A Study On The Sinicization Of Christianity From The Perspective Of Sociaist Religious Therory With Chinese Characteristics

In the new era,in order to better guide religions to adapt to the socialist society,the state has put forward the requirement that religions in China should adhere to the orientation of Chinese characteristics.As foreign religion introduced into China in modern times,Christianity has been widely disseminated in China,especially after the reform and opening up;it has developed rapidly,and has a large group basis.Hence it is inevitable to promote the Sinicization of Christianity,and to have it better adapt to our socialist society.Cutting in from the perspective of sociaist religious therory with Chinese characteristics,this dissertation takes 5 Shanghai’s grass-roots churches-respectively Jingling Church,Hongde Hall Church,and Jiangwan Church in Hongkou District,Zb Church in Jing’an district,and Gospel Church in Minhang District-as examples to carry out the research,and analyze the current situation of the development of Christianity in nowadays’ China and the progress of the Sinicization of Christianity from the micro level,in order to provide some useful insights into the overall progress.Starting from the background,this article analyzes the historical background,policy background,and era background of the Sinicization of Christianity policy.By focusing on the key elements during the Sinicization,it uses detailed data and examples to describe the political and cultural identity,the social integration and adaptation,and economic self-support of the above mentioned five Shanghai Churches;and analyzes their main achievements,existing problems and the backup reasons from the selected theoretical perspective.This dissertation holds that the Five Churches: keep a high degree of agreement with the Party and the government in political identity,correctly handle the relationship with foreign Christianity,and coordinate with the existing order in strength and practice;In terms of cultural integration,it actively explores the basic Christian doctrines,canons and precepts expounded after the infiltration of excellent Chinese culture,and reconstructs itself in the criticism and transformation of the dregs of Chinese culture,which has initially formed a Christian belief content system with Chinese culture as the base color.In terms of social adaptation,the church has been integrated into the society by carrying out charity activities and assuming social responsibilities,so that the sociality of the church has been developed to a certain extent,and a good image has been established in the society.In terms of economic self-support,with the support of government policies and without the urgent need to undertake social functions on a large scale,it can basically self-support and have a slight surplus by relying only on the donations of disciples,laying a solid economic foundation for the transition from “Christianity in China” to “Chinese Christianity”.To sum up,this paper argues that,from the perspective of sociaist religious therory with Chinese characteristics,with more than 40 years of development after the reform and opening up,Shanghai Christianity,represented by a sample of the above 5 churches,has basically achieved economic self-reliance and its initial Sinicization,it has been recognized by the majority of its disciples and surrounding people,and has identified with Chinese society in terms of political identity,cultural integration,and social adaptation.This means that the Shanghai "Three-Self-reliance" church(or church within the system)has initially changed from "Christianity in China" to "Chinese Christianity" and continues to develop.Of course,there are still some problems and constraints in the Sinicization of Christianity in China,which need to be resolved through further sinicization,but the focus should be on political identity,and the long-term stability of our country and the well-being of the people.The goal is to appropriate the share and development rhythm of Christianity in contemporary Chinese politics,culture and society,keep it under the framework of religion following politics and governance,make it resonate with the pace of our country’s economic and social development,and achieve prosperity and progress hand in hand.