The “Theological” Creation and “Sociological” Foundations of “The Jesus Family” in Modern Shandong

With regards to the Sinicization of Christianity (基督教中國化), there has always been a tension between “Chinese Christians” (中國(人)基督徒) and “Christian Chinese” (基督徒中國人). This paper intends to respond to this tension through the analysis of The Jesus Family (耶穌家庭), an important representative of the indigenous church movement in modern China. The Jesus Family had its own unique theological propositions and ecclesial practices. Particularly noteworthy was its emphasis on the living community of believers. Below, we present research on The Jesus Family, analyzed from two distinct aspects: those of “Jesus” and “family”. If the return to “Jesus” reflected the movement’s restorationist theological position, the “family” can be seen as reflecting the movement’s sociological advocacy for the practice of communitarian Christian principles. We argue that these aspects of The Jesus Family—emphasizing the values of personal intimacy with Jesus alongside communitarian principles—were key to its flourishing precisely within the unique context of modern Chinese social turmoil and history. In this light, The Jesus Family—both in its theological and sociological dimension—eludes simple classification as the product of “Chinese traditions” or “Christian orthodoxy.” Rather, it appears as the product of the interaction between the two, and we argue that in this, one sees also how the process of the Sinicization of Christianity relies on both traditional Chinese culture and Christian orthodoxy as inseparable and playing mutually interdependent roles.