Inhibitors to Christianity According to Atheist and Nonreligious Chinese Graduate Students Attending a Christian University in the United States: A Grounded Theory Study

Abstract

This grounded theory research investigated the experiences of 25 Chinese graduate students attending a Christian university in the United States, most of whom self-identified as atheist or nonreligious upon entry. Interview and questionnaire data identified that 23 of 25 participants experienced an overall increased openness to Christianity during their graduate studies; two students' worldview remained approximately the same. However, in that process of worldview change, all participants experienced competing influences that affected their perceptions of Christianity—some influences increased their openness to Christianity and some influences inhibited their openness to Christianity. To restate: Whereas my first article published in this journal focused on influences that increased openness to Christianity, this sequel article focuses solely on the influences participants described as having decreased (or inhibited) their openness to Christianity in theoretical–curricular and relational–cultural dimensions. These 10 inhibitors include (a) Participants’ Surprise at Discovering They Were Attending a Christian University; (b) Modern Chinese Education’s Naturalist Training; (c) Nonsystematic Presentations of Christianity; (d) Religious Pragmatism and Relativity; (e) China’s Climate of Pressure and Corruption; (f) Chinese Communist Party Membership, Affiliation, or Influence; (g) Pushy Chinese-Speaking Church Movements; (h) Cynicism of “Fake” Conversion; (i) Mockery From Peers; and (j) Perceived Hypocrisy of Christians. The article concludes with Implications for Practice for Christian university administrators and faculty working at institutions that enroll Chinese students as well as student life organizations and other personnel seeking to serve the Chinese university student population.