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Overview

The article, “Religious Philanthropy and Chinese Civil Society”, written by André Laliberté, David A. Palmer, and Wu Keping, in the volume Chinese Religious Life (Oxford University Press, 2011), introduces readers to the different ways in which Chinese people, through their religious traditions, have understood philanthropy and have tried to achieve an idea of “the good” by giving and serving others.  The authors discuss several Chinese indigenous concepts of philanthropy and present the traditional practices and contemporary movements inspired by popular religion, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity. Please read the full article to learn more about it.

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André Laliberté: The philanthropic resources of religion

André Laliberté is one of the authors of the above article and had conducted research in Taiwan for years, studying the religious groups whose members often passionately engaged in relief actions and charity work, especially in times of disasters (earthquake, flood etc.). From his viewpoint, religious institutions can provide important philanthropic resources, for instance, financial support and human resources, to help people who are facing crisis situation, which, sometimes, can work out better than the government.

Philip L. Wickeri: Amity Foundation

Philip L. Wickeri, one of the authors and editors of the volume Chinese Religious Life (Oxford University Press, 2011), is also a pastor ordained in China in the early 1990s. In the interview, he talks about the Amity Foundation which has been conducting social services and education programs in China since 1985. Being a Christian organization, Amity outlines the 6Cs to execute in its social services, which are Compassion, Commitment, Competence, Communication, Cooperation, and Creativity. Please see a brief account of the Amity Foundation by Wickeri, one of the important members of the group.