Study On The Later History Of The National Christian Council Of China(1945-1950):the Competition Between Faith And Politics

The National Christian Council of China was an international consultative and advisory organization for Protestant Christian groups in China, founded in1922as a successor to the China Continuation Committee. The N.C.C of China was designed as a representative body made up of delegates from missions and churches. Considering the special historical background of the War of Resistance against Japan, the Christian Movement of China had suffered a huge blow as well as gained acceptance from Chinese people because of their great devotion during the war-time, and the N.C.C of China acquired rewards because it had played a positive role in relief efforts. Thus, in generally specking Chinese Christianity would usher in another development of the "golden age" after the Anti-Japanese War. However, the development of history was not as commonly thought, shortly after the Anti-Japanese war, China was plunged into civil war and the Chinese Christianity had to combing the relationship between Christianity and political changes. There were three kinds of attitude toward the civil war among the Chinese Christianity, that is radical, neutral, and conservative. The N.C.C of China's political stance had changed three times from its establishment up to the1950s. At first, it showed kind of positive attitude to the political issues, then become neutral during the civil war and finally tried to innovate after the founding of the People's Republic, which showing the process of the contention of faith and politics.This thesis is composed of four parts. The first chapter briefly introduces the social conditions faced by the Chinese Christian community after the Anti-Japanese war. And then focus on the rehabilitation and reconstruction work made by the N.C.C of China, especially its political stance towards the current situation. The second chapter interprets the N.C.C of China's political attitude and ideas toward the domestic issues during the civil war. Compared its stance and remark with some radical person's, like Y.T. Wu. The third chapter introduces the post-war rehabilitation and reconstruction work of the Chinese Christianity, and one recovery program in Chinese Christianity was raised by the N.C.C, named as "the Forward Movement". Explain the origin of the Forward Movement, and its objectives, progress, effectiveness, and problems. At last find the reason why this movement can not fulfill its destiny. The forth chapter firstly try to find how the Communist Party adjust the Christian policy, then study the change made by the N.C.C on its political attitude and innovation program under the control of the Communist regime. Make a comparative study on the innovation program between the N.C.C and Y.T. Wu in order to explore the reasons for the demise of the N.C.C. During the civil war, the Communist Party gradually obtained dominate position and finally established the Communist regime in China, who adjusted the religious policy according to the principle of the "United Front". Confronting this radical change, there were different strategies of the Chinese Christianity, the N.C.C put forward "the Three-self Movement" to adapt to the new the need of the time, but this innovation program essentially had no differences of the "Indigenization Movement" happened in the twenties, and compared with the innovation program come up withed the pro-Communists Christians it was more conservative. More over the Communist Party regarded the N.C.C as an organization which had intimate relationship with the western missions and the Capitalist countries, and it can not match the "United Front" principle. As a result the N.C.C of China gradually lost its role and even wither away after the Fourteenth Biennial meeting.