Christian Zionism and the crisis of meaning in post-Mao China

This article examines Christian Zionism in the Chinese Christian context. Based on research conducted in China and Israel, as well as online research, I analyse Chinese Christian Zionism and its specific characteristics. Attachment to Israel is discussed here as an element of the effort made by reform-era believers to contextualize Chinese Christianity, its role, significance, past, and future, within China and beyond its borders. Accordingly, Chinese Christian Zionism is examined through the relationship between Christian Zionist ideology, the Back to Jerusalem missionary movement, and attempts to promote a monotheistic narrative of Chinese history. In addition, Chinese Christians’ interest in Israel is strongly related to the relationship between modernity and tradition, an issue of pivotal importance in post-Maoist Chinese society and the crisis of meaning experienced in the reform era.