The Anonymous Christian Missionary

China is sometimes called “Christianity’s sleeping giant,” home to a burgeoning Christian population estimated anywhere between 23 million and 87 million — the Chinese government provides the lower statistic, while outside observers insist the number is far greater — and host to a quiet but significant influx of U.S. missionaries. With support from churches at home, these missionaries often double as English teachers to sidestep a government still wary of the religion’s colonial history there. Christianity, while legal in China, faces tight restrictions; proselytizing by foreigners is against the law.