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To Be Or Not To Be…Christian: Explaining Chinese Immigrant Elders’ Christian Participation In The U.S., Gehui Zhang
To Be Or Not To Be…Christian: Explaining Chinese Immigrant Elders’ Christian Participation In The U.S., Gehui Zhang
Sociology Theses
In recent years, growing numbers of Mainland Chinese elders are participating in Christian congregations during short visits or extended stays in the U.S. This thesis explores social and cultural factors that explain these immigrant elders’ involvement with Christianity while in the U.S. Based on face-to-face interviews with 20 Mainland Chinese elders living in Atlanta as well as participant observation at a Chinese Christian church and with a Bible study group, this study finds that loneliness and social isolation in a foreign land are the main reasons for Mainland Chinese elders’ participation in Christian activities. Besides religious services, social service functions …