|
When
it comes to talking about China, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. The country is so big and
the issues so complex that anything
said
could be true somewhere - but it isn't necessarily "the
truth."
I was reminded of this recently because of a
spate of press releases from
evangelists, television hosts and healers, direct mail letters and full-page four-color
advertisements in Christian publications promoting
the
"openness" of China to Christian witness and life.
For example, one of our faithful partners
sent us a full-page newspaper advertisement
from the Pensacola News Journal dated May 18, 2000. What grabbed our donor's
interest, and mine, was the full- page head and shoulder
photo of a Chinese pastor with this headline: "For Twenty
Years I Have
Worked for Freedom of Religious Beliefs in China."
The Reverend Kim-Kwong Chan, of the Hong
Kong Christian Council, is quoted
as saying, "Churches and synagogues are being built, services
are being held
regularly and freedom of religious belief is becoming a way
of life."
Scribbled on the margins of the newspaper
ad, our friend asked, "Is this
true?"
Shortly after receiving this newspaper
advertisement, I began to get phone
calls from Christian media for a response to a press conference held in China by Paul Crouch,
President of Trinity Broadcasting Network. I
quote part of his press release: "I have been in China all
week touring and
meeting with high Chinese government officials. It has become clearer to me that we
Americans need to have the record set
straight
regarding China.
"I have seen that Christians can openly
practice and profess their faith in
China. Christians can also meet at their homes in Bible study in
groups. "The
Bible as this one is publicly printed and freely distributed in China. I am told that 25 million
copies of the Bible have been printed
so
far in China."
Our prayer partners and friends could well
ask, "Is this true?" To
all of these scenarios, I can say, "Yes, it is true."
But, it is not
the
truth!
Let me explain. There are two expressions of
the Body of Christ in China:
The Three Self Patriotic Movement Church (TSPM) and the less public House Church movement. To
speak only of one is to pretend that
the
other doesn't exist. Representing one of these Churches only
is not to tell a
lie, it is rather not to tell the whole truth.
Christians who attend the
government-approved Three Self churches scattered
throughout China are free to assemble together for worship. They have access to Bibles,
provided by the government-sanctioned Amity Press.
The Chinese government has approved the opening of a number of seminaries. The TSPM claims
there are 13.3 million Protestants attending their
churches. Thus, the claim that Bibles are available and Christians are allowed to assemble for
worship in China is true - but only for those
who place themselves under the authority of the communist
government-controlled Church.
But what about the estimated 60
million-strong House Church? Because it has
refused to "bend the knee to Caesar," the House Church
movement has been
labeled a "cult" (the same term applied to the Falan
Gong movement) and
is subject to whatever harassment and punishment the government
chooses to apply.
It is to these 60 million house church
believers, bereft of government approval,
Bibles, public church buildings, and seminary training opportunities that Open Doors
ministers. Last year, we provided them with
one million Bibles and one million additional pieces of Christian help - commentaries, hymnals,
Bible dictionaries, and teaching tapes. In addition,
we trained multiple thousands of house church leaders to better prepare them to give
spiritual oversight of their burgeoning fellowships,
estimated to be growing at the rate of 25,000 new converts
a day.
Does Open Doors have all the truth about
China? No! But we do have nearly
25 years of consistent, hands-on ministry to persecuted believers there. We have delivered
multiple millions of Bibles and spiritual books and
trained tens of thousands of the house church leaders. Because of
this, we have long-term relationships with key church leaders all
over China who keep us informed, both of the Three Self Churches
and the House
Churches. We have China specialists who regularly visit and return with up-to-minute reports on the
constantly changing situation in this large,
complex country. You receive the benefit of their insights in
Open Doors' tapes and
publications.
When the truth is at stake, know your
sources. Go for the truth, and the
truth
will set you free.
For further information on the ministry of
Open Doors, call 949-752-6600 or write:
Open Doors
with Brother Andrew
PO Box 27001, Santa Ana, CA
92799.
The Open Doors USA Website is at www.opendoorsusa.org
|
