LAUSR

Abstract Protestant house churches have resorted to a form of subtle contestation which the author calls compliant defiance. Compliant defiance is the act of resisting central government policies while cooperating informally with actors in the local state in exchange for protection for the rules they challenge. Unregistered clerics engaging in compliant defiance choose not to formally register their congregations with the government, and operate independently from state corporatist religious associations in charge of managing the activities of official churches. They also bypass regulations on religious education, churches’ interactions with foreign Christian actors, church leaders’ travels, the distribution of religious material and proselytization. Informality has placed unregistered pastors in a position of vulnerability whereby they face risks of arbitrary state interference. Uncertainty has prompted them to seek protection from actors in local states by means of symbolic gestures of compliance and signals aimed at showing officials they are not a threat to political stability.