Open AccessFamilial Conversion: A Case Study on the Ethical-Religious Role of the Household in the Mass Conversion of Wenzhou Christians
Author(s) -
Jieke Zhang
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of sino-western studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2242-2471
pISSN - 1799-8204
DOI - 10.37819/ijsws.20.107
Subject(s) - religious conversion , existentialism , indigenous , china , christianity , conversion factor , sociology , political science , law , religious studies , philosophy , ecology , biology , physics , quantum mechanics
This article explores the familial conversion which has cumulative impact on the mass conversion of Wenzhou Christians after 194 9. Acknowledging the dramatic revival of Christianity in Wenzhou following reform and opening in China by no means precludes recognizing the hidden upsurge of conversion events before 1978. Through a ease study on the congregation of Qingpu Church in Heyang area of Wenzhou > I hope to demonstrate that the familial aspect of conversion in the form of household units> rather than individual conversions> is the key to understanding the conversion of Wenzhou Christians. The article argues that the oneness of family derived from the emotional and responsible relationships within it, along with the process of the conversion ritual, constitute the ethical-religious role of the household > which contributes to the emergence of familial conversion. This preliminary study attempts to draw more attention to family,an essential ethical and even existential cultural factor in Chinese society. It is through the family that we may come to better understand the indigenous development of Christianity in China.