Salvation and Revolution - A Twentieth Century Odyssey of the Chinese Protestant Mind

Salvation and Revolution traces the intricate paths of Chinese Protestant intellectuals as they grappled with their Christian faith amidst the upheavals of modern China. Beginning with the fall of the Qing Dynasty and journeying through the tumultuous Cultural Revolution, this book considers the lives of figures like Zhao Zichen, Wu Yaozong, and Cai Yongchun, who strove to align Christianity with the nation's quest for renewal.

List of contents

• Introduction: Chinese Christian Intellectuals


• 1: The Liberal Synthesis: Path to National Salvation in Postimperial China


• 2: From Social Gospel to Socialism: Turning Left to Save China


• 3: Reclaiming the Supernatural: Resistance and Submission in Wartime China


• 4: Diverging Visions, Converging Paths: Seeking Salvation in the Chinese Civil War


• 5: Thwarted Adaptations: Reconstructing Christianity in the Early PRC


• 6: Surviving the Valley of the Shadow of Death: Protestant Intellectuals in the Cultural Revolution


• Afterword: Thinking History in the Present

About the author

Jesse Zexi Sun is Assistant Professor of History of Christianity at Belmont University. Specializing in the history of Chinese Christianity and its intersections with nationalism and revolutionary movements, he has authored chapters in Visions of Salvation: Chinese Christian Posters in an Age of Revolution (Baylor University Press, 2022) and Modern Chinese Theologies, Vol. 1: Heritage and Prospect (Fortress Press, 2023). His work has also been published in Church History, Studies in World Christianity, International Bulletin of Mission Research, and the Journal of Religious History.

Product details

• Authors: Jesse Zexi Sun, Jesse Zexi (Assistant Professor of History of Sun, Jesse Zexi (Belmont University) Sun, Zexi Sun
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 22.07.2025
• EAN: 9780197809884
• ISBN: 978-0-19-780988-4
• No. of pages: 296
• Subjects: Education and learning > Teaching preparation > Vocational needs; Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Practical theology; Religion / Christian Church / General, RELIGION / Christianity / History, RELIGION / Christianity / Denominations, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, History of Religion, Religious issues & debates, Christian Churches & denominations, Christian Churches, denominations, groups, Christian institutions & organizations, Church history, Religious institutions and organizations, Religious issues and debates