China's Urban Christians

Brent Fulton is Co-founder and President of ChinaSource and the Editor of ChinaSource Quarterly.

"As China continues to aggressively urbanise so does the church. This book provides well-considered, insightful information that helps those of us on the outside looking in to better understand the true state of the present-day church in China. A tremendous update that truly informs."Marvin J. Newell, Missio Nexus"The daily reality for Chinese Christians has completely changed and yet many in the West are still viewing the situation through an outdated lens. No one knows this better than Brent Fulton, who has spent a lifetime engaged with the subject. Fulton presents the rapidly changing church as it actually is. China's Urban Christians is compulsory reading for anyone trying to understand this extraordinary moment in the history of the global church."Rob Gifford, correspondent for The Economist, author of China Road"Looking beyond tensions between church and the Chinese Communist Party-state, this book superbly draws together scholarship and firsthand interviews in a highly readable fashion to present how today's most innovative Chinese Protestants are grappling with a wide range of complex issues. It shows that Christianity in China is far more nuanced than common black-and-white depictions of church-state conflict, even more complex than subtle greys could capture. If you read this book, you will marvel at the dazzling colours of a church in transformation."Carsten T. Vala, Visiting Fulbright Scholar, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile"Compared to previous works on the growth of Christianity in China, this project makes two understanding contributions. Firstly, Tulton draws upon extensive research and uses first-hand data of urban Christians .... Secondly, Fulton faithfully depicts what it is like to live in a post-totalitarian regime that both suppressed civil society and seeks performance legitimacy through economic growth."Mary Li Ma, Ching Feng, 15.1-2 (2016)"This slim volume presents a highly readable study of urban church life in contemporary China. This short study is as good a place as any to begin to appreciate the vitality of Chinese urban Christianity." Chloe Starr, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Volume 69, Issue 2, 2018

• Acknowledgments1 Introduction2 The Context for Change3 New Wineskins4 A Shifting Battleground5 Into the Light6 The Church's Global Mandate7 The Quest for Unity8 Testing the Limits9 ConclusionBibliographyIndex