Christianity in Asia explores the history, development, and current state of Christianity across the world's largest and most populous continent. * Offers detailed coverage of the growth of Christianity within South Asia; among the thousands of islands comprising Southeast Asia; and across countries whose Christian origins were historically linked, including Vietnam, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea* Brings together a truly international team of contributors, many of whom are natives of the countries they are writing about* Considers the Middle Eastern countries whose Christian roots are deepest, yet have turbulent histories and uncertain futures* Explores the ways in which Christians in Asian countries have received and transformed Christianity into their local or indigenous religion* Shows Christianity to be a vibrant contemporary movement in many Asian countries, despite its comparatively minority status in these regions

Table of Contents:
List of Maps xi Notes on Contributors xiii Preface xv 1. Introduction: Asian Christianity/Christianities 1 Peter C. Phan Which Asia? 1 Which Christianity? 2 Introducing Asian Christianities 4 2. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma/Myanmar 9 Elizabeth Koepping Local Basics 11 The Early Christian Presence in Mainland South Asia 14 The First Attack on Contextualized South Asian Christianity 16 A Second Attack on Contextualized South Asian Christianity 17 Contextualization in Early Roman Catholicism Elsewhere in South Asia 18 Protestant Contextualization - the Pietists 19 The Baptists 21 Laity and the Expansion of Christianity 22 Contemporary Contextualisation in South Asia: Church, State, and People 24 Violent Attacks Against Christian Churches 26 Theological, Ecclesial, and Liturgical Contextualization 27 The Performance of Christianity in South Asia 33 Toward a Conclusion 35 3. Sri Lanka 45 Jeyaraj Rasiah The Land, its Make Up and the People 45 The Portuguese Period 46 The Dutch Period 47 The British Period 48 Independent Sri Lanka 52 At the Turn of the Century 55 The Present Scenario 56 Process of Inculturation and Contextualized Theology 56 Whither Sri Lanka? 57 4. Indonesia 61 John Prior Language 61 Cultural Diversity 61 Christian Diversity 62 Outward Form, Inner Spirit 62 Christians and Muslims 63 Papua: Dignity and Identity 63 Ambon: Conflict and Reconciliation 64 Sulawesi: Vibrant and Vocal 64 East Nusa Tenggara: Christian Heartlands 66 Bali: A Minority within a Minority 67 Java: Indigenous Roots 67 Java: Education 68 Java: Art and Music 68 Java: Movers and Shakers 69 Jakarta: Pietism and Social Engagement 70 Sumatra: Local Roots, National Leadership 71 Future Prospects 72 5. Malaysia and Singapore 77 Edmund Kee-Fook Chia The Countries and Their People 77 Political, Cultural, and Religious History 78 British Imperialism and Racial and Ethnic Politics 79 Christianity: Its Beginnings and Development 81 Christianity: A Foreign Religion 82 The Challenge of an Indigenous Church 84 The Challenge of Islamization 85 The Challenge of Ecumenism 87 The Challenge of Church-State Relations 88 The New and Growing Churches 90 6. The Philippines 97 Jose Mario C. Francisco, S.J. Transplanting Spanish Catholicism 98 Appropriating Christianity, Resisting Colonial Rule 102 (Re)Building Mission 108 Meeting National Challenges, Engaging the World 113 "In But Not Of This World"119 7. Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand 129 Peter C. Phan The Socialist Republic of Vietnam 130 Cambodia, Laos, Thailand 141 A Look Into the Future 144 8. Mainland China 149 Ying Fuk-tsang A New China 149 World Christianity and Chinese Christianity 150 Christianity with Chinese Characteristics 153 Christianity and Chinese Society 161 Christianity's Prospects in China 162 9. Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau 173 Lo Lung-kwong Taiwan 173 Hong Kong 183 Macau 189 10. Japan 197 Mark R. Mullins Introduction 197 The Cultural Diversity of Christianity in Japan 198 Roman Catholic Mission in Pre-Modern Japan 198 Persecution and Martyrdom 199 Hidden Christians 200 The Second Phase of Christian Mission: Increasing Diversity 200 State Shinto and the Christian Churches 201 The Place of Nagasaki in Japanese Catholicism 202 Postwar Developments 203 The Wider Impact of Christianity: Education and Social Welfare 204 Christianity as a Japanese Religion: Diverse Appropriations 206 From "Paternal"to "Maternal"Religion 206 Uchimura Kanzo and the Non-church Movement 207 Inculturation and the Ancestors in Japanese Christianity 208 "Christian"Weddings and the Rites of Passage 209 Inter-Faith Dialogue 209 Future Prospects 210 11. South Korea 217 Andrew Eungi Kim Introduction 217 The Beginning of Christianity in Korea 219 Indigenous Christian Leaders, Past and Present 221 Christianity as an Agency of Modernization 223 The Rise of Christianity Amidst Rapid Industrialization and Urbanization 226 This-Worldly Orientation of Korean Protestantism 227 Individual Religiosity of Christians 228 The Future of Christianity in Korea 228 12. The Middle East 233 Lois Farag The Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch 234 The Church of the East 240 Missionary Activity of the Syriac Church 242 Churches in Arabia 243 The Maronite Church 245 The Armenians in the Middle East 249 The Last Century 251 Conclusion: Whither Asian Christianities? 255 Peter C. Phan A Prospective Glance 255 Future Directions: A Triple Dialogue 256 Asian and Pentecostal 259 Index 263