Item — HN Reader

Actually, exactly that concept has actually been quickly growing in popularity for quite a few years now, it's especially been successful in developing countries like India and China. Small, highly reproducible groups which simply revolve around the core concepts of the gospel. Starfish vs. Spider, etc.

A few years ago, our small church here in Berlin moved from a model where we were paying thousands in rent for a "meeting space" to simply meeting in a living room and sharing our lives. It's been a wonderful change which has really been great, not only (but also) financially.

BTW, an influential book in that regard is particularly Neil Cole's "Organic Church".

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In China it's out of necessity and safety, but the side benefit is that these groups become more tightly knit. I worked amongst many of the 'house churches' when I was in China. I wasn't a direct part of them, but the school I worked at had a huge underground of this type of thing. It made our IT security a bit more paranoid because from time to time we'd have government folks 'inspecting' this place far for frequently than at other schools in China in which I had worked. But that's another discussion..

I've heard that the Chinese governments attitude towards Christianity is somewhat bi-polar. In the East they discourage and harass Christians, but in the West they openly encourage Christianity, to the point of paying the salaries of missionaries (as a way to counter the Muslim communities). Is that true?

I've heard there is an established church that is legal and approved by the government, but the government closely monitors them to ensure they aren't teaching anything that's threatening to the Party.

> I've heard there is an established church that is legal and approved by the government, but the government closely monitors them to ensure they aren't teaching anything that's threatening to the Party.

There's actually two sets of government-controlled Christian religious organizations (one Catholic and one Protestant). (Similarly, there is a government controlled Islamic organization.)

Thanks for the tip, I just bought the Kindle version!