ABSTRACT
The formality and regularity of the Christian congregational service differed from traditional worship by Chinese laity, which was ordinarily individual and often quite informal, at least on the part of the lay participants. Missionaries complained that children ran about and cried and that members sometimes brought tea with which to refresh themselves during the service. A Western description of a baptismal service in Xingning presented it as a festive occasion in which the thirty-three candidates appeared "neatly clad in dazzling white."3 Though white symbolized purity for the missionary, it was the Chinese dress for mourning so that one can only wonder about the Chinese interpretation at the time. Missionaries tried to substitute for the traditional marriage ceremony a Christian one which signified that two autonomous individuals were entering upon a union. Piton even drew up a special marriage contract to be read when he officiated at his first Christian wedding in Yuankeng in 1870. Despite these efforts to provide alternative Christian marriage and funeral ceremonies and despite the communal support offered by fellow Christians in times of stress, many converts found the Christian ceremonies less satisfying than the traditional rituals with their drama, noise, and family orientation. Accusations by kinsmen and predictions of retribution by the spirits frequently contributed to feelings of guilt and distress among converts. The attempt by the foreign missionaries to impose Western forms was a slow process, though the ritual eventually acquired great significance for some Christians.
