From The Margins To The Center:the Study Of YMCA In Shandong Province

As a Christian’s outgroup, the Young Men’s Christian Association (Y. M. C. A.) assisted the church and sowed the good seed. For the concept of the social gospel theology, Y. M. C. A. engaged in "spiritual, mental, physical, social" education work and social services, in order to train the perfect personality of young and build a Christian society.As one of the modern China’s biggest and most influential Christian organizations, Y. M. C. A. marginalized both in Chinese society and the Christian Church. However, the role of the marginalized provided a flexible mechanism for the implementation of their ideas and strategies, which made capable of undertaking social services to fit the requirements of the times and the society; it’s shows a high degree of inclusiveness and openness. Not only achieved the purposes of "glorify God", served the wider population and spread generalized of Christian culture, Y. M. C. A. but also expanded its influence and made the relationship with the modern Chinese society more closer. The Y. M. C. A. has been recognized by more people and got more supports from the government than any other Christian Missionary community by flexible social work. After the China’s War of Liberation, the elite leaders of Y. M. C. A. became the leaders of Christian churches and the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. It can be said that Y M. C. A. made itself from the margins to the center both from the social level and political level. But the religion of Y. M. C. A. was gradually weakened and the secularization became more and more obvious.Since the Y. M. C. A. propagated to Shandong, it has a larger development. Y. M. C. A. in Shandong upheld the theory of Social gospel and the purpose of "Personality saves the nation", through the "spiritual, mental, physical, social" education work and relief charity to provide social services for Shandong people. At the same time, Y. M. C. A. integrated into the local society in Shandong actively by the means of " Elite" organization and keep pace with the times. We can say that the development of Y. M. C. A. in Shandong verifies the fact of the Y. M. C. A. from the margins to the center. And it shows the phenomenon of becoming secularization as well.