Abstract
Sociology, anthropology and other social sciences use Weberian concepts such as ‘rationalization’ and ‘disenchantment’ to describe some of the changes that occur as people change their beliefs and practices. Some of these apply broadly to the way in which house churches in rural Linyi have taken on new forms in the urban area. The history of modern China has given these processes a specific flavour. The processes of rationality and disenchantment have a history that cannot be reduced to merely the coming of modernity, even though they are now associated with it. Weber recognized in Confucianism a distinct kind of rationality that was different from modern economic rationality. In other words, Confucianism already had a long-standing history of rationalization that preceded Western modernity. I argue, however, that it is Weber’s approach to modern economic rationality that has greater relevance to this study of the urbanization of Christianity.
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Notes
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I am grateful to Professor Phillip Clart for drawing this material to my attention and discussing it with me.
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Kang, J. (2016). Conclusion: Process Versus Typology. In: House Church Christianity in China. Global Diversities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30490-8_8
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