Constructing the National Identity of Chinese Christians during Wartime: A Case Study of the Christian War Relief Committee

Abstract

This article examines the responses of the Christian community in China to the January 28 Incident of 1932, with particular emphasis on wartime relief work and the construction of a “patriotic Christian” identity. It argues that the crisis created both an opportunity for large-scale Christian social engagement and a critical moment for Chinese Christians to renegotiate the long-contested relationship between religious faith and national belonging. Drawing on newspapers, church periodicals, YMCA publications, and contemporary Christian writings, the article first reconstructs the relief activities undertaken by Christian organizations, including refugee sheltering, medical aid, fundraising, material donations, and postwar rehabilitation. It then offers a case study of the Shanghai Christian War Relief Committee, showing how its rapid mobilization, interdenominational cooperation, professionalized management, and revolving relief mechanisms reflected the organizational strengths of modern Christian institutions in China. Finally, the article analyzes how Chinese Christians, under the pressure of anti-Christian prejudice and wartime nationalism, employed public discourse and contextual biblical interpretation to articulate a patriotic identity compatible with Christian belief. By demonstrating that Christian participation in wartime relief was simultaneously a form of humanitarian practice, social mobilization, and identity reconstruction, the article sheds light on the role of Christianity in modern China’s national crisis and contributes to broader discussions of religion, nationalism, and the indigenization of Christianity.