Christianity in China: Could China Become the 'Largest Christian Country in the World?'
According to new reports and calculations, China, which is officially atheist, is quickly becoming a Christian country.
The Telegraph recently spoke to Fenggang Yang. Yang is a professor of sociology at Purdue. His focus is on China and religion, as he is the author of "Religion in China: Suvival and Revival under Communist Rule." He discussed his predictions with The Telegraph.
"By my calculations China is destined to become the largest Christian country in the world very soon. It is going to be less than a generation. Not many people are prepared for this dramatic change," the professor and author said.
Yang went on to provide some historical context, saying, "Mao thought he could eliminate religion. He thought he had accomplished this. It's ironic – they didn't. They actually failed completely."
There are thousands legal churches in China currently, they are part of China's officially sanctioned churches, according to The Telegraph. These churches allow China's government to oversee the church to some extent. One of these such churches is in a town called Liushi. And the preacher of that church, Ms Shi, recently sat down for an interview with The Telegraph.
"We have two motivations: one is our gospel mission and the other is serving society. Christianity can also play a role in maintaining peace and stability in society. Without God, people can do as they please," the preacher said.
A patron of the Liushi Church, Jin Hongixn, also spoke up, saying she finds confidence in Christian worship, despite the oversight of China's government.
"It is a wonderful thing to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It gives us great confidence. If everyone in China believed in Jesus then we would have no more need for police stations. There would be no more bad people and therefore no more crime," she said.