The First and Last Day (1917–1922)

Abstract

Why do some big ideas catch on, spread, and endure while others fizzle? Analyzing Wei Enbo’s vision of Jesus and the religious revival it sparked gives us insight into the attraction of the True Jesus Church in 1917. Wei’s theophany was recounted in multiple stories revealing overlap but also significant variation. Over the course of retelling, these stories became more abstract and theologically focused, suggesting ways in which religious narratives emerge. This process generated a culturally fluent and linguistically discriminating message of biblical adherence. Chinese Christians seeking increased ecclesiastical purity and personal morality converted to the new movement. Wei’s prediction that the world would end by 1922 reflected realities of social turmoil and Chinese millenarian traditions, but also was in keeping with the charismatic (extraordinary) tenor of the early True Jesus Church movement, which relied heavily on tropes, language, and expectations from the Bible.