Although persecution has been growing in China, Christianity is gaining ground, particularly among the well educated, it was reported in August.
In 1980 it was estimated that there were about ten million Christians in China, while now estimates say there are about 100 million.
Two academics provide an explanation for this exponential growth. Rodney Stark and Xiuhua Wang, in their new book A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China, posit that Christianity is growing in China, particularly among the well-educated, because old Chinese religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism do not fit in well with the modern world and are often seen as ‘anti-progress’. Stark stated that many Chinese individuals believe Christianity is the only religion that allows them to move from their cultural traditions and past into the modern world of industry and technology.
