Studies On The Communicative Mechanism Of Civic Christianity And Production Of Its Significance System

This research is a case study on a Nanjing house church called "Ling Liang Church". Based on fieldwork, the author seeks to observe and experience a panorama of the life in the church in a personalized perspective.This paper analyzes Nanjing Christian community in a communicational perspective under the theoretical framework of significance system and group communication. It focuses mainly on the group communication strategies and interactive mechanism, discusses believers’personal identification in the group, their daily practices, the group communicative mechanism of the house church, and the communication and interaction between the believers during collective communication and activities.This research reveals the communication strategies used by many civic house church as follows:to promote Christian pervasion through social networks in modern society; to interpret Christian significance system and to implant daily ethics in secular lives through the meaning and discourse construction of the opinion leaders; to transfer the believers’daily lives into ritual significance connection through symbols, all-in scenarios and joint affections in rite communication. On the other hand, the believers’personal interactions with the group consistently facilitate the re-production of the significance system. Through the group sharing of daily experiences, the joint witness of divine revelation, and the verbal religious supports, the reverse communication from the bottom to the top is achieved. In the meaning, it provide daily interpersonal aids in the group activities, actively devotes in the practice of rules and taboos, and assumes the responsibilities to preach the gospel. Thus, significance system produced by the authority and rite communication construct the group border, so that the believers with homogenous value, language, logic and behavior modes are formed. On the other hand, the re-production of the signicance system by the believers re-constructs the border of Christian community, thus reinforces the community’s recognition.In general, the production of significance system is actually a process of religious-internalization. The consistent satisfaction of religious demand functionally promotes the communication of Christianity in cities, also provides a possibility that constructs a common religion beyond personal level.