From China to the U.S

This study examines how the historical and ecclesiastical development of the Local Church movement from China to the U.S. has led to a complex entanglement that extends beyond issues such as anti-denominationalism, patriarchy, and even modalism. By tracing the defense mechanisms that arise from controversies surrounding its heterodoxies, it offers a compelling and disruptive contrast to the dominant discourse on the Local Church in academia, thereby restoring the neglected historical and theological development of the movement. By analyzing the intersection of the Local Church’s ecclesiology and spiritual formation, it becomes clear that as the church seeks to establish its dominant discourse, aiming to favorably evaluate its leaders and validate its orthodoxy, it ultimately undermines its hermeneutics and perpetuates an exclusionary religious system. This study offers both historical and contemporary perspectives that facilitate a critical examination of the Local Church movement, as its theological developments and practices continue to exert a profound influence worldwide

China · Christianity · Contrast (vision) · Ecclesiology · Hermeneutics · Local church · Christian Theology and Mission · Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies · Religion and Society Interactions