Centenary of the Death of Hudson Taylor

James Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, passed away exactly a hundred years ago in June 1905 in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. The following are excerpts taken from the forward of the to-be published book Christ Alone: Hudson Taylor’s Life and Legacy. This is a pictorial book marking the 100th anniversary of his death.

We live in an era when selfishness has become respectable in society and even in the church. The church in Asia is also in danger of being carried away by this emphasis, especially with the growing popularity of “prosperity theology.”

We desperately need models of people who show us what Jesus meant when he said: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) James Hudson Taylor is such a model. He and his early missionaries took paths that seem foolishness to many today. But they show us the glory of Christian discipleship.

In an era of globalization, people are talking about global cultures and, because every second matters in business dealings, people try to be as efficient as possible. In this environment, the process of spending years immersing oneself in a given culture, learning the language and adopting its lifestyle before fully proclaiming the message seems to be a waste of time. But Hudson Taylor and his missionaries showed that this is the only way we can deeply penetrate a people with the gospel.

You cannot go near to the heart of people without identifying with them. Those seeking to reach people for Christ today, whether in the mission field, the neighborhood or workplace, must be willing to endure what looks like a waste of time as they try to identify with them.

Tentmakers have a powerful role to play in commending Christ to the world and opening many doors. But they have to patiently live with restrictions and cannot send back glowing accounts to their supporters back home. Today in missions there is much stress on measurable results and receptivity. We are told to go where the people are most receptive. Success is measured by the numbers of those who respond positively to the message. But people sent to tough and resistant areas could become discouraged if they are considered falsely to be failures by their sending churches.

Taylor’s early missionaries worked in areas where people were often hostile to the gospel. Yet through their suffering they broadcast the gospel seed far and wide without seeing much visible fruit. This played a vital role in preparing China for the explosive growth which has taken place over the last 50 years. Their “wasted lives” helped change the course of history.

In today’s litigious society, greed or the desire for vindication causes people to sue those they think have harmed them. During the Boxer uprising in 1900 the CIM lost 58 missionaries, 21 children and much property. Later, compensation was agreed upon by the government. But wanting to show the “meekness and gentleness of Christ,” Taylor refused to accept it. This resulted in praise for Christ even in official Chinese circles. His approach to life saw the peace and joy of God as so important that no earthly thing should destroy it. Armed with these, he was strengthened to take on untold hardship for the cause of Christ.

Following the way of the cross also gives a sense of worth. Five years before his death, Taylor told other Christian leaders: “It is ever true that what costs little is worth little.” He knew he was dedicated to the greatest of all causes—the service of the Lord of the universe. Christians often reject the call to self-denial and suffering, but Taylor says that our suffering for Christ gives “abundant cause for overflowing thanks and joy.” He also said; “The early Christians were neither fools nor madmen when they took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, exulting that their names were cast out as evil, and that they were counted worthy to suffer.”

In the final analysis many do not take up the way of the cross because they do not believe what the Bible says about God. If we believed that, all other paths would be seen as folly. Hudson Taylor took God at His word and dared to act on this belief. “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.”

He stated: “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.” May God raise up hundreds of giants who like Taylor take God at His word and pay the price of commitment. May they be so filled with the peace and joy of God that they will be a prophetic presence in the world demonstrating that through following Jesus they have discovered what the world is so desperately seeking.

[This book will be available from OMF Canada 905-568-9971 autumn 2005. Not available from OMF U.S.]

WORRYING DEVELOPMENTS IN EAST ASIA
In mid-March, China’s National People’s Congress passed a law giving the Chinese military the right to attack Taiwan if the island should move towards independence. In Taiwan a million demonstrators protested at what they considered to be unwarranted interference by the Mainland. China, in turn, accused the United States and Japan of meddling in what it considers to be a domestic matter when these two countries recently issued a joint security statement that listed peace in Taiwan as a “common security objective.” (New York Times, 14 April 2005)

China’s rapid growth to becoming both an economic and political superpower is already having international effect. China now ranks third after the U.S. and Japan in world oil consumption and is seeking oil and other natural resources worldwide. In the race to corner valuable resources it has signed agreements with countries as far away Brazil. China’s huge trade surplus with the United States, and the weakness of the U.S. dollar, mean that any revaluation of the Chinese renminbi will have a serious financial effect on the global economy.

In another development which will not please China, European Union officials shelved plans to lift an embargo on arms sales to China. The fear of European military technology transfers to China has alarmed both the United States and Japan. (Daily Telegraph, 16 April)

Furthermore, relations between China and Japan—crucial to the peace and stability of Asia, and, indeed, of the world—have taken an alarming downturn in recent weeks.

Official Japanese refusal to issue proper apologies for atrocities committed by Japanese invading forces during the Second World War have enraged Chinese public opinion. Japan’s prime minister has pointedly made annual visits to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo where the spirits of 2.46 million Japanese war-dead are honored—including fourteen “Class A” war criminals. The Yasukuni website bemoans the fact that more than one thousand Japanese “martyrs” were “cruelly and unjustly tried as war criminals by a sham-like tribunal of the Allied forces.” South Korea has joined China in denouncing new Japanese school textbooks which are accused of glossing over atrocities committed by invading Japanese troops. Reputable scholars estimate the number of those killed in the infamous Nanking Massacre in 1937-38, when Japanese troops rampaged, raped and killed throughout China’s then capital, as between 200-300,000. Soldiers forced Chinese and Korean women into sexual slavery and in Manchuria conducted inhuman chemical experiments on Chinese victims.

On April 9 10,000 Chinese protesters marched and hurled stones at the Japanese embassy in Beijing. (Metro, 13 April) The following day thousands of demonstrators marched in the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, calling for a boycott of Japanese shops and goods. The Japanese flag was burned and objects thrown at Japanese shops and restaurants. (Daily Telegraph, 11 April) The fact that police did not interfere showed tacit approval by the Chinese government. The Japanese foreign ministry formally summoned China’s ambassador in Tokyo, demanding an apology and compensation.

On April 12 China’s prime minister, Wen Jiabao, said that Japan must admit “the tremendous suffering and hardship” it had inflicted on China and other Asian countries, and should reconsider its attempt to gain a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. “Only a country that respects history, takes responsibility for past history and wins over the trust of the people in Asia and the world at large can take greater responsibility in the international community,” he said. The Japanese trade minister responded, expressing his concerns that business between the two countries, worth nearly US$200 billion last year, could suffer. “Yes, I’m worried,” he said, “China is a scary country.” (The Times, 13 April) The row was further escalated the next day when Japan announced it was granting licenses to drill for gas in the East China Sea in an area disputed by the two countries. (Daily Telegraph, 14 April)

The growing nationalism in both countries gives cause for concern. In China, the younger generation still sometimes demonizes the Japanese; while in Japan, powerful forces are pushing for military re-armament.

However, in Japan one encouraging factor has been that the small Christian church has been in the forefront of moves to apologize for Japanese war crimes and to oppose moves to remilitarization. Christians worldwide will join in praying that a potentially dangerous situation will be defused and that the gospel of Christ will overcome bitterness and hatred in many lives, bringing true reconciliation with God and with man.

Copyright 2005 OMF International