Central Hunan Lutheran Church's Progress toward Self-Reliance (1902-1951)

A Study Based on the Archives of the Norwegian Missionary Society

Bibliographic Data

ID3249698
AuthorsWuna Zhou (0009-0009-7742-1288, Hunan University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume14
Issue9
Pages1135
Publication date2023-09-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel14091135
OpenAlexW4386416257
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited8

In 1902, the Norwegian Missionary Society (NMS) sent its first missionaries to central Hunan, China, to preach and set up a local Lutheran Church. Missionaries in China traditionally had a sense of religious superiority. At that time, Chinese Christians were experiencing a series of national crises, and their desire for self-reliance correlated with a rise in the national consciousness. Hunan's Christians demanded autonomy for the Church, causing tension with the Western missionaries' sense of superiority. The Central Hunan Lutheran Church realized a balanced transfer of authority through contradiction and dialogue. The establishment of a Chinese and Western Council aided gradual realization of Hunan Christians' demand for self-reliance, and in 1922, the rise of an anti-Christian movement with strong anti-imperialist sentiments triggered further moves toward Church independence. However, local churches faced many difficulties and progress was slow, owing to the economic situation, the lack of material foundation, local Christians' weak theological foundation and a highly mobile population. This article examines how Christians in Hunan responded to the huge gap between their own will and the conditions they faced, illustrating the historical process of cross-cultural cooperation as cultures collided

Autonomy · China · Contradiction · Norwegian · Political science · Population · Sociology · Chinese history and philosophy · Demography · Law · Philosophy · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity · Religious studies · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies

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