Officially, Protestant Christianity in China is depicted as a unified religious entity that is loyal to the state and liberated from the democratic principles that caused Protestantism to fracture in the Occident. In a word, Chinese Christianity has been described as “post-denominational.” In Schism: Seventh-day Adventism in Post-Denominational China, Christie Chui-Shan Chow focuses on Seventh-day Adventism to illuminate the complexities of Christianity in China during its supposed post-denominational age. She asks a critical question: in what ways did denominationally minded Protestants challenge the state-mandated and idealistic post-denominational construct?
Thus far, the historiography of Chinese Christianity has overlooked denominational communities. However, if scholars wish to adequately understand “post-denominationalism,” Chow insists that they must carefully analyze the denominations that have supposedly disappeared. She argues “that any explanation for the growth of Chinese Protestantism has to take into account the analytical notions of denominations and denominationalism, which both inform the believer’s ecclesial identity” (2). Chow illustrates this by analyzing the four schisms that have taken place in the Adventist Church in China. Chinese Adventists have identified the four splinter groups as: (1) the “conservative faction” (chuantong pai); (2) the “new faction” (xin pai); (3) the “Wilderness faction” (kuangye pai); and (4) the “Wheatfield” (maitian). Despite disagreements, Chow notes that “each group has much to say about what practices and beliefs are to be perceived as ‘Adventist’ per se” (21).
Chow builds upon R.G. Tiedemann’s work on “sacred schisms” to demonstrate that “the impulse toward denominationalism often coexists with the pressure for division” (8). Rather than engage with normative claims that privilege “orthodoxy” over “heterodoxy,” she shows that such distinctions are never perfectly clear. Schisms are neither inherently negative nor destabilizing, but rather serve as a dynamic source of energy for permitting and blocking religious change. Paradoxically, Chow argues, schisms strengthen denominational identity because those involved are striving for authenticity through their work of division. These divisions might entail a complete rupture or organizational split, but this is not guaranteed, as schematics often remain attached in some way (including structurally) to the previous tradition. Given the complexity of schisms, she urges scholars to approach such divisions organically with consideration for both continuity and discontinuity. This approach will avoid overly simplistic and misleading narratives of total exits constructed upon the notion of teleological fate.
Chow also pushes against Max Weber’s understanding of religion and modernity, which emphasizes tension “between foreign imperialism and cultural adaptation” (4). Due to Weberian notions, much of the historiography has also focused on the entrepreneurial leaders who have attempted to bring Chinese Christianity into alignment with State mandates and ideals. However, she focuses on the “indigenous agency” (4) of church workers to show that Chinese Christians are not merely pursuing capitalism or modernity. Rather, the case of Adventism reveals that Protestant denominational identity itself is at stake. Moreover, Adventist factionalism illustrates that minority Christians often resist the Chinese State and the patriotic institutions that it sanctions. Thus, Chow attends to this complex situation with intricate detail through an analysis of local initiatives and practices that have transformed a foreign faith into a truly Chinese religion. In doing so, she has demonstrated that “there is a vibrant denominational current flowing under the evidently false notion of a ‘post-denominational’ Chinese church” (218).
Chow combines ethnographic and archival methods to critically analyze the four branches of Chinese Adventism that have arisen since 1978. Her sources include participant observation, oral interviews, social media, audio-visual material, and written records in personal collections, local congregations, and archives managed by universities, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the Chinese government.
Schism is an interdisciplinary study of interest to a wide variety of people. Chow’s work is important for anyone interested in Adventism and the history of Christianity in Asia (and China, specifically) as well as those who study denominationalism and the phenomenon of schisms. Those who view theology as a useful tool for interpretive analysis will appreciate how she uses this discourse to explain how religious actors make rational choices and take effective action. Moreover, Schism richly details issues like state surveillance, the seizure of church property, and the infiltration of religious meetings and organizations. Therefore, anyone interested in the relationship between religion and the State on a global scale will find this work to be enlightening and of enduring value. For a variety of reasons, Chow’s book is a strong addition to the field of religious studies and global Christianity.
Kevin M. Burton is the director of the Center for Adventist Research at Andrews University.
Kevin M. Burton
Date Of Review:
November 30, 2024
