Chapter 3 Between Interests and Politics
The Changing Status of Two Protestant Churches in China’s Tricolor Religious Market
In: Shades of Gray in the Changing Religious Markets of ChinaSearch for other papers by Hui in
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Abstract
This chapter first lays out the theoretical background of the tri-colored religious market before detailing the situation of Christian churches in two cities (in Shanxi and Henan) have developed over the last three decades. The analysis of these churches shows how religious groups at times move down the colored continuum. Church leaders in both cities have led congregations in crossing the boundary of the red and gray markets by deregistering a congregation, which has led to varying levels of state suppression. Results of such transitions can at times be quite paradoxical, such as in one case discussed in this chapter in which a three-self church, home to the city’s official patriotic association office, decided to leave the tspm. In this instance, for a period of time, the city tspm/ccc office was housed in an unregistered church building.