The Challenges and Opportunities for Christianity in Contemporary China

This article contains five main topics. Firstly, the aim is to briefly describe the number of Christians and the characteristics of Christian development in China through four periods. Secondly, the aim is to describe the characteristics of the contemporary Chinese context through a metaphor constructed by me for this purpose. It is of a flying dragon with one-head-twowings-four-feetandone-tail. Thirdly, the aim is to explore three challenges and opportunities by describing the legislative limitations to the "selfish wild horse of capitalism" and the Levithan of Bureaucracy. This is done by using the metaphors of rope and cage. The role of Christianity within the contemporary secular and humanistic society is also discussed with the aid of a metaphor, that of a "rescuing pill". Finally, the article has focused on the challenges and opportunities for Christianity in contemporary China through an analysis of political theology, cultural theology (especially identity) and humanistic theology ( especially as related to Christianity's pragmatic and secular functions in contemporary China).