News from China

by Tony Lambert

RADIO STILL A VITAL MINISTRY!

“While on vacation, brothers and sisters from our fellowship went to the countryside far away from the city to evangelize. In a very remote small village, we found a family of believers. We were amazed to find they had come to faith through listening to gospel broadcasts. The living conditions there were very poor and this family’s were even worse.

“They don’t even have one decent piece of furniture. However, we found a cross put up in their widow, and the phrase ‘Walking with God’ over their door.” – A brother from Henan in a letter to FEBC.

THE YEAR OF THE HORSE

Millions in China made final preparations to usher in the Year of the Horse in traditional fashion—cramming into home-bound trains and stripping supermarket shelves bare. Most people appear happy to temporarily forget their worries amid the holy trinity of a modern Chinese New Year: family, consumption and television. The vast movement of people heading home was at its peak on the weekend before February 12. The logistics are made more difficult by the fact that most rail tickets do not go on sale until a few days before the journey. This year the traditional black market in tickets has again flourished, especially in areas where millions of migrant workers live. Vast numbers were glued to the TV to watch the traditional hours-long light entertainment extravaganza, featuring many favorite stars. The audience figures are enough to make foreign TV executive despair: 600-700 million people tuned in last year. The first day of New Year is reserved for immediate family; succeeding days see visits to more distant relatives and friends, arms laden with alcohol, cigarettes and food, while children receive ‘hongbao’ (money in red envelopes). (AFP 11 Feb)

POVERTY THE GREATEST THREAT TO HUMAN RIGHTS

Poverty has become the biggest obstacle to safeguarding human rights, a senior official of the State Council stated on February 10. He said that while China had accomplished much in the past decades, the fact that there were more than 30 million people still living below the poverty line was proof that the long march was not over. He conceded that more than 85 million teenagers and adults were illiterate or semi-literate, and the public health system was fragile. Moreover, abuses of citizens’ rights—in areas such as labor protection and law-enforcement—remained acute. Top Party leaders have stepped up their media campaigns urging cadres “to show their compassion” to the poor during Lunar New Year. (AFP 11 Feb 2002)

CHINA RESPECTS FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE

Senior Chinese leader Li Ruihuan said China is committed to its policy of freedom of conscience and respects and protects the legitimate rights of religious believers. Addressing a group of leaders from national religious groups, he said efforts should be made to increase unity among religious believers and those without religious affiliation and among believers from different religions. He called on the religious community to continue its invaluable role of uniting their followers and safeguarding social stability. The principle of religious independence must be constantly upheld and efforts should be made to prevent infiltration using religion as a cover. (Xinhuanet 6 Feb) At a festival gathering in Beijing, the presidents of China’s five major religious groups said religion constitutes a positive force to the progress of modernisation. The Vice Chairperson of the Three Self Patriotic Movement Committee of Protestant Churches in China said: “President Jiang Zemin’s speech at the national conference on religion last December was encouraging. We feel our endeavors are not only recognized by the country and people but are also well-received.” He said the relationship between religious groups, the government and citizens is harmonious. Vice Chairperson of the China Christian Council, Cao Shengjie, said: “I was moved. We believers are not now regarded as outsiders but as a positive force to bring about the country’s modernization.” (People’s Daily 8 Feb)

HONG KONG BIBLE SMUGGLER RELEASED

Hong Kong businessman Li Guangqiang was jailed in China after smuggling 33,000 copies of the “Recovery Version” of the Bible into Fujian Province to members of the “Local Church” (popularly known as the Shouters). This group has for several years been outlawed in China as a “cult.” Its founder, Witness Lee, who died a few years ago in California, had been Watchman Nee’s right-hand man. Li was charged with the serious crime of “using an evil cult to undermine the enforcement of law” which carried a possible death penalty. In January he was given a two-year prison sentence, but following high-level international protests, including representations by President Bush who took a personal interest in the case, he was released on medical grounds on February 10. The release came prior to Bush’s important visit to China later in February when he is expected to put religious freedom high on the agenda. (CNN 9 Feb and South China Morning Post 11 Feb)

CRACKDOWN ON SOUTH CHINA CHURCH

The South China Church is a group of evangelical house churches based in Hubei Province with some 50,000 members spread across 10 provinces. Its founder, Gong Shengliang, aged 45, was sentenced to death after a secret trial on December 18, 2001 in Jingmen City, Hubei. He was accused of using a cult to undermine the enforcement of the law and of rape. Female members of the church have reported they were tortured by local police into giving false evidence against Gong. Sixty-two other Christians were arrested and are still in prison. Mr. Gong’s niece was also sentenced to death, but with a two-year reprieve which normally results in commutation to a life-sentence if the person is cooperative in prison. High-level representations were made, and a reprieve granted allowing Gong to appeal against the death sentence. This church is a break-away movement from the much larger “Born Again” house-church movement founded by Xu Yongze. Evidence from the Christians concerned shows that the group is evangelical in doctrine with a high level of concern for evangelism. (Reuters and New York Times 31 Dec 01; Compass Direct 2 and 18 Jan 02)

CHURCH GROWTH IN ANHUI

Confused about conflicting and exaggerated statistics about revival in China? We publish the following table based on early missionary statistics and figures more recently issued by Chinese government and Three Self sources. Proof positive of the amazing work of God in recent decades! These statistics may not include many unregistered house churches.

Protestant Christians in Anhui:

1900 1,500 (Missionary sources)

1934 38,000 (Missionary sources)

1949 42,000 (Missionary sources)

1965 17,000 (Eve of the Cultural Revolution)

1988 700,000 (Official Anhui Yearbook)

1990 800,000 (Three Self source)

1994 1-2,000,000 (Amity News Service June 94)

1995 2-3,000,000 (Three Self source to ecumenical delegation)

Protestant Churches in Anhui:

1949 300 (all denominations)

1989 116 churches and 600 meeting points (Tianfeng)

1994 219 churches and 1,920 meeting points (ANS)

Copyright OMF International