Citizens of Two Kingdoms: Civil Society and Christian Religion in Greater China

Description

This book examines the complex relationships of civil society and Christianity in Greater China. Different authors investigate to what extent Christians demonstrate the quality of civic virtues and reflect on the difficulties of applying civil society theories to Chinese societies. Half Title Series Information Title Page Copyright Page Contents Illustrations Abbreviations and Acronyms Notes on Contributors Introduction: Exploring the Relation of Civil Society Theories to Chinese Christian Realities 1 The State of Civil Society Discourse 2 Continuing the Civil Society Discourse in Chinese Contexts 3 Conclusion References Part 1 An Overview of Civil Society and Christian Religion in Greater China Chapter 1 Civil Societies and Christianities in a Diverse and Changing China 1 Varieties of Civil Society 2 Christianities in China 3 The Chinese Macro Context 4 Meso and Micro Contexts 5 Xi Jinping and the Stifling of Diversity 6 Christianities and Transcendence References Chapter 2 The Christian Church as a Civil Society Organization: A Preliminary Survey of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan 1 Civil Society, the Church as a Civil Society Organization, and the Civil Society Index 2 Structural Characteristics of the Christian Church 3 Political and Legal Environment for the Christian Church 4 Values 5 Impact 5.1 Political Engagement and Civic Activism 5.2 Social Services 6 Conclusions References Part 2 Mainland China Chapter 3 Possibilities for Civic Virtue and Sentiments of Citizenship among Christians in Mainland China 1 Civic Virtue 1.1 Philanthropy 1.2 Variations 2 Obedience to the Law and Citizenship 2.1 Variations 2.3 Reactions to Official Persecution 3 Conclusion References Chapter 4 Reducing the Burden of Religious Activities: On Propaganda, Social Action, and the Role of Christian Churches in Civil Society References Chapter 5 Crossing over the Line: Obtrusive Neon-Light Crosses, New Religious Laws, and Quandaries over Civil Society in the Contemporary People’s Republic of China 1 Enduring Theoretical Tremors: Initial Concerns about Cross Demolitions and New Religious Affairs Regulations 1.1 Contested Legal Status for Public Christian Religious Expression in Wenzhou? 1.2 What Is So Obtrusive about Wenzhou Crosses? Crossing over the Line Religiously 1.3 Questions about the Legal Conditions for the “Right Not to Believe Religion” 1.4 Legal Bottlenecks: Social Harmony without Public Religious Expression? 1.5 Post-Mao Era Secularism in a Post-Secular prc Cultural Environment: Crossing over the Line Politically 2 Postscript: The Legalization of the 2016 Draft Law and Its Cultural Implications for Civil Society in Mainland China in 2018 References Part 3 Hong Kong Chapter 6 The Liberalizing Role of Startups in Hong Kong Religion and Politics 1 Corporatism, Startups, and Hong Kong Politics 2 Hong Kong Political Culture 3 Entrepreneurialism in Religion and ngo Startups 3.1 Story 1: Innovation 3.2 Story 2: Individual Interest 4 Entrepreneurialism in Politics and Party Startups 4.1 Story 3: Proliferation 5 The Liberalizing Rationale and Role of Startups 6 Conclusion References Chapter 7 The Catholic Church and Civil Society in Hong Kong: Contributions of the Hong Kong Catholic Commission for Labor Affairs 1 Introduction 2 Nature and Functions of Civil Society 3 Understanding of Civil Society and Participation from a Catholic Perspective 4 The Role of Religion in Civil Society 5 Catholic Church and Civil Society 6 Catholic Church and Civil Society: The Case of the hkccla 7 The hkccla’s Contributions to Strengthening and Expanding Civil Society 7.1 The Empowerment of Workers and Civic Engagement 7.2 Promoting a More Egalitarian Ethos and Holistic Development of Workers 7.3 Providing a More Communitarian Moral Vision 7.4 Bridge-Building between Workers and Religious Adherents 7.5 Nurturing Civic Virtues through Formation Program 8 Limitations 9 Conclusion References Chapter 8 Christians and Building Civil Society in Hong Kong: The Case of the Occupy Movement 1 Introduction 2 Theoretical Framework: Civic Community, Civic Virtue, and Civility 3 Background: Constitutional Reform and Christian Participation in Hong Kong 4 Christians and Building Civil Society in the Occupy Movement 4.1 Civic Engagement 4.2 Political Equality 4.3 Solidarity, Trust, and Tolerance 4.4 Civic Associations 5 Postscript: Continuity between the Occupy Movement and the Anti-Extradition Bill Protests in 2019 References Part 4 Taiwan and Macau Chapter 9 Christianity and Civic Participation in Taiwan: A Globalization Perspective 1 What Role Did the Churches Play in Democratization? 2 Civic Activism by the pct and Its Rivals 3 Catholic Engagement and Internal Disputes 4 “Joseph’s Brothers” 5 Churches under Democracy 6 In Search of Fundamentals in Light of Roland Robertson’s Globalization Theory References Chapter 10 The Macau Roman Catholic Church and Its Limited Involvement in Civil Society 1 Introduction 2 Macau: Early Settlement and Becoming a Colony 3 The “Passive” Colonial Policy of Portuguese 3.1 The December 3 Riot and Its Sociopolitical Impact 4 Development and Problems after the Handover 5 Macau Catholic Church: Past and Present 6 Catholic Social Doctrines and the Direction of Church Civic Participation 7 Catholic Civic Participation in Macau 8 The Small Size of Macanese Society as a Social Reality 9 Concluding Remarks References Part 5 Alternative Conception of Civil Society? Chapter 11 Rejecting the Civil Society Paradigm: Chinese Christian Values and China’s Hegemonic Discourse 1 The Limits of the Civil Society Paradigm 2 Christians and Civil Society 3 Hegemony and Consensus 4 Regulatory Frameworks 5 Adopting Government Discourse 6 Civil Society and the Rule of Law—Overstepping the Boundaries 7 Conclusion References Index