The Research Of Protestantism Identity And Localization

This paper study on a special group of Protestantism in China, which has been called “house church”.In the first chapter, the concept of “house church” will be explained. Through tracking the religious history and religious policy released by the government, and also by observing the religious practice in open church and house church, this chapter will give the answer about how the notion of “house church ” was created.Then the author intended to put forward and solve two questions.1.Can we find out a religious paradigm that represent the whole Protestantism group in China?2.For a specific “house church” group is there any way for us to get a whole picture of their faith and religious practice?The second chapter start to answer the first question through existing research. By reading different levels of researches about Protestantism and “house church”, this article try to display several special treat of the protestant group in China, such as its consistent heterogeneity. Thus we came into a conclusion for the first question that pin down a paradigm for the protestants in China is such a huge task that almost impossible to be done.The third chapter intended to answer the second question which focus on the field work in ZS house church. Starting from the structural elements, such as the meetings, rituals and the members. By recording the songs, bible reading and discussion, along with face to face interview with the believers, try to get general idea about how this religion influenced their value and secular life.The fourth and fifth chapter focus on two specific issues, identity and localization, which would help to supplement the complete image of the religion based on the believers’ recognition.The reason why I choose these two supplemental issue is that they are both kind of basement of the answer for the second question. Identity could seen as a original element for the existence of a house church. And for localization, it not only because Protestantism in china is part of the global scale expanding of Protestantism, but also, within the ZS church, many members was baptized oversea, so these tensions between traditional culture and Christian culture were more obvious.In chapter four, the main discussion about identity is has been displayed in different levels, as a Christian, as a Protestant, as a house church member. The discussion about identity is not just focused on identity, but in order to give ideas about how different levels of identity shapes the believers behaviors, in the missionary work or in the donation. And believers’ actions on these events will give us more details to complete the idea of their faith.The chapter that discusses about localization gives several unique cases undergoing in the ZS house church, which also fit the trend in the globe discussed in other researches, which will give opinion that, the collision between local culture and Christianity will creates new particularities. Some treats on one side of the culture will be rewrite and changed into new treats that is viable in both traditional and outside culture. To discover these treats and find out how they were created is also a structural supplement for the house church and the believer’s recognition.By these discussion we came to the conclusion of the two questions. For the first one, a paradigm for the protestants in China, it is too complicated to achieve in just one research. For the second question, it is considered that a specific “house church” could be described in an ethnography, both its structure or its believers’ faith and practice.