China 21

The Chinese Communist Party issued new directives for religious affairs earlier this year, especially calling for religions to serve national interests. What does this new project to “sinicize” religions imply for religious practice in China? For Christians in China, how are they adapting as rising nationalism clashes with religions that have foreign roots? Sociologist Richard Madsen reflects on the takeaways from a recent gathering to discuss China's new policy on religion, which convened some of the key thinkers who formulated the new regulations and practitioners such as Catholic priests whose work are impacted by the regulations. Prof. Madsen is the Distinguished Professor of Sociology at UC San Diego, and the Director of the Fudan-UC Center on Contmpoerary China. Prof. Madsen has been called “one of the modern-day founders of the study of Chinese religion.” He authored 12 books, including Democracy's Dharma: Religious Renaissance and Political Develpment in Taiwan, China's Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in