Belief Identity And National Identity

Based on German archival sources and the methodology of "glocalization",this dissertation analyzes the independence process of Chinese Christians of the Basel Mission in the Hakka area of Guangdong Province.Furthermore,it investigates the Basel Mission against the background of the "Sinicization of Christianity".The dissertation follows the line of the Hakka Christians' belief and national identity and retraces the change of the Hakka Christians' identity from the Boxer Uprising,the Revolution of 1911,the May Fourth Movement to the Anti-Christian Movement.It also discusses the interaction between the individual Christians' identity and the change of the church system.The first chapter provides an overview over the Protestant missionary societies in 19th century China and examines the difference between German and British-American missionary societies in order to highlight the peculiarity and additional value of Basel Mission.In addition,this chapter focuses on the establishment of Basel Mission and the overview of the work of the Basel missionaries in China.It analyzes the rigid hierarchy and discipline of Basel Mission against the background of pietism,so as to pave the way to discuss the changing of the church system and the Christians' identity.The second chapter is based on the "iParish Rules of Basel Mission".,and analyzes the different conceptions of Christian life between the missionaries and the local Christians from the two angels of child marriage and ancestor worship,in order to reveal the contradiction between belief identity and the traditional culture of the Hakka Christians.Since the 19th century was the germination period of the church's independence,this chapter introduces the discussions of the mission board about"Self-supporting" in the late 1870s and their initial attempts and failures in aspect of church system.In this time,Songtou parish launched the first independence campaign in the Hakka's history.The author also analyzes the causes,results and the further consequences of this campaign and he explores the reasons for its failure.The third chapter is particularly marked by the major events of the Boxer Uprising,the Revolution of 1911 and World War I.On the one hand,it focuses on the rising national identity of Hakka Christians,and on the other hand,it explores the mission board's and missionaries' advancement of the church system.In that time,the foundations for an independent Hakka Church were laid,benefitting from measures and ideas as diverse as the original missionary thought of independence or the publication of the "Organization of the Chinese Mission-church" in China.This chapter also addresses the repercussions of World War I on the independence process,since the activities of Basel Mission were heavily affected due to its German origin and missionary activities in China were reduced for a while.The author discusses the subject of independence through the lens of the stop of the Church system and the shaking of the Christians' religious belief,in order to highlight the biggest difference between Basel Mission and British-American missionary societies.The fourth chapter focuses on the establishment of Chongzhen Church.After the May Fourth Movement,Chinese Christians started to accept the conception of"Chinese Church"."Indigenization" became a consensus among Chinese Christian circles.National identity had become the main identity of Hakka Christians,which was reflected by the establishment of Chongzhen Church.This chapter introduces the preparatory process for establishing Chongzhen Church,it analyzes the unequal relation between Basel Mission and the new church and it examines how the model of"semi-independence" affected the development of early Chongzhen Church.Moreover,the "Parish Rules of the Chinese Protestant Chongzhen Church" is introduced and compared with the "Parish Rules of Basel Mission" in relation to Christian marriage regulations such as the child marriage problem,in order to analyze how this loosened church discipline influences the Christians' identity.The fifth chapter discusses the Chongzhen Church and the influence the Anti-Christian Movement had upon it:Since the consequences of the 1920s Anti-Christian Movement surpassed any movements of this kind.Chongzhen Church and the Hakka Christians were forced to reconsider how to survive and to rethink their attitudes towards national politics.The way Hakka Christians dealt with this was to combine their national identity with belief identity and to build the identity of"Christian Chinese".The total independence of Chongzhen Church means the church has separated from missionary society.This chapter will also analyze the model of"Chinese-Western equal cooperation" upon the independence.In the conclusion part,the author provides further analysis of Basel Missions model of independence and the Hakka Christians' change of identity.