OTCS Dean, Dr. Donald Tinder, gave a lecture on the history of Christianity in China on Monday, Aug. 14 to a group of people who are scheduled to go to mainland China this coming autumn to teach in Chinese universities. The audience included Americans coming from various background and recruited by Educational Resources and Referrals-China.

The Chinese education institutions are seeking those who are qualified to teach various subjects in the English language, attempting to improve the English skills of their students while increasing the knowledge in that subject matter at the same time. A few Christian organizations have responded to this by recruiting such teachers and then orienting them on how they can appropriately serve in ways that are acceptable to the Chinese while remaining faithful to their commitment to Christ.

Dr. Tinder's lecture emphasized that there has been significant Christian presence in China ever since the seventh century, although with intervals when Christians were driven out or underground. In the 1800s, Protestants finally got involved, although by the 1920s and still in 1950 they were only about 1 out of every 1000 Chinese. In 1950 Catholics greatly outnumbered them, but since then Protestantism – in various expressions and among differing social classes –has grown enormously. They now far outnumber the Catholics, but other religions have also been growing in what remains officially an atheistic country.

Dr. Tinder currently serves as the Dean and teaches Historical Theology at Olivet Theological College & Seminary (OTCS). He received his B.A. from Yale University, M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and Ph.D. from Yale University. Prior to accepting his position as the Dean of OTCS, Dr. Tinder has held academic positions at the Evangelical Theological Faculty in Belgium and Tyndale Theological Seminary in Netherlands, and also served as an associate editor of the Christianity Today.