangelism.
The Chinese churches seek positive international relations and support, while vigorously stressing their own independence according to the ëthree-selfí principles of self-organisation, self-financing and self-propagation.
The legacy of missionary endeavour associated with Western expansion is often criticized in official Protestant communiquÈs, and the Chinese government has conflicted openly with the Vatican over the appointment of bishops out of communion with Rome.
[Also on Ekklesia: Chinese churches face challenges of growth; Support Chinese Christians, British and Irish churches urged; China defends new bishops against Vatican criticism; Hong Kong churches push China on democracy; China and the Vatican relations thaw again; Christian writer calls for universal suffrage in Hong Kong; Vatican attacks state-approved Chinese bishops; Hong Kong churches back democracy call; China urged to give official recognition to Judaism]
Archbishop of Canterbury to view Christian growth in China firsthand
-02/08/06
The extraordinary expansion of religion in China and the challenges it poses for both the government and faith communities will be highlighted when the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, visits China in the autumn of 2006.
Lambeth Palace announced the visit, which has been mooted for some time, yesterday. The trip is at the invitation of the senior leadership of the post-denominational Protestant Church in China. It will take in five cities, including the capital, Beijing.
Dr Williamsí visit follows on from the long-term relations developed by other Anglican, Protestant and Catholic churches and agencies through the official ecumenical body, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
One of the Archbishopís senior staff joined a CTBI visit to China in late 2004 ñ the first such delegation to meet with both Catholic and Protestant Church leaders. In China the two major branches of Christianity are defined by the state as different religions, and ecumenical relations are less developed.
Dr Williams, who is spiritual head of the 77 million worldwide Anglican Communion, will make his visit from 8 – 23 October, starting in Shanghai before continuing inland. It is intended to provide a deeper understanding of the church in China and the varied and fast-changing context in which it is developing.
The wide-ranging programme will include opportunities to engage with religious leaders, academics, government officials, NGOs and business leaders on the contemporary challenges facing both church and society. It will build on the visits of previous Archbishops of Canterbury in 1983 and 1994.
Dr Williams declared: ìI am greatly looking forward to my first direct encounter with China. I very much welcome this opportunity to come alongside the Church in China, as well as to gain a fuller appreciation of Chinaís remarkable development in recent years and its unique cultural heritage. I am most grateful to Presbyter Ji Jianhong, the Chairperson of the National Committee of the Three Self Patriotic Movement, and to the Rev Cao Shengjie, the President of the China Christian Council, for their invitation.î
A China Christian Council delegation invited by the main Christian denominations through Churches Together in Britain and Ireland was received by Archbishop Williams two years ago.
International controversy continues to surround the nature and status of the churches in China ñ with critics arguing that the official Protestant and Catholic bodies are state controlled, and that the ëgenuineí church is underground.
However religion experts say that this is a simplistic and unhelpful picture. Christianity has made great progress as a recognized faith in China, with mass Bible distribution, growing congregations, and the government wishing to see religion contributing to the ëmoral fabricí of society ñ especially given the fragmenting impact of rapid economic modernization.
However different faith groups continue to face considerable restrictions and sometimes harassment at the hands of authorities, not least some less sympathetic regional Religious Affairs Bureaus. There is open hostility to ësectsí.
Dr Williams is likely to seek publicly to affirm positive relations between the government and the churches, while diplomatically putting the case for better treatment and understanding in private meetings.
The Rev Cao Shengjie, President of the China Christian Council, led the first official delegation to a World Council of Churches meeting last year ñ the May 2005 Conference on World Mission and Evangelism.
The Chinese churches seek positive international relations and support, while vigorously stressing their own independence according to the ëthree-selfí principles of self-organisation, self-financing and self-propagation.
The legacy of missionary endeavour associated with Western expansion is often criticized in official Protestant communiquÈs, and the Chinese government has conflicted openly with the Vatican over the appointment of bishops out of communion with Rome.
[Also on Ekklesia: Chinese churches face challenges of growth; Support Chinese Christians, British and Irish churches urged; China defends new bishops against Vatican criticism; Hong Kong churches push China on democracy; China and the Vatican relations thaw again; Christian writer calls for universal suffrage in Hong Kong; Vatican attacks state-approved Chinese bishops; Hong Kong churches back democracy call; China urged to give official recognition to Judaism]