Abstract: This article is meant to examine the cultural and sociological reasons behind the recent wave of conversions to Christianity among Chinese immigrants and the subsequent growth in the number of Chinese Christian Churches. This article argues that history and modernity are the main “push” factors in bringing Chinese immigrants towards Christianity.

Take a drive down Jackson Road in Penfield, New York. The posted speed limit is 35 mile per hour, yet smoothly winding road encourages drivers to drive much faster. But don’t drive too fast. Otherwise you will miss a glimpse of a unique phenomenon in the United States. As you head left around a gentle bend, you will notice brick red Chinese characters on a grey stone backing.

Now, if you are passing by on a typical Sunday morning, you will be sure to see a full parking lot, mostly filled with Japanese-manufactured cars. An usher, dressed in conservative grey colors, politely nods and holds the door open for you. You walk through the doors.

You have now entered Rochester Chinese Christian Church, a medium-sized, non-denominational church located in the heart of the Penfield suburbs. The church started out as a small Bible study group, composed of a dozen or so Chinese Christians. Over time, it has grown and has added new structures, like a Family Life Center and fully-integrated sound system. The attendance of the church has also grown over time, now leveling in at a stable attendance of approximately 300 people every Sunday.

The church holds two services on Sunday morning - one in English and one in Mandarin Chinese. It also conducts Sunday School for all ages and has a Youth Group that meets on Fridays. The church engages in the Holy Communion once a month. It also encourages members of the congregation to be baptized. One can notice a difference between the English and Chinese services. The English services are generally more contemporary and upbeat, as the median age of the attendees is much younger. For example, on any given day, the English worship team may have a guitar, bass, or even a drum-set on stage. On the other hand, the Chinese service, in all practicality, only uses a piano, and often sings its songs from the hymnbook. The Chinese service also generally devotes a longer time to preaching. But that is besides the point.

What I have hoped to do was to paint a picture of my Chinese Christian Church and then to point out that it is not alone. There are many Chinese Christian Churches (CCCs) across America and more churches are sprouting up everyday. In general, the beliefs of these Chinese Churches are very much grounded in traditional Christianity.

And in a time when the attendance of mainstream churches is dropping off, the Chinese Church, in particular, has shown exceptional growth. It is now estimated that approximately 32% of Chinese in America are Christian, which is very much disproportionally higher than percentage of Chinese Christians within the Chinese population at any other time in history. In addition, the number of Chinese converts to Christianity in America has grown exponentially, prompting me to wonder, “What are the cultural reasons behind such an expansion?” And with that single question as the framework, I start my journey with a simple quote.

“Chinese build restaurants, Koreans build churches.” This semi-humorous quote is from a blog that I read once comparing the different merits of Chinese and Koreans. Now I’m not going to cast an opinion about which ethnicity is better, but rather examine the implications of the statement. Surprisingly, this statement actually contains some truth, especially on the Korean side. In the past century, the church has become a main social, spiritual, and educational center for Korean immigrants - for many of the same reasons as Chinese.

But the other half of the quote assumes that “Chinese build restaurants.” By juxtaposing that statement with the statement about “Koreans building churches”, the line itself is implying that Chinese people do not show interest in building churches. Which leads to the question - why would the Chinese want to attend church when they could be doing other, more economically productive, things like cooking your chow mein? Some may say that Chinese attend church in order to integrate into American society more. They say that Christianity is a part of the American identity, so Chinese who want to assmilate into American culture would also attend church. I challenge this statement on the premise that attending a Chinese Church does not encourage assimilation, but rather discourages it.

Why would a Chinese immigrant attend a Chinese church when there are so many better opportunities if his main goal is to assimilate? For one thing, secularism is now popular and accepted among professionals in the working world. If a Chinese person really wants to excel in the professional world (and many do), it would be better for him or her to embrace secularism instead. For example, religious expression is discouraged in many high-tech or government companies in which a large number of Chinese immigrants work. Also, if a Chinese person really wanted to assimilate into American society, it would make more sense for them to attend a non-ethnic church, where they could interact more frequently with Americans. Yet, what we see is not an increase in the number of Chinese attending mainstream churches, but rather a dramatic increase in the number of Chinese-affiliated churches.

Some people have placed the argument that a feeling of ethnic belonging is the foremost reason that Chinese immigrants are attracted to Chinese Churches. But this reason is also not the primary reason why Chinese are so attracted to Christianity. While the church has been the most well-established institution for Korean immigrants, Chinese immigrants have always had many more options other than churches for gaining a feeling of ethnic acceptance. Especially in big cities, Chinese immigrants can choose from dozens of old Chinatown organizations, like clan-based assoications, or tang (secret societies). The Chinese can associate themselves with dozens of province-based groups or even groups based on attending the same Chinese Alma Mater. For educational purposes, there are always multiple Chinese schools in any medium-sized town. Across America, there are also numerous religious centers that tend to their old faiths (like Buddhist temples). To find some ethnic group to join is not hard for new Chinese immigrants. They do not have to go to a church simply for the purpose of meeting their ethnic needs.

Of course, Chinese churches have some structures and institutions that other ethnic Chinese organizations and associations simply don’t have. For example, RCCC has set up fellowship groups, which encourage immigrants to find social belonging. Furthermore, since the church meets on a weekly (or even daily) basis, which allows for immigrants to find friends and compatriots in America. The teachings of the church promote the creation of harmonious community of love and protection, which Chinese immigrants (who often come to the country alone) are attracted to. Finally, Chinese Churches run many programs that are targeted at rearing the youth in values consistent with traditional Chinese ones. However, ethnic bonding can hardly occur in a church without religious conversion.

So then, just what are the reasons that make Christianity so appealing to the Chinese? Now we have reached the crux of this essay. I believe that two main factors are at play: history and modernity. I will explain both of my arguments in detail.

In modern history, China has been in a constant state of both social and political turmoil. Chinese cultural traditions have repeatedly been under attack by officials and by intellectuals, outside influences and modernization. Understanding the social and cultural context of Chinese history may offer insight as to why Chinese are so responsive to Christianity.

Chinese society has undergone great turmoil in rapid succession. This has largely been in part to aggression by advanced Western countries that were also colonial and imperial powers. It started with the humiliation of the Chinese by the British during the Opium Wars. This was followed by domestic disorders and foreign invasion. All of these factors have forced China to modernize to the point where it is today - but it has been neither a peaceful nor bloodless trail.

In the last century, the Chinese people have experienced untold sufferings that have destroyed much of their identity. Western imperialism, the Taiping Rebellion, the struggle between the warlords, the Japanese Invasion, the Communist struggle and takeover, and the misguided policies of the PRC have all led to anger and bitterness among the Chinese people. The fact that so many catastrophic events occurred in such a short amount of time has redefined the outlook of many Chinese people. Shared identity was instead replaced with individual bitterness, fear, anger, frustration, rootlessness, and alienation.

It is known that turmoil often comes before conversion. God often has a plan of bringing people low so that they would turn to him and be lifted high. Any one life-threatening event can cause people to change and look to God. And contemporary Chinese immigrants have had far more than the average amount of disorder and trauma in their lives.

Furthermore, contemporary Chinese immigrants have also experienced “chain migration” - that is, the necessity of settling in one place after another just to escape danger or persecution. Many came to the United States where they felt even more lonely and hopeless, a stranger in a strange land. This migration only affirmed their need for something solid, something real and everlasting, to sustain them against the precarious nature of their lives.

Perhaps that is why Christianity seems to be so attractive to Chinese immigrants. In it, they can find peace and tranquility in the everlasting words of the Bible, and they are promised a home in heaven for all eternity. These Christian beliefs help ameliorate feelings of homelessness and instability that many modern Chinese immigrants have. They were perhaps also attracted to the teachings of Jesus, who called out, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” On the other hand, conversion did not come suddenly, but as a result of a cumulative process for many Chinese immigrants. As these immigrants joined Chinese Churches, they felt their old wounds and scars being healed by the love of Jesus evident in the lives and charity of other believers around them. They, in turn, feel a burden to evangelize to other Chinese immigrants who were in the same situation they were in. Since the 1980’s, more and more evangelistic missions have sprung up that target China as an evagelistic mission field. Furthermore, many prominent evangelists have pointed to China as the next “Nation of Christians”, a field ripe for sowing and harvesting.

While the struggles of the past have pushed Chinese immigrants towards Christianity as a solid and unyielding truth, the other factor is the uncertainty of the future. Or, perhaps more specifically, the uncertainty of the future caused by modernization.

The second force that pushes Chinese immigrants towards Christianity is the universal challenge of modernization in America. By modernization I mean the cultural, economic, and technological currents that are the eminate from a progressive society like America. From a cultural standpoint, an example of modernization could be the recent desires of children to seek independence from their parents at a much younger age. From a technological standpoint, an example of modernization could be the invention of video games, which sap away valuable family time. However, many effects of modernization are, in fact, non-compatible with traditional Chinese values.

The Chinese are a deeply traditional people. Children of some of the greatest and longest-lasting kingdoms and dynasties that ever existed, the Chinese believe in tradition and the past as a way of guiding the future. Many Chinese who immigrate to the United States first move to cities, where they are instantly overwhelmed by fast-changing, pluralistic American society.

So they turn to conservative religions to help combat the effects of modernization. It is said that fundamentalism often appears at the junction between tradition and modernity. This appears to be true in the case of Chinese immigrants. Chinese immigrants, who revere tradition, are strongly attracted to the absolute truth that can only be found in the Bible.

The attractiveness of Christianity to Chinese immigrants is also due to its perceived compatibility with Confucian principles. Be mindful that I am not talking about the spiritual aspect of Confucianism (i.e. the worship of spirits), but rather the strict moral behaviors that it promotes. Confucian principles stress families and moral integrity, but they were perceived as outdated by the Communists as well as various intellectual groups. Nevertheless, Confucian principles seem to be ingrained in the minds of Chinese immigrants. The authority of Confucianism in the past came from the rule of a dynastic state, or the clan or extended family, and traditionalism. However, it is nearly impossible for a Chinese immigrant to establish the authority of Confucianism in a foreign country. Furthermore, these immigrants want to pass selected Confucian principles - like family values and respect - to their children, but find the authority behind Confucianism lacking in the United States.

Yet Christianity offers an authority, derived from its truth, that provides an absolute foundation and moral truths in a shifting, pluralistic society. Therefore, immigrants, who wish to embrace their traditional Confucian values and instill those values into their children are much more likely to accept Christianity based on its values. That is not to say that they have experienced conversion - for that consists of asking Jesus into their life - but it at least provides them with a starting point to explore the faith. The stability of Christianity, attested by its ability to survive over many millenia, further appeals to the Chinese immigrant’s desire for stability.

Chinese churches also provide a safe haven for immigrants against the forces of modernism. Within the church, Chinese immigrants can find other immigrants, many of whom have shared the same experiences, and find support and guidance as they struggle to make a decent living in the United States. The regularity of church interaction and the idea of creating a harmonious society only further buffer the Chinese Church against the forces of modernity. Because Chinese immigrants tend to resist modernity, that is the reason why the majority of Chinese Christian Churches are conservative, like RCCC.

In light of the recent wave of Christian conversion among Chinese immigrants, I believe that two main visible factors, history and modernity, have played a substantial role. Yet, there is a third, and significantly more powerful force that I have not mentioned. If the faith that Chinese Christians believe in is indeed correct, then there must a Higher Force, or a God, that is actively drawing the Chinese Immigrant population towards Him. And although it is not a thing that can be measured quantitatively, I believe that the recent mass wave of conversion is a testament to the fact that His will is being done.