Abstract/Sommario: Growing partnership of Christianity and human rights advocacy in China. The number of Christians in China is growing at a rate of several million annually and is already becoming a trend of potential geopolitical importance. For many years after the Cultural Revolution, the resurgent growth of the Christian Church in China was mainly a rural phenomenon; but in recent years, numbers of the young generation of urban intellectuals have become Christians. Most of these 'urban converts' wo ...; [Leggi tutto...]
Growing partnership of Christianity and human rights advocacy in China. The number of Christians in China is growing at a rate of several million annually and is already becoming a trend of potential geopolitical importance. For many years after the Cultural Revolution, the resurgent growth of the Christian Church in China was mainly a rural phenomenon; but in recent years, numbers of the young generation of urban intellectuals have become Christians. Most of these 'urban converts' worship in 'house' churches unrecognized by the government and outside the domain of the Official Three Self Protestant church. The ‘weiquan’, or right defence movement, includes lawyers, activists, intellectuals and ordinary people who aim to push the boundaries of reform by using China's existing laws and courts to defend human rights, and restraint abuses of power. Despite their diminutive numbers, ‘ weiquan’ lawyers have already enjoyed a number of successes through highlighting cases of abuse, raising citizens' awareness of their rights and holding the government to its ostensible commitment to the rule of law. A number of human-right lawyers have suffered harsh treatment at the hands of the government for their work. While most of the Christian lawyers who are part of the ‘weiquan’ movement began their professional careers before they embraced religious faith, their emergence also appears in turn to be influencing many Christian churches to expand their social teaching and involvements. Indeed, the combination of a commitment to human-right activism and a sustaining faith may increase the durability and impact of this group