Chapter 2

David Lin

THE gospel of Jesus first entered China in the seventh century, when the Tang dynasty ruled the country. The early Nestorians, it is said, were well received by the Chinese court and given facilities to translate the Scriptures. The gospel message made progress for some time, but suffered persecution and failed to gain a lasting foothold in this country. However, a stone tablet remains in Xi-an to record what the early Chinese Christians believed and did. Subsequent efforts made by Catholic and Protestant missionaries to introduce the gospel into China are well told by church historians, so this article will not go into that background. We are mainly interested in the progress of the Adventist cause in China.

Adventist missionaries first landed in China in 1902, when she was shackled by a number of treaties which foreign imperialists had imposed on her by force. Missionaries who were "old China hands" assisted their governments in formulating treaties which provided for extraterritorial rights, whereby aliens enjoyed free access to the hinterland under government protection. These privileges were often abused by missionaries who pressured local magistrates to render verdicts in favor of Christian landlords in lawsuits over land tenure. In disputes between Christians and non-Christians the latter always lost. Adding to this source of aggravation, rights of consular jurisdiction, guaranteed by unfair treaties, provided that Chinese courts had no right to judge cases of felony committed by foreign civilians, who were legally responsible to their respective consuls. Foreign settlements in treaty ports likewise prescribed special privileges for aliens. One park in the British concession of Shanghai posted a sign, "No admittance to dogs and Chinese." Many other humiliating regulations beg enumeration.

It takes little imagination to see how such bullying practices caused widespread resentment, which accumulated with the years and bore fruit in 1900 in the "Boxer" uprising of patriots who aimed at driving out foreign aggressors and punishing the corrupt Ching officials. Mounting animosity against imperialist aggression was also at the bottom of the bourgeois revolution led by Sun Yat-Sen, who finally succeeded in overthrowing the Ching Dynasty.

The political background of missionary activities is not complete without recounting the influence of the Taiping revolution, which agitated China from 1850 to 1864. This movement left a dent in the history of the Chinese church as well as the nation, and is of interest to Adventists because of its observance of the seventh-day Sabbath. Hong Xiu-Quan, the leading genius of the Taiping revolution, studied the Bible for himself, and created what he called the "Peaceful Heavenly Kingdom," which had for its aim the establishing of God's kingdom on earth through military conquest. A visiting missionary once asked his spokesman, "Do you keep the Sabbath?" "Yes," was the reply, "We observe the Sabbath. At midnight we offer prayer and praise. After peace is restored, we plan to enforce the Sabbath in earnest. Saturday is the Sabbath." See C. S. Gu, Missionaries and Modern China, 85.

Missionaries first admired Hong Xiu-Quan as a wonderful convert, but later despised him as a radical ignoramus, theologically speaking. Their opinion of him influenced the imperialist forces, who were already dissatisfied with his program of dealing with foreign powers on equal terms. They could hardly count on him to honor the treaties which they had concluded with the Ching Dynasty. Hence they decided to work with that government, who they knew would serve their purposes better, to suppress what they called the "Taiping Rebellion." No less a figure than Charles Gordon was enlisted to command the colonial forces to fight in coordination with the Ching army in its assault against Nanjing, the capital of the Peaceful Heavenly Kingdom. Thus the first grand attempt by a Chinese convert to Christianize his country by force of arms was arrested before it could be tested on a nationwide scale.

Missionaries had rejoiced for a time in Hong Xiu-Quan's exploits, but in the end we witness "Christian nations" sending a "Christian general" to destroy a "Christian army" led by the first Chinese "Christian emperor"--all in the interests of foreign imperialism.

Years of missionary expansion also saw rapid gains made by colonial forces. Owing to imperialist aggression, China had deteriorated into a semifeudal, semicolonial country, with its economy strangled by alien powers, who engendered a "compradore class" in the church as well as in trade circles. Instead of Christian fellowship, a master-and-lackey relation arose between missionary and convert. Plans for gospel work were laid by the missionaries, who put little stock in what Chinese workers had to say. The guiding policy was, "He who pays the money decides how the work should be done." Mission funds from abroad gave the impression that an abundance of money was available, and the offerings of Chinese converts made little difference. Still, they gave their "widow's mite," not aware that one day God would remove the extra burden of the missionaries' salaries, and provide for the creating of a truly self-reliant indigenous church in China.

Adventist pioneers in China worked at the disadvantage of such a political and economic background, with which they were not familiar, and for which they were not responsible. First they had to learn a new language and strange customs; and then to reach the soul of the people and break down the wall of prejudice was a great challenge. Few of them considered to wisely dissociate themselves from the imperialist machine and win the people's confidence. Some missionaries resorted to offering material benefits to draw an audience. But the bait attracted only "rice Christians." Some wise missionaries lifted up Christ crucified, but the imperialist curtain obscured His image, and genuine conversions were few.

The Lord will work in this last work in a manner very much out of the common order of things, and in a way that will be contrary to any human planning. . . . God will use ways and means by which it will be seen that He is taking the reins in His own hands. The workers will be surprised by the simple means that He will use to bring about and perfect His work of righteousness. Testimonies to Ministers, 300

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

It is the conviction of many Seventh-day Adventists in China that developments in their church today reveal the simplicity of the means God is using to finish His work. At any rate, it certainly is not of human devising. Many years before foreign missionaries were forced out of the country upon the birth of New China, Chinese workers and members had dreamed of managing their own gospel work. In 1947, when foreign missionaries returned to China and the Division held its first constituency meeting, a Chinese worker presented a formal request to the Division president to turn over the Division administration to Chinese workers. The plan was rejected. In a large meeting the president stated that Chinese Adventists were spiritually immature and financially unable to assume the burdens of church leadership.

As that first serious attempt of Chinese workers to run their own church was squelched, the Kuomintang forces were facing disaster on the battlefield. The victorious Red Army was making speedy progress toward Shanghai. After another year the missionary leader who had declared the Chinese workers too immature for church leadership was arranging for all missionaries to withdraw to Hongkong to set up a provisionary China Division Office. In December 1949, they turned over all responsibilities to a group of "immature" Chinese workers in Shanghai. Apparently, God was taking the reins in His own hands, while new church leaders wondered what would be next.

When the Korean war began in October 1950, Chinese People's Volunteer forces confronted American troops fighting under the United Nations flag. As a church connected with an American missionary organization, the Chinese Adventists must choose their political allegiance. In fact, all Christian organizations in China faced the same choice. Most of them were accustomed to regard Communism as anti-Christian. Added to this was the alarm aroused by the closing of a number of churches and the confiscation of Bibles and hymn books in some cities liberated by the Red Army in their victorious advance southward. Hence many Christians were, in their hearts, scared by the "Red bogey."

Shortly before the outbreak of hostilities in Korea, a team of Christian workers headed by Y. T. Wu and L. M. Liu visited a number of churches in various parts of China and then called on the new government to demand implementation of the "Common Programme" which guaranteed religious freedom. They requested the government to investigate cases of violation, and to post notices on all churches to assure the people of their freedom to worship.

Premier Chou En-Lai received this group of Christian workers and conducted three extended talks in company with responsible Party cadre on the policy on religious liberty. He explained that the country had just been through a tremendous shakeup, and might be likened to a patient recovering from a major operation. Church closure and Bible confiscation were just "side effects" which could be expected and remedied. But he pointed out that simply to post public notices would not effectively solve the problem. Chinese Christians must examine themselves for the cause of the animosity of the masses against Christianity. For more than a century Christianity had been looked upon as a foreign religion--an exotic plant. The people had painful memories of atrocities perpetrated by imperialist forces working hand-in-glove with Christian missionaries. In June 1950, to convince all concerned that they were not just being swayed by Red propaganda, American troops in Korea were pressing to China's border, and President Truman had ordered the U.S. navy to patrol the Taiwan straits to prevent the liberation of Taiwan. Where did Chinese Christians stand on this immediate issue? Were they friends or foes?

The visiting group of Christian workers got the point. They wrote the "Declaration for Reformation through Self-administration, Self-support, and Self-propagation," in which they clarified the issue confronting the Chinese churches, and called on all Christians who loved their country to stand on the right side. Thus was launched the program popularly known as the "Three-Self" patriotic movement. Its aim was not only to alter their exotic

complexion, but also to change the basically foreign essence of the Christian cause in China, so that the masses would no longer look upon it as an unwelcome intruder. As stated above, to build a truly indigenous church had long been an ideal cherished by many Chinese Christians, and by some farsighted missionaries as well. What Premier Chou presented was not a new idea, but an indication that conditions were ripe for adopting appropriate measures to convert a foreign proselyting agency into a truly Chinese religious cause, so that the masses might recognize the change and lend their support.

Forty years of experience have proved that the Three-Self patriotic movement was timely and needful. Despite developing pains and mistakes, it has met the expectations of its founders. It has assisted the government in implementing its policy on religion, and today Chinese Protestants on the mainland worship in some 6000 churches and 10,000 meeting places, and can freely purchase Bibles and hymnals; and the public regards them as a part of Chinese society. No longer is it said, "One Christian more means one Chinese less," a remark which aptly described the suffocation of patriotic feelings among Chinese converts during semi-colonial times.

Some complain that the "Three-Self patriotic movement" smacks of union of church and state. A number of Chinese Adventists still refuse to have anything to do with it. They refer to Gospel Workers, 391, "Our Attitude in Regard to Politics." But we note that these words were written in 1899 to teachers and managers in our schools in America, where party politics created a situation of rivalry quite different from that in China today. The words in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, 533-534 are better applicable here. We read, "Many Sabbathkeepers are not right before God in their political views. They are not in harmony with God's Word, or in union with the body of Sabbathkeeping believers. Their views do not accord with the principles of our faith. . . . These brethren cannot receive the approval of God while they lack sympathy for the oppressed colored race, and are at variance with the pure, republican principles of our government."

Many forms of church-state relations exist in different countries, both today and yesterday. In the Dark Ages the only safety for faithful servants of God was to retreat to the wilds. In Daniel's day, he could only prayerfully adapt himself to the lot of a captive in Babylon. He was in it and had no way out. But God first taught him how to win the favor of the chief steward in order to abstain from unclean foods. Daniel was aware of the difference between outward and inward holiness. When King Nebuchadnezzar- named him "Belteshazzar" after the pagan god Bel, Daniel made no protest, because objectionable though it was, it could not mar his character. When the king appointed him "master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers" (Daniel 5:11), he did not say, "I'll have nothing to do with Babylonian magic." Instead, he took advantage of this opportunity to witness for the truth. Daniel was also wise in following the customs of pagan courts as far as they did not conflict with the commandments of God. When King Darius cried, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?" it would have been correct for Daniel to say, "Thank the Lord. Yes!" But instead, his first words were, "O king, live for ever." He observed rules of pagan etiquette even under such circumstances.

So it was with Ezra, Nehemiah, and Mordecai, pious Jews who made God first, but were wise in winning the confidence of men in power. They took full advantage of their positions of trust to do good to Israel. In Prophets and Kings, 628, we read, Nehemiah, one of the Hebrew exiles, occupied a position of influence and honor in the Persian court. As cup-bearer to the king he was admitted freely to the royal presence. By virtue of his position, and because of his abilities and fidelity, he had become the monarch's friend and counsellor. The recipient of royal favor, however, though surrounded by pomp and splendor, did not forget his God nor his people. . . . Through this man, prepared by his residence in the Persian court for the work to which he was to be called, God purposed to bring blessing to His people in the land of their fathers.

Those Jews living in a heathen court often faced temptations to compromise principle. But God helped them to overcome without forfeiting their positions of trust. On the other hand, they did not allow scruples about church-state relationships to prevent them from occupying points of vantage, which enabled them to draw men to the truth by practicing it. But when required to worship an image, to stop praying, or to bow down to a human celebrity like Haman, they worked by the principle stated in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, 361, "It is our duty in every case to obey the laws of our land, unless they conflict with the higher law which God spoke with an audible voice from Sinai, and afterward engraved on stone with His own finger."

Now to study the leading of Providence in China. Since it is true that "the church, enfeebled and defective though it be, is the only object on earth on which Christ bestows His supreme regard" (Selected Messages, Book 2, 396), then we should see His leading hand in all that is happening in the land of Sinim. Says the Lord to His own, "Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers." Isaiah 49:23

What many Christians regarded as a catastrophe has proved to be a blessing. When the People's Liberation Army defeated the Chiang Kai-Shek forces in the bloody battle along the Huai river and then crossed the Yangtse river to liberate the South, some Christians in Shanghai, frightened by anti-Communist propaganda, prayed that God would drown the hated Communists in the river. Now with the reconstruction of New China and the achievements of the past 40 years, Chinese Christians are convinced that socialist China has prospered under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

"God hath spoken once, twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God" (Psalm 62:11), and, "The powers that be are ordained of God" (Romans 13:1). These scriptures lead us to believe that when the hour struck for a new order of things to prevail in China, God gave power to the Chinese Communist Party to govern this populous country. A brief introduction of her cultural background is now in order.

China enjoys a rich heritage. We believe God preserved this country for a purpose. In ancient times, when His people were rebellious, God told Jeremiah to invite the Rechabites for a demonstration of filial obedience. Said Jeremiah, "I set before the . . . Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, 'Drink ye wine.' But they said, 'We will drink no wine: for . . . our father commanded us, saying, "Ye shall drink no wine, ye nor your sons, forever . . . ." ' " Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, "The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed. . . . But although I have spoken to you . . . you did not obey me." And Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before me forever." Jeremiah 35:5-19 NKJV

God highly regards moral values, especially filial obedience. The "first commandment with promise" requires us to honor our parents. Among ancient peoples of the world, China is the only one which possesses a book

called Xiao Jing, whose contents are devoted to teachings on filial piety. Her folklore boasts twenty-four anecdotes on the meritorious acts of sons and daughters who honored their parents, to be taught to the younger generation. It is not by chance that China's days have been long upon the land which the Lord her God has given her. She is an abiding testimony to the faithfulness of God and His promises. Who knows but that God has preserved her for another demonstration of fidelity to Him in these last days? Although China did not enjoy the privilege of direct revelation like the Jewish people, yet she was not wholly ignorant of saving truths. Rays of the "true Light which lighteth every man which cometh into the world" shone upon sages and teachers who wrote many books to educate the Chinese people. They told of Nu Wa, the progenitor of mankind, and Shen Nong and Fu Xi, patriarchs whose names coincide with "Shem" and the "phe-th" in "Japheth" ("ja" was lost in transmission because the Hebrew Yodh is a weak consonant. The Chinese Xi is pronounced "hsi", corresponding to the Hebrew "th," which Askenazic Jews pronounce like "s," vocalizing "Japheth" as "Yaphess"). Why Ham's name was not preserved, we are not sure. His disrespect for his father may be one reason why his name was stricken from the honor roll of China's patriarchs. At any rate, the preservation of the names of Noah, Shem and Japheth in China's folklore attests to the historicity of the record in Genesis 6-10.

The name Shang Di, the Chinese term for "God," corresponds to the Hebrew El Shaddai, "God Almighty." Chinese linguists affirm that the Cantonese dialect has preserved the ancient pronunciation of Chinese characters most accurately. Now the Cantonese pronounce the word for "God" as Sheong Dai, which is closer to the Shaddai than the Mandarin vocalization given above. Another corroboration of Chinese tradition with Genesis is found in the Yi Jing, the Book of Changes, wherein the symbol Fu, meaning "repetition," has the comment, "Seven days comes repetition." Then we read, "The early kings closed the gates on solstice: the merchants did not travel, and the nobles did not make their rounds of inspection." These words plainly point to the Sabbath which God instituted at creation. The Shu Jing, a classic which matches the Yi Jing in antiquity, is a collection of earliest documents. In it is a public adjuration made by the first emperor of the Shang dynasty named Tang, after he ended the reign of the wicked king of the Xia dynasty. He says, "Not that I would disturb the peace, but because the king of Xia is very sinful: Heaven orders me to slay him . . . I fear God (Shang Di); I dare not disobey." In Deuteronomy 9:4 we read, "for the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee."

Emperor Tang reigned in the seventeenth century B.C., when a seven-year famine caused much suffering, and he sacrificed a goat to pray for rain. This account agrees with the record in Genesis 41:54, which states that the seven years of dearth in Joseph's day "was in all lands."China stands out as a living witness to the truthfulness of God's word: "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." China does not claim to be a paragon of morality. She is afflicted with her share of social ills and moral decay. But when compared with other

nations, she can shine as an example, like the Rechabites, to teach a lesson. We have cited her unique record of teaching her youth the virtue of filial piety, despite her ignorance of Holy Scripture. Examine the annals of Chinese history, and you will not find a single instance of the visitation of God's wrath on a Chinese city for moral depravity, as befell Sodom, Gomorrah, and Pompeii. In ancient Chinese art and sculpture one does not encounter pornography or naked female figurines like the goddesses uncovered in Near East and Middle East excavations.

What about modern China? When the Communists came to power in 1949, they hastened to clean up the brothels, the gambling joints, and opium traffic; and stringent measures have been taken to stop the white slave traffic. Recently the government launched a nationwide "Clean Sweep" campaign against the obscene literature, films, and video tapes, raiding the secret hideouts where these things were made. Results are gratifying, and even if these measures may not be thoroughgoing, such an ethical stance in itself puts the Chinese ruling Party on a higher moral plane than professedly "Christian" nations who collect taxes from licensed brothels and casinos. Recalling the Rechabite lesson, we pose this question: The Chinese Communist Party, insofar as it has practiced the best that is found in its national heritage, does it not put America to shame? We recall the parable of two sons told to go work in their father's vineyard. One professed to obey, but did not go; the other refused, but finally did his father's will.

On what grounds do certain foreign legislators grant legal status to homosexual "marriages"? How does America compare with China, which arrests and imprisons the gays and lesbians found within her borders? Many Chinese Christians have not yet heard the shocking news that homosexuals are knowingly accepted as students in some American seminaries. This fact alone is enough to cause so-called heathen nations to close their doors to American missionaries, lest they propagate a religion of the sodomite kind among their citizens.

This dilemma brings us again to the Three-Self movement. Now after forty years, we have added reason to insist that Chinese Christians study the Bible for themselves to learn God's will. We must beware the theological casuistries which have led to the permissiveness seen in religious circles in the West. Chinese churches made a fortunate decision indeed when they broke their ties with foreign missionary societies and thus "quarantined" themselves from Western decadence. However, the full significance of the severing of their ties with foreign missionary boards is not limited to this instance alone. The major achievement lies in the fact that self-reliance contributes toward spiritual maturity. Chinese Christians learn to look to Christ, rather than to men, for power to finish the gospel commission.

Many friends overseas labor under the misinformation that the Three-Self Committee is a subsidiary government institution, but it is not true. It is a civilian organization which receives no stipends from the government, but operates on funds derived from church offerings and from rent on church property. Mu En Tang, the church in Shanghai where Seventh-day Adventist members worship, is supported wholly from offerings. Their sermons are not censored, and no government official sits in their committee meetings. Their minutes are not submitted to the Bureau of Religious Affairs nor to the police for inspection. They are free to preach all the cardinal doctrines of their faith. The same is true of the congregation which meets on Sundays in the same building. Adventists share the facilities with them in a spirit of mutual respect and cordiality.

The Chinese Christian Council is a nationwide organization in charge of the religious activities of all churches. Denominational names are discontinued, but their different beliefs and practices remain and are respected. The Shanghai Christian Council, with the Three-Self Committee, arranged for Seventh-day Adventist believers to worship in the centrally located Mu En Tang for Sabbath worship instead of meeting in separate homes. They worked out an agreement whereby Adventist services are conducted by Adventist pastors paid from Adventist tithe, while the free-will offerings go into a common pool for operating expenses. The first Sabbath service was held on February 18, 1989, and since then 230 converts have been baptized in three groups.

According to the present arrangement, the Seventh-day Adventists in Mu En Tang are recognized as Seventh-day Adventist believers (xin tu), not as the Seventh-day Adventist Church (hui). This last name would indicate the existence of a distinct ecclesiastical organization, which in fact does not exist. The China Division of Seventh-day Adventists, with its union and local missions, actually ceased to exist in 1958. Now the Mu En Tang satisfies the need of long-separated Seventh-day Adventist members to meet as a united body. The continued identity of their Seventh-day Adventist faith is still in harmony with the teaching, "The name Seventh-day Adventist carries the true features of our faith in front, and will convict the inquiring mind." Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, 224

About 150 ultra-conservative Seventh-day Adventist members refuse to join the 450 who meet in Mu En Tang. Their objection is that the building is unclean; it is "Baal's altar." But true defilement, Jesus teaches, is not external, but internal (Mark 7:14). The sanctity even of His temple is not inherent, but depends on the spiritual state

of the people in it. Said He to those who rejected Him, "Behold, your house [the temple] is left unto you desolate!" "The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father . . . But the hour cometh . . . when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth." The Seventh-day Adventist workers who negotiated to share the church obeyed Christ's words to "Launch out into the deep." And, "What ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops." Their concern was not outward sanctity, but where to find the highest "housetop" and to reach the widest audience.

In summary, China's political, economic, and cultural heritage has contributed toward the unique witness of the Chinese Christians. In the Middle Ages, Western civilization gained much from China through the introduction of paper manufacture, printing, silk, the magnetic compass, and gunpowder. Since then the center of gravity in world affairs has continued to move westward--from Babylon to Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, France, and England. Now America seems to be in center stage. May we expect some day to see the spotlight cross the Pacific back to China? Could it be that after the circle is complete, the "angel ascending from the East" (Revelation 7:2) will have something to do with the dramatic scenes of the grand finale? Perhaps God will yet show what wonders can be done by planting His seed in virgin Chinese soil relatively free from Western influence.

It is not possible for us fully to fathom the purposes of God. But as we review Chinese church history through the past hundred years, we exclaim, "What hath God wrought!" His thoughts toward us are thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give us an expected end.

March 30, 1991

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