Kim-Kwong Chan Will Lecture on the State of Christianity in China

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WACO, Texas (Oct. 25, 2013) - The Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion welcomes Kim-Kwong Chan, Ph.D., executive secretary of the Hong Kong Christian Council, as he presents his lecture, "Surviving and Thriving in a Sea of Unbelief: The Christian Church in China," Monday, Oct. 28.
"Dr. Chan is one of the most informed of scholars on the state of the church in China which he knows both as a scholar and as a participant and observer," said J. Gordon Melton, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of American Religious History in Baylor ISR. "To be rather blunt - Dr. Chan is simply the single best source of information on China and religion that I have been able to find in my many trips back and forth to the People's Republic of China."
Students who attend will learn about the state of Christianity as a whole in China, especially its relations with the government, Melton said.
"Though Christianity is still a small minority in China, it is growing at a spectacular rate and has over the last generation become one of the largest Christian communities in the world."
Chan has worked in China since 1979 and has traveled to most parts of China for various projects. In addition to his academic and ecclesiastical involvements, he serves as consultant for various national and international development agencies, such as Food for the Hungry International. He was the former President of the Hong Kong Nutrition Association, an appointed specialist on Religion in China of the Immigration Court of the Canadian Government and an appointed expert on religious issues in China of the Federal Commission on International Religious Freedom of the US Government.
Because of his contribution to the socioeconomic developments in China, he was awarded the Honorary Citizen of the Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province, China. The Hong Kong Special Administration Region Government appointed him as a Justice of the Peace for his contribution on China affairs. He is listed in the Who's Who in Hong Kong, Asia-Pacific Who's Who, Asian-American Who's Who and Afro-Asian Who's Who.
Chan's lecture will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Kayser Auditorium in Baylor's Hankamer School of Business, 1401 S. Fifth St. For more information, visit ISR's website.
by Rachel Miller, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
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Launched in August 2004, the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) exists to initiate, support and conduct research on religion, involving scholars and projects spanning the intellectual spectrum: history, psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, political science, epidemiology, theology and religious studies. The institute's mandate extends to all religions, everywhere, and throughout history, and embraces the study of religious effects on prosocial behavior, family life, population health, economic development and social conflict. While always striving for appropriate scientific objectivity, ISR scholars treat religion with the respect that sacred matters require and deserve. For more information, visit www.baylorisr.org