The Impact of Martin Luther’s Religious Reform on the Conversion of New Chinese Immigrants to Christianity

Abstract

Through a study of the M Church in Bangkok, this research paper explores the influence of Martin Luther’s Reformation spirit of freedom of religion on the conversion of new Chinese immigrants to Christianity. With the increase in the number of Chinese who have emigrated overseas since the reform and opening up, Christianity has become increasingly popular among new Chinese immigrants, and the concept of freedom of religion advocated by Martin Luther’s Reformation has played an active role in this process. This study first, introduces the background of Martin Luther’s Reformation and his advocacy of religious freedom. Then, the literature related to Martin Luther’s Reformation, the Christian faith of new immigrants in China, and the Christian faith of Chinese in Thailand is reviewed. Then, through field research, the history and current situation of the new Chinese immigrants’ participation in the M Church in Bangkok are analyzed, and the transmutation of their beliefs in this chapel is discussed. Through interviews and surveys, the paper further analyzes the reasons for the conversion of Chinese new immigrants to Christianity. The study shows that the concept of religious freedom advocated by Martin Luther’s Reformation has played a positive role in the conversion of Chinese new immigrants to Christianity. However, Chinese new immigrants face many difficulties and challenges in the process of converting to Christianity, such as understanding and identifying with the faith and understanding the cultural differences between China and the West. Therefore, this paper argues that the concept of religious freedom advocated by Martin Luther’s Reformation has played an important role in the conversion of new Chinese immigrants to Christianity, but this process also needs to be combined with the integration and development of traditional Chinese culture.