Tag: Religious Policy
View From the Wall
Is Persecution Worsening?
Perspectives on the Changing Religious Policy Environment in China
Is persecution in China increasing? Two house church leaders, one who was imprisoned in a labor camp for a few years, and the other who is a Chinese scholar with strengths in theological education and the history of the Chinese church, give their viewpoints on this topic.
Resource Corner
Regulations on Religious Affairs
国家宗教事务局-- Decree of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China No. 426
Becoming familiar with China’s regulations on religious affairs can provide an official reference point for informed discussion on this issue.
Book Reviews
Closing a Perception/Reality Gap
A Book Review
Religious Freedom in China: Policy, Administration, and Regulation; A Research Handbook by Kim-kwong Chan and Eric R. Carlson
Reviewed by Brent Fulton
This volume provides reliable information about religious policy and its implementation in China.
Supporting Article
The Present Condition of Christianity and Religious Regulations in China
Huang Jianbo looks at China's basic understanding of religion which affects the formulation and execution of its religious policies. To date, the state has believed that religion is a problem although it has never explicitly stated what kind of problem. The author identifies three possible ways in which the government might perceive religion to be a problem. He then offers three suggestions for altering the thinking and implementing of policies. He concludes by affirming religious policies in China have improved greatly over the past thirty years.
Lead Article
Religious Policies in China
Defining Normal
As this article looks at the three key government documents that address religion in China, it focuses on the use of the word "normal." It looks at the definition of normal, the restrictions the government regulations actually place and the thinking that undergirds the regulations. The principals underlying them are discussed as well as the distinction between belief and practice.