The Dichotomy of Christianity in China

A Ministry of

Abyssinian Church of the Living Word, USA

Nanchang Destiny International Church

The Dichotomy of Christianity in China

Part One

Copyright 2006 2007 Destiny Fellowship Nanchang 2107 DiWang GuangChang Nanchang, Jiangxi Province 330008 Peoples Republic of China

THE DICHOTOMY OF CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA

This is truly an AMAZING time to be alive! As I write this document I cant help but think that two years ago, today, I was sitting in a conference room at the Spitzer Plaza Hotel in Lorain, Ohio, totally oblivious to the stream of events that would culminate in my writing it. In fact, if youd asked me Id have had to confess that I knew very little firsthand about the state of the Church in China. I suspect most who are reading this are invariably in the same predicament. The fact is it is very difficult for anyone outside of China to fully understand the current state of affairs for Christians in China, simply because for most reporters it is difficult to avoid taking sides, when speaking on the subject. We will try to be as objective as possible, in writing this and any subsequent reports. The one thing that might be said, fairly conclusively, is that there is a rapidly growing excitement about the Gospel almost everywhere one goes, in China. In the same breath, however, we must point out that for what may be an overwhelming majority of Chinese Christians there are still enormous legal and social challenges confronting what for many is a very new faith. The Religious Freedom dichotomy For as long as I have been in China Human Rights has been a major topic of discussion, and the Chinese government has exerted a great effort to put forth the idea that religious Freedom is now a matter of law in China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
We must solemnly point out with justice that in China, freedom of religious belief is a fundamental right to which all citizens are entitled by the Constitution and law and the problem of "religious persecution" does not exist in China. Such fact can not be distorted by anyone in any means.1

In an earlier White Paper published on the Chinese Embassy in the United States web site
China has the following national religious organizations: Buddhist Association of China, Taoist Association of China, Islamic Association of China, Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, Chinese Catholic Bishops' College, Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee of the Protestant Churches of China, and China Christian Council. Religious leaders and leading organs of the various religious bodies are selected and ordained in accordance with their own regulations.
1 China Refutes U.S. Charges on Religious Freedom http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/zt/zjxy/t36496.htm

12/4/2006

Religious organizations in China run their own affairs independently and set up religious schools, publish religious classics and periodicals, and run social services according to their own needs. As in many other countries, China practices the principle of separating religion from education; religion is not a subject taught in schools of the popular education in China, although some institutions of higher learning and research institutes do teach or conduct research into religion. The various religious schools and institutes set up by the different religious organizations teach religious knowledge in line with their own needs. All normal clerical activities conducted by the clergy and all normal religious activities held either at sites for religious activities or in believers' own homes in accordance with usual religious practices, such as worshipping Buddha, reciting scriptures, going to church, praying, preaching, observing Mass, baptising, monkhood initiation, fasting, celebrating religious festivals, observing extreme unction, and holding memorial ceremonies, are protected by law as the affairs of religious bodies and believers themselves and may not be interfered with.

And significantly in 2005 and 2006 the public saw the nation go to great lengths to promote the idea that Chinese people enjoy unfettered religious freedom. Anchoring this public discourse at one end was the arrival in China of American Evangelist Luis Palau, and at the other end the dramatic Bible Exhibition in the United States coinciding with the first state visit to the U. S. by Chinese President Hu Jintao. Luis Palau Touted as a top Christian leader, Palau was interviewed in November 2005 by Chinas premier English-language newspaper, China Daily. Palau and President George W. Bush had attended church together in Beijing, the morning after Palau was interviewed by the paper; and in the afternoon Palau had also preached at the Gangwashi Church in that city. In the published article Palau observed that there was greater religious freedom in China than ever imagined by people outside China; and that he was free to speak at every Church and/or religious gathering in China.2 Earlier in 2005 Palau co-authored the book "Riverside Talks: A Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian" with a former Chinese Cabinet member, and avowed Atheist, named Zhao Qizheng. Once again the Evangelist garnered significant media attention, as he and Zhao appeared together in Beijing to promote the release of the book.3

'More religious freedom than people abroad think' China Daily 2005-11-21 05:47

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-11/21/content_496384.htm 3 A friendly dialogue: Does God exist? China Daily

2006-08-31

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-08/31/content_678212.htm

In an unrelated article, also posted on the Chinese Embassy in the United States web site, Rev. Billy Graham is listed as one of the important foreign visitors to Shanghais Mu En Church. The article states that the church has also invited a youth choir from Canada; and that it is very common for foreign visitors to Shanghai to attend Sunday services here.4 Bible Exhibition From April 27 to June 12 of 2005 the Chins Christian Council (CCC) brought a major Bible exhibition entitled "A Lamp to My Feet, A Light to My Path" to venues in three American cities. 5 The first stop was the Crystal Cathedral (http://www.crystalcathedral.org/) on the outskirts of Los Angeles, from April 27 to May 4, 2006; and drew 2,000 visitors on its busiest day. This was followed by a visit to the Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta, (http://www.spdl.org/) from May 19 to 24 which drew a total of 4,000 visitors. The article summarizing the tour was written on the opening day of its last stop at New Yorks Cathedral of St. John the Divine (http://www.stjohndivine.org/), so attendance figures were not available; but it is noteworthy that more than 80 churches sponsored this event, including its honorary chairperson, former President Jimmy Carter. Representatives of the CCC and co-sponsor National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) of the Protestant Churches in China anticipated that the event would have a significant positive impact on dialogue between Christians in China and the U. S., and would give the American people a different view of Gods marvelous work in China. Indeed reforms in China especially since the Cultural Revolution have made it possible for this nation to enjoy a new prestige in the minds of her new Western allies; and the efforts of the CCC to convey the message that Chinese people now enjoy true religious freedom have enjoyed great success. It is important, however, that we raise a few points of clarity so that you the reader can clearly grasp the magnitude of the task that confronts us, on the front lines of this modern Christian battlefield. In subsequent articles we will explore in depth the historical elements that influence the religious climate in China. For the sake of brevity we will only give an overview here, but hopefully enough of an overview to both whet your appetite for the rest of this series, and give you a view from behind the Wall of the evangelistic picture here. Any such summary would be incomplete without at least a brief discussion of the
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A Thriving Protestant Church in Shanghai http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/zt/zjxy/t36494.htm 6/30/2006

Churches plan first Bible show abroad China Daily 2006-04-19 06

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2006-04/19/content_570959.htm , Bible Ministry Exhibition opens in NY China

Daily 2006-06-06 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-06/06/content_609929.htm

religious demographics of the land, the dichotomy of the two churches in China, and the state of Christian Education and Bible teaching here. Demographics Though no one can clearly say how many Christians there are in China for reasons that will hopefully become clear in a moment the best available estimates put the number at just over 7% of the total population. Although this is a huge number of people in general, it is still significant that according to the same statistic about 49.5% have no religion at all, and that a significant number of these are probably Atheists.
RELIGIONS6

Non-religious 49.58% Chinese religions 28.5% Buddhist 8.38% Christian 7.25% Traditional ethnic 4.29% Muslim 2%

Given the sobering estimates above, it is clear that the task ahead of us is monumental. It is also easy to see why many Western Christians have written China off as a Godless society, and not worthy of much attention. But the other side of this picture is that inside this so-called Great Wall there are as many as 60 to 100 MILLION Saints praying for China and her Salvation, and begging the Master of the Harvest to send workers into this harvest. But before you pack your bags there are some things you need to consider Two Churches In the August 31, 2006 China Daily article the author correctly pointed out that Luis Palau and Billy Graham might have been given a special dispensation to preach in the churches in Beijing and Shanghai, but neither has come even close to convincing the Chinese Government to allow them to bring their massive crusades. The authors correctly pointed out that current Chinese law despite the provisions dealing with religious freedom, stilts this kind of progress.
In a sign of the dialogue's limits, Chinese regulations make it nearly impossible for Palau, whose Luis Palau Association is based in Portland, Oregon, to hold the massive, modern evangelical meetings he is known for. The two-day events showcase Christian rock bands, extreme sports and food courts, and seek corporate sponsorship instead of offerings. The officially atheistic Chinese government prohibits worship outside state-approved venues and forbids proselytizing.

http://www.us.omf.org/uploads/documents%5CChina.pdf January 15, 2007 6

At Tuesday's book launch, Palau sidestepped questions about Beijing's religious policies.

In short, it is probably safe to say that one or two special invitations is far from a suggestion that Chinas doors have suddenly flung open to Good ol fashioned Revival, like they had when my mamma was a boy! The law in China still strictly prohibits foreign influence, still prohibits proselytizing, and still permits public worship only in a place that has been sanctioned by the State usually meaning by either the local or the provincial government, or both which means that, contrary to his statements to the opposite Pastor Palau is NOT free to speak at every Church or religious gathering in China. In fact, it is possible that he is not free to speak at most churches and/or religious gatherings in China. Which invites another look at some of the subtle nuances hidden in the Chinese Governments official position on religious freedom. In the earlier-mentioned White Paper the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned seven national religious organizations:
Buddhist Association of China Taoist Association of China Islamic Association of China Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association Chinese Catholic Bishops' College Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee of the Protestant Churches of China and China Christian Council.

Of these seven the last two are Protestant organizations, and as such will be the subject of our focus. We will present a detailed history of the TSPM and CCC in a subsequent article, but for now we must say just a few things. The Three Self Patriotic Movement (

formally established in 1954, during the reign of Premier Zhou Enlai. Its three principles of 'self-governance, (
)self-support, ( )self-propagation' (

promulgated by Wu, Yaozong in 1951, in a paper entitled The Christian Manifesto. In this paper he stressed the need for Chinese Christians to throw off foreign influence and to work together to build the Peoples Republic. Surviving the Cultural Revolution, the TSPM and CCC emerged along with the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association as the three sanctioned churches in China. Bishop Ding Guangxun succeeded Wu, from the time of Wus death in 1979 until 1997 when, Han Wenzao was made president of the China Christian Council and Luo Guanzong chairman of the TSPM. Bishop Ding, however, was to remain honorary chairman of both organizations, so his influence would continue. Both of the new appointees are prominent laymen, and Han is known to be a Communist Party
7


or

was

were

member.7 Herein, my friends, lies the heart of our message to you, today. Many, many Christians conscientiously and by conviction refuse to belong to the TSPM/CCC movement, and many pastors for the same reason are reluctant to register their churches. And so since the 1950s many Chinese Christians have met underground in small groups known as house churches. There are many issues doctrinal, spiritual, and political that have made the house church movement all but necessary, in China. Consider these thoughts from the Norway-based religious rights watchdog group, Forum 18, on the issues that confront house church leaders in considering whether to register with the State. Keep in mind as you read this that Nanchang Destiny and Harvest China International Church are both un-registered house churches:
It is well-known that central to the Chinese state's effort to control religious communities is the requirement that religious organisations register with the government. Yet, equally well-publicised is that many religious groups are unwilling to do so for doctrinal reasons and out of concern that registration would result in greater state intervention in the internal affairs of those communities. Of course, that it is often difficult to register with the government has also contributed to the decision by many religious groups not to register. Instead of directly confronting the political authorities over the state's denial of the "legality" to meet, most of these religious groups have chosen to meet clandestinely. The burgeoning underground Protestant communities are a clear illustration of this. These underground groups congregate regularly in the homes of individual believers, where they meet for worship services and fellowship in secret. The documentary film "The Cross: Jesus in China" released by the China Soul for Christ Foundation in 2003 gives an impression of these meeting locations, which change constantly. Meetings are held with such great secrecy that few outsiders are permitted to visit them. Several years ago, members of one Protestant congregation took a foreign television crew to their meeting place only after blindfolding them to ensure that they would not be able to find the location again.8

Fortunately, in many places in China the house church movement has been able to move a little more over ground. In many places such as in Nanchang house churches meet somewhat openly, and in our case the brothers and sisters even pass out tracts in public places and go to nearby villages to preach the Gospel.

Three Self Patriotic Movement Churches http://www.us.omf.org/content.asp?id=9319

How believers resist state religious policy F18News 18 January 2005

http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=491

Let us be clear that this does not represent a shift by any means. It may simply be that the emphasis of these Churches is spiritual, not political, so we dont represent a threat. Bear in mind, also that we who are here from the West are prudent enough, and wise enough, to delegate as much responsibility as possible to the Chinese pastors and workers. It is after all strictly forbidden for a foreigner to govern the religious affairs of a Chinese congregation. In fact some would probably consider my preaching, by itself, to be dancing on the edge. Contrary to statements you read at the beginning of this article, the Central Partys view about foreign influence has really not changed since the days of former president Jiang Zemin, when he said, the principle of independence must be followed and foreign interference in Chinas religious work should be absolutely prohibited.9 Every preacher knows that a word can take on a new meaning, given a change in context. Chinese regulations are deliberately vague on the meaning of terms like, foreign influence, foreign interference, usual religious practices, and normal activities; or even whether practices common to us as Pentecostals praise, tongues, healing, etc. could be construed as superstitious activities, in the spirit of the Central Partys 1982 decree, described below:
In its first major policy statement on the management of religious affairs since the Cultural Revolution, the CCP stated in 1982: "We should make a clear distinction between normal religious activities and feudal superstitious activities. We should not allow those reactionary superstitious sects and secret societies and sorcerers and sorceresses that we have banned to resume their activities. We should ban and severely punish all those who carry out superstitious activities to lure the people and defraud them of their money and property."10

Since we have been in China it has become clear that in the matter of religious freedom it is not always clear that the statement, All normal clerical activities conducted by the clergy and all normal religious activities held either at sites for religious activities or in believers' own homes in accordance with usual religious practices are protected by law as the affairs of religious bodies and believers themselves and may not be interfered with, applies to all Chinese Christians equally. And consider this thought from Hong Kong Pastor Dennis Balcome, whose Revival Christian Ministries International (http://www.rcmi.ac/eng/intro.html) specializes in helping Mainland church leaders in both the TSPM/CCC Movement and the house church Movement:

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President Jiang Stresses Importance of Policy on Religion http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/zt/zjxy/t36497.htm

Despite new Regulations, religious policy still under strain F18News 8 March 2006

http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=740

1/18/2007
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Missionaries called to serve in China often found themselves in a dilemma: Submit to local laws and engage in limited Gospel work? Or obey the Bible and the Great Commission thereby incurring risks to themselves and also to those to whom the Gospel is preach. Those who chose to bring the Gospel to the far ends of China faced the danger of being thrown out of the country.

I believe that until recently, for any God fearing, Spirit-filled servant of God, there was only one choice to obey God and face any consequences that may come. God told us to warn the wicked (Ezekiel 3:18), and Paul himself said, Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:16) People need to hear the Gospel preached in all its power and fullness, not just see a good example of a Christian life.

Some churches did allow limited assistance from outsiders, but their involvement with an official church would probably close the doors to all the unregistered or house churches. The reason was very simple. The theology and practices of the official churches were totally anti-Christ. Any knowledgeable Christian (especially older ones) would tell you, almost without exception that the top Three-Self leaders were really communists whose job was to infiltrate and control the church. Basic evangelical doctrines, such as the resurrection and second coming of Christ, could not be preached and Sunday schools or youth groups were non-existent. All evangelism was done within the four walls of the church building; believers were not allowed to travel to other districts or preachers to preach and start churches elsewhere.

These churches were definitely not Pentecostal as it was forbidden to heal the sick, cast out demons and speak in tongues. The sad fact is that many God-fearing preachers, working in house churches were arrested, fined and given prison sentences after official church leaders reported them to the government. This all happened even though the constitution of China clearly guarantees religious freedom for all Chinese citizens, not only those who attend officially sanctioned churches.11

Of course our answer to Pastor Balcomes first question is very simple:

Acts 5:27 When they had brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin, and the high priest asked, 28 "Didn't we strictly order you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to bring this man's blood on us!" 29 But Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than men. Holman CSB

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An Unprecedented Opportunity to Bring Revival to China through the Official

C h u r c h e s http://www.rcmi.ac/eng/news_306.htm

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The truth of the matter is China has many beautiful and wonderful church buildings. I will never forget the weekend that I visited Shanghai and quite by accident discovered the Grace Methodist Church, right outside my window. Imagine my elation when I went to Peoples Square to take pictures to also discover the historic Mu en Church (pictures of both at the end of this article.) I also do not want to convey the idea that all TSPM/CCC ministers are evil, twisted puppets of the Communist Party. In fact I have two very good friends Bible believing friends who are part of the TSPM church near my home in Nanchang. Please read Dennis Balcomes entire article on the previous page. He gives an interesting perspective on how God is moving the hearts of many younger TSPM pastors, and how some are even opening their hearts to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I do want to leave one final thought with you. Christian Education and Training Against the backdrop of this division between the two churches in China, we come to the subject of training. If the TSPM/CCC and CPCA are the three primary sanctioned churches, it makes sense that all of the seminaries and schools of religious education are also governed by these churches. The Forum 18 article we referenced above makes this observation about training. I have noticed in the Saints who participate in the house church movement here in Nanchang a great spirit of celebration. Chinese Christians know how to have a good time, in the Lord. Many of the believers who have come to China from the West, in recent years, have been Charismatics, and even Pentecostals; and so services might just as easily include selections from the Maranatha Songbook as from the Chinese Hymnal. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of the preachers in the house churches are itinerant preachers with no training, and no opportunity to get training. This means that the range of solid Bible teaching is severely limited. It also sometimes means that spiritual concepts that we believe are very simple are actually difficult for the Saints to grasp. Furthermore, local pastors are often ill-equipped to address very complex crises, when they arise in the lives of individual Believers. Depression is very prevalent among Chinese at every age level; but for many pastors the standard response to people in this condition is Just read your Bible and pray, even when it is evident that some might also need to get treatment. Ive also observed this standard response, when talking to Saint who are coping with death. In more than one occasion I have found myself regretting my lack of ability to speak the language, because clearly the persons reaction to the pastoral advice indicated that they were left with their questions unresolved.

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Two such cases remain very heavy in my mind mainly because the service/conversation was taken into a totally different direction by the native-speakers before I could fully digest the question being asked in Chinese. One person had a brother who had just been killed in a car accident, and asked why would God let her brother be killed why wouldnt He have honored her faith, and on that basis let her brother live? Another relatively young Christian a school teacher opened the door to her home and found her father hanging from the ceiling, and her mother stabbed to death in the next room. We had been trying to arrange a convenient time to go and minister to the father, who we knew was suffering from severe depression. Her question was, If there is a God, why did He allow this to happen to my mother, who never hurt anyone only gave the world love? Just read your bible and pray .. ! Afterwards I ministered to her and shared with her for an hour; but the truth is I have not heard from her or been able to reach her, since. Lastly, in a nation where an estimated 49.5% of all people dont believe in any god, a majority of our members have family and loved ones in their homes who dont understand their faith. We have members whose family members are staunch Muslims, or staunch believers in Buddha. In a land where family is the all-important thing, it is a challenge for our pastors to know how to talk to these members about the matter of Hell. We Need YOUR Help!!!
During the night a vision appeared to Paul: a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, "Cross over to Macedonia and help us!" After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to evangelize them. Acts 16:9-10 Holman CSB

Above all, the task is enormous bigger than we could ever hope to manage in such a little time. Our goal for Harvest 2007 is 2,000 souls; 1,000 English-speaking souls and 1,000 Chinese-speaking souls! While we believe that God will honor our vision the truth is we will need abundant financial and human resources, to met this Ingathering. How can we help, Bishop Johnson? First, we ask you to visit or re-visit the Harvest 2007 web site, and give your Covenant Gift. You can be secure that your transaction will be safe as we have chosen PayPal the nations foremost leader in online financial services. Then we ask you to pray and to intercede for China, for the Nanchang Destiny family, and for the many house churches throughout this land.

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HOW TO PRAY
For Saints in the U. S. to prayerfully consider coming to China as volunteers especially needed are degreed English teachers. For many of the Missionaries in China, teaching English was a good door opener to this mission field. (also, to teach English even at the University level you only need a Bachelors Degree) For Christian professionals to offer their skills for work and witness among Chinese intellectuals, the business community, and in both urban and rural areas. For good Bible based teaching in the churches. And for Bible College and Seminary-trained professionals to consider teaching here, as above. For the training of godly pastors. These men and women are often poorly paid and sacrifice much to lead their churches. As China develops rapidly, young people see the attractiveness of secular work and lifestyle. Pray that more young people will respond to the needs of the church. For an end to persecution of house churches who refuse to register with the TSPM, and for the witness of those in prison. For Hong Kong Christians to have a sensitive and significant influence in churches in southern China. For witness among Christian minority peoples; most have no viable church or no known Christians. Radio broadcasts into China provide a valuable means of training leaders and evangelizing non-believers For the growing missionary movement within China. Pray for wisdom and appropriate training for the many Christians from rural areas planning to take the gospel to other parts of the world. For peaceful, stable and honest government. Give thanks for the great growth of the church.

Well, thats all for now. We hope you have been blessed by this offering, and that you will visit our site often to see our progress. Added 05/10/2008: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/features/news/asia/china/

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