BEIJING (AP) — Christian groups who flouted a Chinese ban on foreign missionaries are calling their underground evangelizing during the Olympic Games a success.
Drawn to a nation of 1.3 billion people under atheist rule, the groups prepared for years for what the Southern Baptists once called "a spiritual harvest unlike any other."
"We did see some conversions," said Christian missionary Mark Taylor of Pensacola, Fla.
For Taylor, planning began four years ago with a lunch at the Athens Games among his Florida-based Awaken Generation ministry and ones from other countries. In the ensuing years, they came to China as tourists, making contacts among local Chinese.
Taylor — who leaves China on Friday — said 115 people from 12 countries gathered in Thailand for orientation before scattering throughout China, from Tibet through the far northeast. Two groups worked in Beijing, he said, though he would not give details.
Other larger efforts were carried out by the U.S.-based Southern Baptist Convention and the international ministry Youth With A Mission, Christian groups told The Associated Press. Neither ministry could say how many people were sent in.
China tried to keep out foreign missionaries before the Olympics. It kicked out more than 100 suspected missionaries last summer, according to a U.S. monitoring group, the China Aid Association. China's intelligence services made lists of potentially troublesome evangelical Christians, and authorities tightened visa measures ahead of the games.
Even the Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the evangelist Billy Graham, said during a visit to China this year that he did not support illegal missionary work during the Olympics.
Taylor and other groups knew the risks.
"It's very difficult," said the 27-year-old Taylor, who on Wednesday explored the Olympic Green with six other team members, one as young as 15, after finishing their mission. "It's got to be through relationships. Handing out (religious) tracts would not go over well at all. That would be like me walking around with a 'Free Tibet' flag."
Instead, the Christians came in on tourist visas and said they were involved in sports or cultural activities, which China allows. Taylor's group renovated a school in Yunnan province. Members then reached out to Chinese in one-on-one conversations.
In response to a phone request by the AP, China's religious affairs administration office issued a statement Thursday referring to Chinese law.
"If foreigners do such things in China, they violate the law, and local religious departments and other departments should stop them," the statement said.
It did not say how many foreigners had been caught doing missionary work during the Olympics.
Olympics efforts among Christian groups were coordinated in 2006, when major ministries held a conference in Thailand, said the Rev. Johnny Li, minister-at-large for Open Doors, an advocacy group for persecuted Christians. He said a DVD was distributed encouraging cooperation among groups.
One of the most active ministries during the Olympics was Youth With A Mission, or YWAM, which sent in groups from around the world. One group of Thai Christians went to Yunnan province this month and danced to Thai-language Christian music in coffee shops and restaurants.
"They looked for opportunities to talk to the locals and share about their faith," said Sam Sarvis, YWAM's national director in Thailand. After the first week, authorities told the group there was a ban on performances by foreigners, so the Thais went to nearby villages and met people one-on-one. Continue >>
RSS
GOD BLESS you all for the risky evangelism. I would like to add ORISSA, INDIA as your next battleground. JESUS is the only WAY.
wbmoore - I agree 100% with your Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:30 pm post.
huh. I got a thumbs down for honesty.
As an Asian myself I give support for the foreign missionaries who defy the atheist ban and still evangelize during recent sporting even in mainland China.
Christians from all over the world can and should express their faith wherever they are in this world and to show the love of Jesus Christ to all.
Light needs to be put in the middle of the dark room so it can light all area of the room and not hidden and then put out.
They should not let any ban stop them, for Christians are free people and should not be stop by atheists.
Do not be afraid of the long run/ future impact to Christians in China, for good works shall bear fruit in God's time along with guiding and protection of the Spirit of the Lord.
If China government officials are depriving its citizens of human rights, freedom of association and religious freedom, the world can only carry out a campaign that was undertaken in the early 1990's with the South African apartheid that finally broke through and recognised the rights of its citizen, here too we must boycot the purchase and manufacture of Chinese goods and hurt industrially and financially as they think they are a superpower and can survive without God.
annelisan:
Thanks for the response. I appreciate your clarification and/or explanation. In regards to the "art groups," see, I told you I can be a little dense sometimes!!!
PAX
Thanks, tamna, for your comment! What I mean is that "hating the goverment, loving the persecuted" is one approach, but we can be more creative than that - government officials are human beings who need salvation as well! If all they ever get from Christians is a slap on their face, how can they believe that God is love and his grace is meant for them, too? I believe some of us are called to go into "palaces", some of us to the streets. Franklin Graham and Luis Palau have used to "media value" to open a dialogue with the government without denying who is the supreme authority in their lives.
"art groups" refers to the contents of the news article under which this discussion is taking place.
As for "tentmaking" in China: Christian witness is allowed in private while organising Christian gatherings is not (in principle).
Maybe a little history is in order to focus your thinking. After The Communist takeover of mainland China in 1949 establishing Mao Zedong as the leader of The Peoples Republic of China all missionaries were thrown out of China and the persecution of Christian and other religions began. In 1966, the Central Committee of the CCP passed its "Decision Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" One of the main focuses of the Cultural Revolution was the abolishment of the Four Olds: Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Ideas. Those who had anything other than a Communist background were challenged and often charged for corruption and sent to prison. During the Destruction of the Four Olds campaign, religious affairs of all types were persecuted and discouraged by the Red Guards. Many religious buildings such as temples, churches, mosques, monasteries and cemeteries were closed down and sometimes looted and destroyed. The most gruesome aspects of the campaign were the torture and killing of innocent people and the suicides that were the final options of many who suffered beatings and humiliation. In August and September, there were 1,772 people murdered in Beijing alone. In Shanghai in September there were 704 suicides and 534 deaths related to the Cultural Revolution. In Wuhan during this time there were 62 suicides and 32 murders. Mao himself had no scruples about the taking of human life, and went so far as to suggest that the sign of a true revolutionary was his desire to kill. The closed door policy of China and the persecution of Christians has been going on for 50 years. Will what Christians tried to do during the Olympics help or hurt Christians in China? Only God can say. But I can tell you that Christians from all over have been getting into China by fair means or foul long before the Olympics thought of being in China and they will do it long afterwards.
strudel, and the communist Chinese leaders love Christians now or have ever loved us?
Great way to make the Chinese government hate Christians.
wb, thanks for the clarification, believer
Annelisan: Greetings. You wrote:
"Do you really have the courage to imply that Franklin Graham is not a man of God if he promotes a different policy from yours?"
No one, and I repeat no one, Franklin Graham, Luis Palau, you, me, or the Pope is above criticism when they advocate a position that agrees with a government that bulldozes house churches, imprisons people in labor camps and makes other "disappear" for the heinous crime of talking to people about Jesus Christ without government approval (guidance). A so-called "man of God" is still a "man" and is fully capable of promoting a misguided position on an issue. It is not "courage" to disagree and take to task someone, regardless of who their father is/was, it takes a "willingness to disagree" when others would rather keep quiet because of the worldly stature or position of the person in question.
Additionally, please don't try to lecture someone, like myself, who has lived and worked in Northeast Asia for almost a decade about the cultural and political differences between here and the West. Believe me, I/we are well aware of the differences in ways that many could not even imagine. I/we are also aware of the well-meaning Westerners in Asia who, in the interest of "going along to get along," choose to ignore the "800 pound gorilla in the middle of the room."
Finally, I am probably a little dense here (it won't be the first time, or the last) but what do "art groups" have to do with anything?
PAX
believer,
I support missionaries. Some of them in countries that do not allow entry for those people whose sole purpose is religious. Paul was a tentmaker. That was how he supported himself when needed. But there is no question he evangelized and discipled. I think if one has to lie to enter a country, then one is doing something we should not be doing. However, I see nothing wrong with going to teach English, or be a doctor, or teach computers, etc, and then evangelizing and discipling as God gives opportunity.
There are quite a lot of organisations and missionaries who wish to stay in China on legal terms and establish long term relationships both with the government and with churches - without being pro-government or pro-communist! There are different ways of doing things and unfortunately, short term activities may be more harmful than beneficial to the general situation in the country. I wonder how many art groups will be denied access to China after the Olympic games because of all these outreaches which are publicly advertised on the pages of an international newspaper? How many of us missionaries who have worked in China for years without making a lot of noise about it will be granted long term visas after these short-term enterprises?
What is right and works in the west does not necessarily work in a totally different political and cultural setting. God gave us capacity to think and to judge what is good, and He allows many things to happen and as long as He does so, we can only pray that mistakes will be turned into victories.
Do you really have the courage to imply that Franklin Graham is not a man of God if he promotes a different policy from yours?
So, Franklin Graham and the Communist/Atheist Chinese government agree. Scary.
Our friend Tomas wrote:
"We sacrificed millions for a small few"
When I read this I couldn't help think about the sheperd that left the 99 to go after the one.
Also, the "underground activities" have been known to the Chinese government for decades. The repression has been going on for decades. The actions of evangelists WILL NOT make things worse for Chinese seekers. It's bad already. It's not a new phenomenon (did I spell that right?). What is being achieved at the very least is that new Chinese Christians know that they have the love and support of Christians in other countries, and they see that some non-Chinese at least are willing to "risk it" to bring the Gospel to them. As they say, actions speak louder than words. This should be a source of strength for the persecuted Christians in China.
Take care.
PAX