China: Good Changes Are Coming

By David Wang

A friend is doing her PhD in a university inside China, studying "Comparative Religions." In her research, she has obtained some documents prepared by highly reputable Chinese scholars and professors reporting on the Christian Church of China. Some were assigned by China's Academy of Social Sciences. Some were actually commissioned by the central government.

The scholars are mostly Western educated and non-Christians. Their research was scientific and extensive. And their findings quite consistent:

- In China, there are three major strands of Christian Church: the Three- Self state sanctioned church, the rural house church and the urban "new-rising" church.

- Around 8% of China's population is adherents of Christianity. Some provinces and regions have as high as 10%.

- Christianity (Protestant) is not only China's fastest growing faith, its followers are also most fervent in comparison.

- Of the three, the Three-Self, although most public, because of its government sanctioned status, is the least vibrant and has the slowest growth.

- Because of rapid urbanization, rural house churches are slowing down in their growth. Her pyramid-style, patriarchal leadership structure is giving way to an independent yet interrelated "local church" system. Thus her leadership crisis is most severe.

- The composition of the rural house church, which was predominantly women, the elderly and semi-illiterate, is changing. Youth and children are joining.

- Previously, 80% if not more of new people joining rural house churches were because of healing miracles. Now they are attracted because of the clean and joyous lifestyle.

- The tension between the Three-Self and rural house church is still acute. This is not due to theological differences but to their status. One is, in Communists' term "Red," the other, "Black."

- The urban "new-rise" churches are made up mostly of white-collars, professional, college students and youth. They are a positive influence in the society, even in economic development.

- They are neither legal nor illegal - therefore "Grey." Theologically they are more tuned to their rural counter parts. In social concern and services as well as evangelism, they are more aggressive than the Three-Self.

- The greatest lack of the Church in China, as expressed by all three, is high-standard, open accreditable training of their pastors, leaders, and workers.

These findings are mostly common knowledge - at least to people who have been on the ground. But the researchers' recommendations are revealing:

- For Beijing to continue its "harmony in the society" drive, and to cut-down conflicts between local government agencies and Christian believers, and to eradicate cults and cultic practices, it is recommended to allow church registration outside the jurisdiction of the Three-Self.

- To ensure higher quality of China's Church as a whole, training of its leaders and workers should not be limited only in Three-Self schools, nor pushed to the underground. China's universities can play a vital role.

- The teaching of Marxism in regard to religions needs to be reinterpreted according to China's current situation.

Another finding actually challenges the root cause of the government restricting and persecuting the house church: "The house church movement, by and large, is an indigenous phenomenon. It is not necessarily instigated or sustained by external factions." For the longest time, China's xenophobic authorities have blamed the West for infiltration through its mission activities.

Local believers are sensing the effect of these top-level findings. "These researchers work for the central higher-ups. Their reports are changing the attitude of Beijing towards us. Even President Hu Jintao in his recent speeches is urging a non-pressure, non-conflict approach towards religious activities," a group of Henan house church leaders told me last month.

But they are not expecting big changes overnight. Particularly this year 2009 being a supersensitive time: 60th anninversary of the New China, 50th anniversary of Tibet Liberation, 20 years after the Tiananmen incident, and the 1st anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake.

In unison Chinese believers are predicting, albeit slowly "Good changes are coming."

Source: Asian Report, May/June 2009. As reported by Dr. Peter Wagner's Global Link Newsletter.