Mary Li Ma
Mary Li Ma (MA Li) holds a PhD in sociology from Cornell University.
Currently a research fellow at the Henry Institute of Christianity and Public Life at Calvin University, Dr. Ma and her husband LI Jin have coauthored articles, book chapters, and are the authors of Surviving the State, Remaking the Church: A Sociological Portrait of Christians in Mainland China. They have guest edited several issues of the ChinaSource Quarterly.
Dr. Ma is also the author of The Chinese Exodus: A Theology of Migration, Urbanism and Alienation in Contemporary China, Religious Entrepreneurism in China's Urban House Churches: The Rise and Fall of Early Rain Reformed Presbyterian Church, and 通往阿斯兰的国度：C.S.路易斯《纳尼亚传奇》导读, a theological guide to C.S.Lewis’s Narnia series in the Chinese language.
Dr. Ma is a columnist on social and economic issues for Caixin.com and blogs at Theology and Society.
Lead Article
The Church’s Greatest Crisis Comes from Inside
With the lack of pastoral ethics and recent church expansion, the use of power often becomes a problem. The causes of power abuse and the church’s response are explored.
The Chinese Exodus
Migration, Urbanism and Alienation in Contemporary China
A sociological analysis as well as a theological discussion of China’s internal migration since the marketization reform in 1978.
Advantages and Challenges for Indigenous Researchers (2)
The Challenges
Four challenges that indigenous researchers face in researching the church in China.
Advantages and Challenges for Indigenous Researchers (1)
The Advantages
Access, trust, and past immersion in essential related fields are three advantages enjoyed by two indigenous Chinese researchers.
Why Every Returnee Should Read This Book
Very few returnees are informed realistically about the situations and challenges they will face both in the broader context and in the culture of the church when they return to China. This book can help.