China plans its own 'Christian theology'

China says it may try to create a theology
based on Christianity - that integrates the
religion with Chinese culture and is compatible
with the country's socialist beliefs, it's been
reported.
Wang Zuoan, a senior official for religious affairs,
says China supports the development of
Christianity within the country. But "the
construction of Chinese Christian theology
should adapt to China's national condition," the
state-backed China Daily website reports. His
comments came at a conference for Sinicization
of Christianity in Shanghai.
It's thought there are about 23 million to 40
million Protestants in China - 1.7% to 2.9% of
the total population - and that each year, about
500,000 people are baptised as Protestants. But
China's ruling Communist Party is officially
atheistic and relations with the church have
sometimes been strained. People are only
supposed to worship in places approved by the
government, but many underground churches
operate in China too.
In Wenzhou - sometimes called China's
Jerusalem, where more than one in 10 people
are Protestant - state authorities are cracking
down on what they say are illegal church
buildings, taking away or threatening to remove
crosses at more than 130 Protestant churches
and demolishing some entirely, the Taipei Times
says . It cites experts and church leaders saying
they believe the authorities are alarmed by the
quick growth of Protestantism in the area, and
are trying to suppress it.