Abstract:

This paper seeks to provide a holistic overview of the current situation of the Chinese diaspora and the Chinese migration church in the network of the Forum für Mission unter Chinesen in Deutschland (FMCD; engl. Forum for Mission among Chinese in Germany) with a focus on their multidimensional functional purpose. It is shown that the migration communities by no means function only as genuine religious centers, but also as socio-cultural islands and psycho-emotional safe havens. Paradoxically, however, the sociocultural shelter ends up as an ethnically isolated enclave. In view of their future viability, in the view of the authors, a new profile and theological self-understanding, characterized by transcultural openness, could be of essential importance. The enormous intercultural potential of the ethnic groups within the migration communities can be used to extend the logic of crossing borders and acceptance in love and reconciliation in the light of the Christian faith into the encounter with the native society and churches. In the end, for the fruitful intercultural potential to be realized, a dynamic multi-way interaction between these actors, with mutual willingness to learn from each other, is desirable.

Momentaufnahme: Eine explorative Untersuchung über die chinesischen Migrationsgemeinden in Deutschland mit Fokus auf ihre multidimensionale funktionale Bestimmung, in: Zmiss 2022/2, 161-183

Zurück