This edited volume starts from the perspectives of Beijing in how it sees that religion should serve the interests of the state. From China's viewpoint, religion should act as a stabilizing force of society, or else the Christian Churches will lose their reason for existence. This might be incomprehensible to Western Christians, who believe in the freedom of religion and their right to embrace their faith. This collection of articles represents the concerted efforts of Chinese, Italians, and an American-who live in China, Europe, and the United States and belong to different disciplines, such as History, Religious Studies, and Language Studies-to promote a better understanding of the Catholic Church in the world and in China.
"This publication, edited by Cindy Yik-yi Chu, professor of history at Hong Kong Baptist University, is a collection of seven articles grouped into three parts whose titles, when juxtaposed, create the title of the whole book. ... Everybody interested in Christianity, especially Catholicism, in China will undoubtedly find significant intellectual benefits from reading these articles." (Wojciech Rybka, Monumenta Serica, December 16, 2024)