A very good friend of mine took issue with my 8-18-03 China Contours article regarding the South China Church and religious persecution in China.  He wrote, “Persecution is real.  I agree that the West tends to exaggerate some of the cases.  But propaganda is a tactic we always use in the press to create pressure for the government as well as the public.”

His comment reminded me that 30 years ago, when I was beginning my China study and ministry, I was sorting out for myself what the guiding principles and undergirding philosophy for my China involvement should be.  It was not an easy process.  But by God’s grace, someone gave me a set of questions that greatly assisted my thought process.  In this newsletter, I would like to share the process I went through with you.

Let me interject at this juncture that these questions are not used in this article to prove or disprove my friend’s position.  These questions are open-ended, and I am using them mainly to help us to discover the philosophical orientation of the many China ministries that now exist in the United States.

This series of five questions have helped me greatly through the years and can apply to Western ministries researching the development of appropriate ministry models in any given country:

1. Is evangelism legal under the laws of the country? 

2. What is the interpretation of these laws, or are they enforced?    

3. What is our Christian ethical response? 

4. Can we develop a viable approach to ministry?

5. Are there resources to sustain the model or approach?

These rather simple questions interweave and create a very interesting grid.  Please see the illustration below and spend a few minutes to first study the flow of the answers.  Then, I will make comments related to the situation in China.  

Please click on the diagram to view the full image.

Each of the above five questions solicits a “Yes” or “No” answer.  An interplay of the “Yes” and “No” answers to the questions leads to 19 possible scenarios, of which 5 are okay or viable situations; 14 are closed or dead-end conclusions.  Of the many possible combinations, I will highlight only two so that we can appreciate the value of the chart for understanding China ministries in the USA. 

Ministry Model One

Is evangelism legal under the laws of China?  Under this model the answer is “No."  Most American evangelicals I know tend to agree with this answer.   

Then, are the laws enforced?  Many incidents indicate that the answer is “Yes.” Therefore, when we discuss religious persecution in China, these incidents are proof that illustrate the hostility of the Chinese government towards Christianity. 

If evangelism is prohibited in China, do Christian ethics permit us, as Westerners, to violate China’s law?  In the West, there is a book written to answer this question.  The title is: The Ethics of Smuggling (Tyndale House:  1974).  So the answer to the question is “Yes.”  

Can we develop a viable approach?  As the book title suggests, a number of ministry strategies and opportunities are available. 

Then the last question is: Can we afford the resources?  This is the people-raising and fund-raising part. 

It is an appropriate closing comment that the majority of North American China ministries have chosen this model, and are producing significant ministry results.

Ministry Model Two

Let me state up-front that this is a model I have chosen for my China ministry involvement.  You may also need to know that many China ministry leaders do not agree with my choice of the “Yes” or “No” answers.  However, I would still like to invite your interest (and I also welcome your critical feedback).  This model is worthy of your attention because in recent years, as China is continuously evolving, more people are subscribing to this ministry approach. 

To understand this approach, we should first ask: Is evangelism legal under the laws of China?  My answer is “Yes.”  This answer may alarm many of our readers.  While it may be illegal for Westerners to do evangelism work in China, the Constitution of China states in black and white that Chinese citizens enjoy religious freedom.  A further step to understand my “Yes” answer is to cite church growth in China.  The Chinese church (whether the open or house churches) is one of the fastest growing churches in the world.  If Christians in China are not evangelizing, how can the church be growing at such a rapid rate?  Yes, it is true that the Chinese church is not evangelizing (or allowed to evangelize) the American way, such as holding crusades or going door to door.  But we cannot say that Chinese Christians are not doing the work of evangelism, or that they are doing it illegally. 

Maybe the second question will clarify a little bit of the confusion: Is there real legal freedom for evangelism?  My answer is “No.”  There is no real legal freedom, at least not how we in the West would define “freedom.”  As stated in the paragraph above, American Christians will not have freedom to evangelize in China.  Also, Chinese Christians cannot stand on street corners to preach the gospel.  Religious activities can be conducted only within the context, or confines, of the church walls, lest the rights of non-believers be violated.  In the West, we might have many concerns about such limitations, especially in light of discriminatory practices in the past. 

Then, can we develop a viable approach to work around the limitations?  Twenty-five years ago, my answer was a tentative one.  Obviously, twenty-five years later, my answer is now a resounding “Yes.”  When we first began our work as a Christian organization in China, one of our objectives was to help the Chinese government and people to know that Christians, and Western Christians in particular, are generally people of good will.  We wanted to overcome misunderstandings and to establish a relationship of cooperation, trust and mutual respect.  There were many obstacles, and it took much effort from both sides.  Fortunately, mutual understanding between China and the West has been strengthened with more and more Western Christian agencies coming in to help build relationships in China.  I am glad to say that I can now answer with conviction that despite limitations, a viable approach for ministry has been worked out.  It is possible for Western Christians to minister with good will in China.  (For more on this model, please click to see my 4-10-03 China Contours article A Study of East-West Cooperation.)  

Lastly, can we afford the resources?  The challenge is to find people who care; people who want to relate and overcome cross-cultural and political differences; and, most importantly, people who want to live out Christ-like service. 

The 6th and Additional Question

This question was not on the list of five questions given to me 30 years ago.  However, during the past three decades, I have come to realize how important this additional question is: What is the long-term perspective?  Obviously this is not a “Yes” or “No” question.  Furthermore, nobody can answer this question with complete certainty.  Whatever answer we come up with, this answer has to be understood only as a faith statement.  But that faith statement in many ways dictates a particular ministry philosophy or approach.

Twenty-five years ago, we chose a ministry model for our China involvement.  Fortunately, the model has withstood the test of time.  As one of our donors once commented, “I may not always agree with your approach, but I am amazed that over the years you have never changed your tune.” 

Sociologists have indicated that never in human history has a society experienced so much change within so short a time as China has recently experienced.  But, as China continues to evolve, this 6th and final question beckons: Does our ministry philosophy and approach remain true?                           

In closing, I want to refer back to the original question about religious persecution and propaganda.  Perhaps, I did not answer the question directly.  But I want to thank you for giving me the liberty to expound on my ministry model and approach, and to explain the guiding questions for my work.  Next week, I will respond to the questions raised regarding my 8-18-03 China Contours article on the South China Church and religious persecution.