When Christianity reached China
Jingjiao: The First Christian Mission to China
At the same time as Christianity was spreading across the Greek- and Latin-speaking Mediterranean world, other Christians were spreading the Gospel eastwards in the Syriac language. Not only did this result in Christian churches in India by the second century, but a church body in China formed almost 1400 years ago! This first Chinese church called itself Jingjiao (the Luminous Teaching) and is the subject of a recent award-winning history by Lutheran missionary and scholar, Dr. Glen Thompson. He will tell this fascinating story and give a glimpse into who these missionaries were, what their mission strategy was, what they taught, and what challenges they faced.
At the same time as Christianity was spreading across the Greek- and Latin-speaking Mediterranean world, other Christians were spreading the Gospel eastwards in the Syriac language. Not only did this result in Christian churches in India by the second century, but a church body in China formed almost 1400 years ago! This first Chinese church called itself Jingjiao (the Luminous Teaching) and is the subject of a recent award-winning history by Lutheran missionary and scholar, Dr. Glen Thompson. He will tell this fascinating story and give a glimpse into who these missionaries were, what their mission strategy was, what they taught, and what challenges they faced.