基督教与中国东南的乡村社会——以近代福建美以美会为例

Christianity and Rural Society of South-Eastern China: Case Study of Methodist Church in Modern Fujian

本文以福建美以美会为个案, 尝试勾勒出近代来华基督教与东南中国乡村社会的互动图景。文章发现, 乡村教会是基督教的发展主体。教会的发展一方面受到传统乡村社会结构与信仰态度的影响,另一方面也尝试建立一个新的宗教体系。在部分乡村, 基督教会成为社区的生产、生活中心, 一些乡村教会知识分子亦有较强的社会触觉, 倾向改革。而在世局变迁中, 乡村教会受多种社会势力影响。文章认为,乡村教会的历史研究, 应放在本地社会结构与历史变迁中加以理解, 将乡村教会视为地方宗教力量, 较将其视作外来宗教显得更为有效。

This article tried to reconstruct the contour of the reaction between modern Christianity in China and the rural society of South-Eastern China,based on the case study of Fujian Methodist Church.The Article found Rural Church is major factor for development of Christianity in China.The Church was influenced by the traditional social structure and religious attitude,and tried to found a new religion system in turn.In some villages,church became the center for community life.Some Christian rural society,there had been multifactor which affect it.At the end,the article explore that the historical research of rural church should be expressed in the background of local social structure and historical transition.In the sense,we would rather regard it as local religion rather the alien religion.