For over thirty years, the candlelight vigil in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park commemorating June 4th was forcibly extinguished for the first time. Originally, we had no plan to do this program, but when the candlelight could not be lit in one place, our platform, known for “discussing everyday issues from a biblical perspective,” could not remain silent. We have the responsibility to light even a faint candle with our conscience. It was too late to invite speakers at short notice, so as the host of this platform, I had to make an effort to share some insights. Fortunately, Pastor Hong Yujian, Pastor Zhang Qianjin, and Brother Wang Chengzhong, the leader of the Autumn Rain Network Group, saw my plight and came to help me out today. All three were involved in the ’64 movement, later imprisoned, and now co-workers in the Lord. They are most qualified to comment, and I thank them for hosting and commenting.
Today, I plan to discuss four points: 1. Understanding God’s will through the three major tribulations of modern Chinese Christianity; 2. The ’64 Movement’ paved the way for the Lord; 3. The race between the Great Commission and the Great Revolution; 4. Commemorating ’64, moving beyond ’64, and surpassing ’64.
1. Understanding God’s will through the three major tribulations of modern Chinese Christianity:
The “June Fourth Movement” is a day that no Chinese should forget. It has pierced the soul of every Chinese person, with different positions and perspectives having their own understanding of June Fourth: the ruling party sees it as a “counter-revolutionary riot,” democracy activists as a “democratic movement,” the historical and Western media as the “Tiananmen Incident”… But I believe that after 34 years, we can no longer just parrot others; these “human perspectives” are not important. What matters is how we see God’s will in June Fourth. In the Bible, God’s protection has a characteristic: He always rescues when His people experience all kinds of persecution and suffering, reaching a dead end. This is what is meant by “when man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” God’s protection of the Chinese nation is the same; He wants the Chinese people to experience Him in suffering, trust in Him, rather than forget Him and stray away from Him during peace and prosperity.
The famous preacher, Pastor Li Tian’en, said: “From the Bible, from the testimony of saints in church history, there is only one rule: wherever the cross is heavy, the blessing is particularly evident, truly thankful and praising the Lord”! As an annotation to Pastor Li Tian’en’s view, looking back at our country’s history, during periods when political and religious relations were best, like the Nestorian period in the Tang Dynasty, the Yelikewen period in the Yuan Dynasty, the Matteo Ricci period in the Ming Dynasty, the early Jesuit period in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, the early Kangxi period in the Qing Dynasty, and the mid-Republic of China, Christianity in China was more or less led astray in the “smooth” appearance of the gospel movement; whereas after being subjected to huge pressure from the authorities, Christianity was able to develop rapidly. The encounter between Chinese civilization and Christianity is most evident in the tribulations and the establishment of the church during tribulations; this is perhaps the crossroad God wants us to take. We analyze this through the three major “tribulations” of Christianity in China since the 20th century:
The first was the “Boxer Rebellion” at the end of the Qing Dynasty. The main perpetrators were the lower-class mobs (of course, there were national leaders manipulating behind the scenes). Their ideological resource was national populist-style xenophobia, opposing the “foreign religion,” using barbaric “physical killing,” causing great material destruction (more than 240 foreign missionaries and over 20,000 Chinese Christians died, and numerous churches, schools, and church institutions were destroyed). The missionary movement in its homeland was also attacked by the secular “world,” affected governments, businessmen, and media blamed and questioned the missionary movement, believing they were the culprits behind China’s violent xenophobia. This was when God intervened—bloody tragedy and homeland blame instead promoted the great development of the missionary movement in China—”going to China” became the new trend in world missions, resulting in 75% of the world’s missionary resources converging in China. In the birthplace of the Boxers, Shandong Guan County, and other places, a large number of original “Boxers” also turned into “Christians.” In the first twenty years of the 20th century, “Chinese Christians grew from 80,000 to 360,000, a 4.5-fold increase; churches from 300 to 10,000, a 33-fold increase; the total number of mission societies also doubled; the number of students in church schools also surged to around 240,000” (“China Returns to the Lord”).
The second was the “Anti-Christian Movement” in the early Republic of China. The main perpetrators were the intelligentsia (of course, manipulated by the Communist International, although both the Nationalist and Communist parties participated heavily in the movement, neither party was in power at the time, so we still attribute the movement to the intelligentsia). These intellectuals’ ideological resource was humanist “science,” opposing “religious superstition,” using civilized “disordered thought.” Advocates of inheriting Chinese culture, the Nationalist Party, and the Communist Party advocating communism formed a united front against Christianity, undeniably revealing their homogeneity. Although the anti-Christian movement achieved a one-sided victory on the propaganda front, causing heresies such as “Christian Confucianization” and “Christian Buddhistization” within Christianity, it instead promoted the “indigenization movement” and “independence movement” within Christianity. “Christianity in China” transformed into “Chinese Christianity,” and a number of Chinese autonomous denominations and churches were born. Let’s speak with numbers: at the first national Christian conference in 1907, all missionaries were foreigners, not a single Chinese. In 1913, one-third of the 150 delegates were Chinese, and by 1919, half were Chinese. By 1924, there were at least 24,000 Chinese church workers in Chinese churches. Missionaries like David Hill and James Laidlaw Maxwell believed that “it is better for religion to be criticized than ignored”; thus, they said: “One benefit of this movement is that it led the leaders of this movement to conduct a detailed study of the Bible.” These phenomena indicate that the Pauline-Barnabas missionary model stood in China.
The third was the “Three-Self Movement” after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, mainly originating from the ruling party using state machinery to crush. This time’s ideological resource was communist-style “politics,” opposing “imperialist running dogs’” “reactionaries,” using a combination of “killing the body” and “disordered thought,” an upgraded version of “eradicating the church.” Due to the ruling party’s control and collaboration of the “faithless” (Wang Mingdao’s words), its destructive power far exceeded the sum of the previous two, almost physically eradicating all surface representations of Christianity in China. However, after the “Three-Self Movement” and the “Cultural Revolution,” the Christian house church in China’s rural areas developed a hundredfold, forming a unique spectacle in the history of world Christian development.
In these three major “tribulations,” from lower-class mobs to the intelligentsia to the state power, from “emotions” to “science” to “politics,” from “foreign religion” to “superstition” to “reactionaries,” from “killing the body” to “disordered thought” to “eradicating the church,” each level intensified, gradually strengthening, fully exposing the absolute incompatibility of the core elements of Chinese culture with the core ideas of Christianity. These three “tribulations” escalated one after the other, and Christianity took root in each escalation. Through the review of these three tribulations, we find a mystery—Christianity is a religion linked with suffering and martyrdom.
Under the dual pressures of the “Regulations on Religious Affairs” and the “Sinicization of Christianity,” the current situation could be regarded as the fourth major wave of Christian persecution in China since the 20th century. Historically, the worst year for anti-Christian sentiment was the 24th year of the Guangxu Emperor (1898), when seventy-seven cases against Christians were reported. However, in recent years, any single year has seen far more than seventy-seven incidents. Worse still, the arrests of pastors, detention of believers, and demolition of churches often do not result in official “cases” (or cannot be filed under “religion”), thus these incidents are termed “persecutions” rather than “cases” (according to the Open Doors “World Watch List” (WWL), China ranks first in the category of “Where Churches are Most Attacked or Closed”: 5,576; 1,147 Christians were arrested, imprisoned, or detained without charge for their faith).
Amidst the administrative and legal oppression and the push for Sinicization of Christianity, it is encouraging to see that Christian home churches have not experienced the same level of popularity among two-thirds of believers as during the Three-Self Movement, nor have they seen a surge in “Judas-like” betrayals. Furthermore, after the events of 1989, a number of intellectuals hoping for a democratic and constitutional path for China turned to Christianity when other “worldly” avenues were closed to them, becoming leaders in urban emerging churches and overseas Chinese churches. Despite the arrests of pastors, elders, and key members, and the closure of churches in cases like the Beijing Shouwang, Guiyang Huoshi, and Chengdu Early Rain, churches continue to gather and worship in alternative ways, as the relationship between Christians and Christ cannot be destroyed by human actions. The seemingly scattered congregation has formed a community that transcends colleagues, classmates, comrades-in-arms, and even family ties. The recently shared Shenzhen New Mayflower Church on our platform is an example of a spiritual fellowship that has broken the boundaries of nation, family, region, and professional collectivism. The “banned” Early Rain Covenant Church not only persisted in offline worship but also developed online groups, showing that home churches have not only grown but also matured. The focus has shifted from a superficial “revival” to a genuine “renewal” of life.
Persecuted churches realize that only in persecution can one discern who are the wheat and the tares; who are the goats and who are the sheep. Persecution, to a large extent, is God’s way of teaching and purifying the church, making us truly aware of our responsibilities and mission.
History repeatedly shows that great revival often follows great tribulation. Our Lord Jesus has already said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28). God has His own ways of preserving His church. The early church, persecuted by Roman emperors and attacked on all sides, spread the Gospel far and wide, which otherwise would have remained confined within Judaism. When the Roman Empire fell, Christianity, as the state religion, not only survived but became the faith of the Roman occupiers. Without the persecution in Europe, there would have been no “Mayflower” exodus, and America might not have been born with Christian faith as its national ethos. The three major periods of persecution faced by the Chinese church are also seen as God’s means of refining, inspiring, and alerting us. Considering the Tiananmen Square incident in this light, do we gain more insight into God’s intentions? In the midst of the current fourth wave of persecution, we believe, just as the Jerusalem church forgot its duties in times of prosperity and was overturned by Titus’ army, prompting the church to embark on the “Great Commission,” God allows persecution to come upon the church to renew and purify it. We also believe that God gives us only what we can bear, and He always works for the good of those who love Him, no matter how the situation develops.
2.The June Fourth Movement Paved the Way of the Lord.
Discussions about the June Fourth incident have traditionally been from political and cultural perspectives. However, we should study it more from the perspectives of the gospel and theology.
We know that when the Lord entrusted us with the “Great Commission,” He also prepared the conditions for it. Just like the widespread dissemination of the gospel in the early church, which benefited from the political landscape of the Roman Empire and its roads. When we say the June Fourth Movement “paved the way of the Lord,” it is especially evident in two aspects: firstly, Chinese intellectuals became the main force of the gospel; secondly, the gospel movement moved from rural areas to cities. These two points are pivotal in the contemporary Chinese gospel movement.
Firstly, Chinese intellectuals became the main force of the gospel. The healthy development and transformation of any country or nation must rely on its intellectuals. However, in Chinese history, intellectuals have always resisted Christianity. Before the introduction of Protestantism, all “religious cases” were either initiated by the government or provoked by gentry. Even with Nestorianism in the Tang dynasty and Matteo Ricci in the Ming dynasty attracting many intellectuals, it did not constitute “faith” for most individuals nor form a “faith community” in society. In the modern missionary movement, denominations like the China Inland Mission that adopted “direct evangelism” were most successful, targeting urban poor, rural peasants, and ethnic minorities, thus “neglecting” the evangelization of intellectuals. The “social gospel” factions that focused on “educational mission,” “knowledge mission,” and “cultural mission” for intellectuals did cultivate some, but their shallow faith foundations meant they wavered during crises. For example, in the modern “Anti-Christian Movement,” many intellectuals who benefited from Christian education and cultural activities turned against the church; in the “Three-Self Movement,” many intellectual pastors and believers renounced their faith under political pressure, including some Christian leaders. The first large-scale conversion of Chinese intellectuals to Christianity happened after June 4, 1989. These intellectuals, products of thought liberation and economic reform, and main drivers of the democratic enlightenment movement, turned to Christ from various paths at the “end of human solutions” after being disillusioned with political parties, society, culture, and even themselves. Many active Chinese pastors worldwide today, such as Hong Yujian, Zhang Bolai, Liu Tongsu, Zhang Qianjin, Yan Peng, Yuan Zhimin, and others, are from this group. Let’s take Pastor Wang Yi as a case study.
Wang Yi was originally a university lecturer and constitutional scholar. Before becoming a Christian, he was already prominent in the “world”: listed by “Southern People Weekly” as one of the “50 Public Intellectuals Influencing China”; attended the 71st Annual Meeting of the “International PEN Club” and spoke at the closing ceremony; featured in a special report by “Swiss Weekly”; and his blog “Wang Yi’s Microphone” received a “Reporters Without Borders Special Award.” Perhaps God intended to use him as a model for Chinese intellectuals; his spiritual life far outshone his worldly life—he completely abandoned the “world” that had brought him fame, status, honors, and livelihood to become a “vessel” for God. When he resigned from the university, the president, knowing he might become penniless by starting a church, earnestly advised him to leave a way out for his family and even retained his teaching position, but Wang Yi resolutely refused. Like his predecessors Wang Mingdao and John Sung, his commitment was absolute—if life is entrusted to the Lord, what else in the “world” is worth clinging to? In a sermon to theology students, he said, “I want to tell you, being called to serve the Lord is being called to walk the last leg of life’s journey. When Jesus calls a person, He is calling that person to die. To be called to serve the Lord is to be called to die, and to die well.” Wang Yi not only spoke these words to the students but also to himself; not just in words, but in deeds. Contemporary intellectuals who become theologians or church pastors often fall into three pitfalls: pursuing “truth” while neglecting “life,” turning faith into an intellectual game; the opposite: pursuing “spirituality” while abandoning “knowledge,” especially “social knowledge,” turning faith into “personal cultivation”; and due to “knowledge” and “mission,” developing “spiritual pride,” turning faith into a secular power. In Wang Yi’s case, these three pitfalls are absent.He integrates truth with life, spirituality with knowledge, and the church with society, achieving a complete transformation. Faced with the removal of crosses in Zhejiang, he said, “Isn’t the Lord’s intention clear enough? He commands Caesar to take down the cross from the top of the church, which is to command His children to take up the cross.”
Secondly, the Gospel movement has moved from the rural areas to the cities. Traditionally, the Gospel movement has always been urban-centric in Christianity. Timothy Keller, who recently returned to the Lord, believed that the “Cultural Mandate” in Genesis 1:28 could be interpreted as a “City Mission.” After Christianity came to China, it developed two distinct characteristics and two fields of work, differing from traditional approaches. These two traditions are the “Matteo Ricci Method” and the “Hudson Taylor Route.” The “Matteo Ricci Method,” although spread among intellectuals, primarily focused on the court and officialdom. It did not challenge the basic stance of China’s imperial “polity” or the core concepts of Confucian “orthodoxy.” In the ambiguity of “Syncretism with Confucianism,” the Gospel became more of a “culture,” with limited true penetration into Chinese society. The primary reason for Christianity’s three historical failures in China is their evangelism strategy of “winning the emperor to preach the way.” This approach, successful in gaining imperial favor, failed to truly “preach the way,” as the worship of the one true God is incompatible with imperial worship. The “Hudson Taylor Route,” on the other hand, focused on evangelism in rural areas, frontiers, and among ethnic minorities. In terms of results, there were only a few hundred Protestants in China in 1840, all concentrated in port cities. By 1919, out of 1704 counties in China, only 106 had no Protestant evangelistic activity. This nearly 90% coverage of the Chinese mainland was largely due to the pioneering work of the China Inland Mission and the shift in the direction of missionary work it inspired. However, this approach also had a flaw—it neglected the cities and intellectuals.
The weaknesses of both the “Matteo Ricci Method” and the “Hudson Taylor Route” became apparent after 1949. The “Three-Self” churches, derived from the “Matteo Ricci Method,” fell into despotism under the guise of “adapting to socialism.” The “Hudson Taylor Route” led to the formation of “rural underground churches” and a “rural-encircling-city” gospel movement in China. Although these characteristics allowed for exponential growth in numbers under the unique political climate, due to poor cultural quality, lack of pastoral leadership, theological confusion, and low governance level, they could not become leading ideologies or transformative forces in Chinese society. It was the disillusionment of Chinese intellectuals with their original ideals during the 64 movement and their subsequent conversion to Christianity, followed by their becoming pastors, that led to the establishment of new urban churches mainly comprising urban intellectuals. These churches replaced “underground churches” with “public churches” as a new form of “witnessing for the Lord.” They used the “city vision” as a blessing for China, spreading the Gospel through various media and methods, bringing China’s unique gospel movement from “underground” to “society.” These new churches had systematic governance models, correct theological thoughts, strong cultural influence, and intense social concerns. Most importantly, they broke through the traditional social gospel model of “winning the emperor to preach the way,” challenging China’s “polity” and “orthodoxy” for the first time, and overcame Hudson Taylor’s tradition of “apoliticism,” transforming Chinese Christianity from an individualistic private faith into a kingdom-oriented church. The 64 movement showed us that our God is real and alive, protecting the growth of the Chinese church in His own ways.
3. The Great Commission and the Great Revolution Racing Against Time:
It is unquestionable that the Great Commission and the great authoritarianism are competing for the hearts of the people, a fact clear to any Christian. Thus, we turn our attention to another issue: the race against time between the Great Commission and the Great Revolution, a matter not entirely clear to us.
In China, both the ruling party and democracy activists claim to be “revolutionary.” Whether it’s the revolution and counterrevolution defined by the ruling party or by democracy activists, they share a common revolutionary perspective. We can observe this through the Tiananmen Square movement: both sing the same song, “The Internationale,” with its notion that there has never been a savior; both chant the same slogan of “Reviving China,” without considering who “China” is; both employ the same method of reform-revolution, a cycle that even if it topples the current dictatorship, does not bring transitional justice and social progress to China. Must all societal transformations be driven by revolution? Must “old systems” be overthrown by a “Great Revolution”? We are reminded here of the famous “Hobsbawm Thesis” in history: French historian Hobsbawm analyzed two opposite types of dramatic social transitions – the “French Revolution,” filled with killings but leading to the restoration of the Napoleonic Empire, and the “British Industrial Revolution,” which quietly achieved modern transformation without shedding blood. Hobsbawm concluded, “Undoubtedly, the reason England avoided a political revolution was that it had undergone a religious revolution.” The “religious revolution” Hobsbawm referred to, unrelated to “revolution” in its conventional sense, was the Evangelical Revival led by John Wesley, which he believed was at the heart of the English “religious revolution.”
I believe that both democracy activists and the ruling party would condemn my “counter-revolutionary” views. Yes, Christianity is inherently counter-revolutionary. Its ultimate state is a revolution of the soul, not of society, aiming to “capture people’s hearts and minds.” Jesus opposed both the Pharisees and the zealots’ revolution, forming the basic Christian stance of not being against revolution but not relying on it either, because the goals of revolution and the Gospel are different: revolution aims to change the government’s people, the Gospel aims to change the people’s hearts; revolution is for political purposes, Christianity for the Gospel; revolution builds earthly kingdoms, the Gospel builds God’s kingdom; revolution is about self-rule, the Gospel is about Christ’s kingship; revolution is driven by self-interest, while justice and love drive the Gospel. Our ancient nation has repeatedly changed ruling groups, development models, social systems, but no amount of changing “soups” has rid us of authoritarianism, no swapping of idols has brought the true God. The failure of the Tiananmen movement reminds us that we must face a change of blood – the core of culture – faith! The loss of cultural and religious genes in Chinese culture means we have no chance of a “Renaissance” or a “Reformation.” Our only path is to earnestly spread the Gospel, leading more compatriots to know Jesus and turn to Jehovah God. The Chinese nation is at its “most dangerous time,” and Chinese intellectuals have always taken the “world” as their responsibility; now, we turn our attention to heavenly matters. We no longer blindly grope our way forward; we look up to God. We no longer use “flesh and blood” to build a new Great Wall; we use the Gospel to awaken our compatriots’ “sleeping souls.” We seem to hear God’s earnest call from heaven:
“Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” (Jeremiah 3:22)
In other words, the Great Commission is the only weapon to defeat both great authoritarianism and the great revolution. Sociology has a theory: in any population, 5% are good people and 5% are bad eggs. Whichever group is louder, the remaining 90% will follow them. Thus, 5% becomes an important social index—if a force reaches 5%, it can potentially influence or even lead the whole society. When Christians reached 5% of the Roman Empire’s population, Christianity turned the empire. Pastor Jin Mingri introduced that under military dictatorship in Korea, when Christians made up only 5% of the population, the church’s influence was at its peak, leading the Gwangju Uprising. The current situation is that for the first time in history, Christians nearly make up 5% of China’s population. In the past 60 years, class struggle and proletarian dictatorship caused about 5% of Chinese people to lose their lives, about 5% to deviate from normal development trajectories, 5% of “bad eggs” brainwashed 95% of the people into confused “giant infants,” making our past extremely tragic; now, about 5% of Chinese live below the poverty line, about 5% join the large political party to become “sophisticated egoists,” about 5% of left-behind children lose educational opportunities (UNICEF’s “State of China’s Children 2015 – Facts and Figures” report in September 2017: 68.77 million left-behind children in China in 2015), about 5% of unemployed youth struggle for survival, making our future full of hardship. We, nearly 5% of Christians, must use the Great Commission to prevent the occurrence of the above 5%s, to “align with God’s heart” and under His care, achieve the great revival of the Chinese nation. My view might be criticized as “nationalism,” not fitting the “universal movement” of the Gospel or Jesus’s command to “preach to the ends of the earth.” However, considering that China is the world’s largest hard ground for the Gospel, has the world’s largest flock in need of shepherding, and that China’s imperial culture is the greatest enemy of Christian God culture, based on our love for God and people, and also our country, I believe we should advocate a nationalistic “watchman” spirit in China’s current Gospel movement—wherever we are in the world, we should be “watchmen” sent by God to the Chinese nation. This is not a “return” to the Old Testament era, but a “return” to the spirit of the Bible. We long for God to raise up a Chinese John Wesley, to initiate a “Great Revival Movement” of our era, using the Great Commission to defeat the great authoritarianism and revolution that have never brought progress to China in thousands of years!
From the Perspective of Missions, Our Gospel Work Faces New Obstacles and Opportunities
· A rare faith vacuum in thousands of years has created the largest group of people yearning for faith. We seem to have traveled to the chaotic Spring and Autumn period, the self-centered Qin dynasty, and the inwardly legalistic Han dynasty. These eras share a common feature: they thrived and then declined. Currently, this decline first appears in the economy, then in culture, administration, foreign affairs, finance, education, and religious control. National leaders are preoccupied with “stability maintenance” and “praising the sacred,” focusing not on “long-term peace” but on “symptom treatment.” The ruling party is losing its status as the main provider of spiritual beliefs for society (Liu Peng). Lacking its own core values and faith goals, the ruling party resorts to daydreaming, using ambiguous and irrelevant concepts like “Eight Honors and Eight Shames,” “Lei Feng Spirit,” “Chinese Dream” to mislead the Chinese people. They also use “Chinese Model,” “Belt and Road Initiative,” “Global Plan,” and “Community of Shared Future for Mankind” to deceive people worldwide. In a country desperately needing core values, Christian core values can quickly spread and warm hearts. Even if spreading the gospel now means warfare and risks accusations of “inciting subversion,” the Christian church will, as always, fulfill its historical duty as “the bearer of God’s word.”
· A societal transformation seen once in centuries is turning many into “refugees.” The overlap of agricultural, industrial, and information revolutions, the disappearance of traditional industries, and the emergence of new technologies have created a massive vortex, throwing many out of society as “refugees.” For example, the “urbanization movement” will concentrate 75% of the population in cities within 20 years. These rural-to-urban migrants naturally become “low-end population,” transitioning directly from agricultural to post-industrial society, reshaping their survival skills, knowledge structure, and ideologies. With China’s economy in a prolonged L-shaped trend and the pandemic plunging millions into despair, as Pastor Liu Tongshu said, “Chinese have lost social and legal protection for survival, and religious protection for spirit. In such a void, Christ’s protection arrives.” Like during the fall of the Roman Empire, the Christian church will, as always, fulfill its historical duty as a “refuge for refugees” with its social conscience and constructive ability.
· The biggest lifestyle change in history will leave many Chinese lost. Traditionally, Chinese life relied on the “nation” and “family.” Now, the “Chinese Model” exploits people: landless farmers, jobless workers, citizens losing ancestral homes, and “middle class” losing assets. Without strong state support, people face unaffordable birth, upbringing, healthcare, and death expenses. Unable to move up the social ladder, enter the system, or leave the country, the “nation” has lost its meaning for the people. The “family,” once a warm haven and solid foundation of Chinese society, has become alienated: neglect of the elderly, lack of education for the young, disintegration, sexless marriages, separate lives under one roof, DINK families… This is the perfect time for Chinese to embrace the “Kingdom of Heaven” and return to the “Heavenly Home.” The Christian church will, as always, fulfill its historical mission as a “proponent of ‘Heavenly Kingdom’ civilization.”
· The biggest globalization movement in history needs a universal conceptual system. The past few decades have seen an intensifying trend of globalization. Technology led the way, followed by culture, finance, sports, and social life. Globalization is creating a common world culture. Globalization itself lacks a “value” direction; it can cause global secularization (Babel Tower as the first globalization) or evangelization (modern large-scale evangelism, the new heaven and earth as the final globalization). However, globalization has shifted from being economically driven to being value-driven. Gospel is humanity’s longest-lasting, most widespread system of universal values, knowledge, and symbols. At every key period of social transformation, the gospel has aligned with historical development: the Roman Empire’s evangelization, America’s through geographical discovery, Africa’s through colonialism, and the world’s through trade. Now, with information and intelligence technology exciting and confounding humanity, it is not just about clinging to an outdated development strategy by promoting China as the “Divine Land” with past, ethnic, man-made, un-renewable civilizations. It’s a theological sin. At this crucial moment, like the Roman roads facilitating the spread of the gospel, we should establish a “Cloud Church.” If God has opened the way in the cloud, why not use information tools to spread the gospel? The Christian church will, as always, fulfill its historical duty as a “guide to historical direction.”
Pastor Wang Yi once said, “A revolution spills others’ blood; the gospel spills one’s own.” This addresses China’s revolutionary model. Chinese history over thousands of years can be summarized in one phrase: “Overthrow the emperor to become the emperor.” The cycle of “despotism – revolution – despotism” has persisted for millennia, especially with “continuous revolution” in modern times. Guided by this closed culture, without a “gene implant” capable of causing a “genetic mutation,” without the gospel of “shedding one’s own blood,” China will never break out of this historical cycle!
4. Commemorating, Moving Beyond, and Transcending June 4th
Today, as we commemorate June 4th, I recently signed the “34th Anniversary Public Prayer for the June 4th Massacre” drafted by Pastor Hong Yujian, agreeing with its assessment: as long as the victims of June 4th remain unexonerated, the families and the public are prohibited from mourning openly, the “panic and violence” of the state remain unaddressed, and the nation will never be at peace. I also agree with the “Declaration by Chinese Christians on the 20th Anniversary of June 4th,” drafted by Pastor Wang Yi and signed by a large group of Chinese Christians. As long as June 4th remains unredressed, the four demands it raises remain timeless: 1. Face history, disclose the truth; 2. Admit guilt, investigate the culprits; 3. Commemorate the victims of the June 4th massacre, compensate and care for their families; 4. Grant the right to those exiled due to the June 4th incident to freely return to their country.
We remember June 4th to move beyond and transcend it. The Bible says, “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs” (Proverbs 10:12) and “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Both the May Fourth and June Fourth movements failed because they were based on human justice, which cannot resolve the issues of hate and love. Hatred is the dead end of Chinese culture – how can we ever break the cycle of endless vendettas? Are we to hold grudges for life, or harbor endless bitterness? Jesus provides the remedy to this incurable malady – to conquer hate with love. This approach teaches us to embrace the Great Commission’s freedom through civil disobedience, to love our neighbors, even our enemies. Pastor Wang Yi, before his arrest, made a powerful statement: “The Great Commission of Christ requires our great disobedience to the world!” How to “disobey”? He also told his congregation: “Under His sovereign grace, Christ gives the church three heavy weapons: gentle resistance, proactive patience, and joyous disobedience.”
From Wang Mingdao to Wang Zhiming, to Wang Yi, these are the “watchmen” of three Chinese eras. They openly refused to compromise, confront, or cooperate with political power, enduring martyrdom and imprisonment. They “accepted punishment but not the law, submitted to the law but not guilt” (Wang Yi’s words, adopting the same stance as his predecessor Yuan Xiangchen, who also forwent an appeal after being sentenced to 9 years). Although Wang Mingdao, Wang Zhiming, and Wang Yi might have had different political views, their “disobedience” was not driven by politics but by Biblical teachings, embodying the spirit of “watchmen.” They showed that our disobedience is not for the sake of being disobedient but to express obedience to God when earthly governments are not. Using Liu Binyan’s concept of “the second kind of loyalty,” this can be described as “the second layer of obedience” – the truest form of obedience is to fight. Thus, their disobedience fundamentally differs from the life-and-death political struggles of other groups, and they do not participate in political struggles without the goal of God’s kingdom. Theirs is a suffering, weak, self-sacrificing, death-bearing Jeremiah-like, and ultimately Christ-like cross-bearing disobedience. Even under such persecution, they still encourage believers to participate in social construction and welfare with smiles, becoming “a blessing to China.” They know that problems created at the level of hatred can only be solved at a higher level of love. They have shown the way for Chinese religion to return to the right path independent of political power and set a good example for the construction of Chinese civil society.
This “disobedience” formed by faith and love manifests as “civil disobedience.” John Rawls, author of “A Theory of Justice,” believed that in a country without freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, protest, association, dissent, especially the right to vote, and where Christian concepts are not mainstream social ideas, the conditions for “civil disobedience” do not exist. However, Chinese mainland Christians are resisting under such conditions. What Rawls failed to see is that Christians, unlike others, are people with inner light. Only those with inner light can fearlessly confront the darkness and break through it. Our reliance is stronger than Rawls’s liberalism – our God; our spiritual realm is higher than Rawls’s pursuit of freedom – love. We no longer ascend Jinggang Mountains; we ascend Golgotha!
The “civil disobedience” embraced by Chinese house churches in love is to “put on the full armor of God” and “fight the good fight.” This fight has led us out of China’s “revolutionary” tradition, the cycle of “power grows out of the barrel of a gun” born in hatred, and China’s historical loop of “autocracy-revolution-autocracy.” It has also led us out of the walls of medieval monasteries, Thoreau’s individual resistance, and Rawls’s subjectively conscience-driven civil disobedience, giving China direction, method, and hope for the first time. The “civil disobedience” of Chinese house churches in love is also the only correct path for China’s civil movement, the only fruitful path to date.
The “civil disobedience” of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan is a pioneer among Chinese churches. They were the first in the world to issue a “Declaration of Human Rights,” advocating for democracy and human rights, promoting the 228 Peace and Justice Day, and suffering for it. Kao Chun-ming, the then General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, was imprisoned for assisting Shih Ming-teh to escape during the “Formosa Incident,” sentenced to 7 years. In support of the “anti-extradition law,” Hong Kong pastors formed the “Hong Kong Christian Ministries Association.” During the “Occupy Central with Love and Peace” movement, Cardinal Joseph Zen, along with Christian leaders like Chu Yiu-ming, Benny Tai, and Chan Kin-man, stood in front of students and citizens. Despite police and triad violence, they did not retreat or retaliate. The 79-day occupation, with 1.2 million participants, caused no destruction or burning. Chu Yiu-ming’s “final submission” in court was touching: “You might say our problem stems from ‘civil disobedience.’ Wrong, our problem comes from ‘civil obedience,’ this obedience has led countless people to kneel before power and dictators, involving millions in wars; this obedience has made countless people indifferent to poverty, hunger, ignorance, warfare, and brutality; this obedience has filled prisons with minor offenders while major criminals become national leaders. I, Chu Yiu-ming, Benny Tai, and Chan Kin-man now declare in the dock: we have no regrets, no complaints, no anger, no remorse, no surrender.” His words “moved China,” echoing Paul’s profound yet serene statement: “Build yourselves up in love” (Ephesians 4:16). Paul and pastors in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong can be so uncompromising because they know: the battle is not theirs, but God’s (2 Chronicles 20:15).
The ideas of the Chinese Christian house church have also influenced a generation of Chinese intellectuals. Liu Xiaobo, one of the main culprits of June 4th and a “circumcised in thought” Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said in his final court statement, “I Have No Enemies”:
“I have no enemies and no hatred. Hatred corrodes a person’s wisdom and conscience, and the concept of the enemy will poison a nation’s spirit, provoke cruel struggles of life and death, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and hinder a country’s progress towards freedom and democracy. Therefore, I hope to transcend my personal experience to view the development and change of the state, to treat the hostility of the regime with the utmost goodwill, and to dissolve hate with love.”
amous Christian and initiator of the Chinese democracy movement, Wang Bingzhang, was lured, arrested, and sentenced to life imprisonment by the authorities and has been held in solitary confinement for a long time. However, he said:
“I will not bear a grudge against those who arrested me, nor will I bear a grudge against the leaders of the Chinese authorities. On the contrary, I pray for them, that they may soon contribute to humanity and the democratization of China. I will forgive everyone!”
The act of “civil disobedience” under the embrace of love has also influenced some non-Christian groups. We read the spirit of Christ in the statement issued by the “Tiananmen Mothers”:
“Today, we regard this love as a responsibility, hoping to call on people’s conscience with it, to dissolve the suspicion and hatred between people, to change the disregard for life and human values still lingering in our minds. We believe that this love, originating from the source of life, is great; as a responsibility, it will make us stronger and wiser, and it will make our world more rational and humane, thus more effectively stopping violence and killings… Our nation, deeply afflicted, has shed too many tears, and hatred has accumulated for too long. We have the responsibility to end this unfortunate history with our efforts. Today, although our environment is still so harsh, we have no reason to be pessimistic, nor to despair, because we firmly believe that the power of justice, truth, and love is enough to ultimately overcome power, lies, and tyranny.”
These mothers, whose children were brutally killed, do not ask for revenge or compensation, only the most basic justice. They proactively embrace those who killed their children with love, bringing those in power back to the rules of compassion, rationality, and peace.
At present, in pursuing the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” the methods still used are “revolution” (Zealots) or “reform” (Pharisees). The “authorities” of our country believe they can be the “locomotive of human history,” building a “community of shared future for mankind,” not recognizing God or sin. The contemporary literati and Pharisees, the Three-Self leaders, still kneel before political power, offering sacrifices with strange fire, worshiping golden calves, with no signs of confession or repentance. Contemporary zealots – some non-Christian democracy activists surrounded by “hatred” – fantasize about bringing national liberation through revolution, not considering themselves as subjects of confession and repentance. Today’s China is more like Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by God, with no signs of “sincere confession and repentance” like Nineveh. At this critical moment, as “watchmen” of this era and nation, the most important thing for the church is to offer vicarious atonement. Therefore, another more Christ-like manifestation of “moving beyond and transcending June 4th” is “vicarious atonement.” For our nation, which lacks a tradition of confession and repentance, we must not only set an example of confession and repentance but also willingly bear the sins of others. It’s often difficult for people to understand and endure “vicarious atonement”: “revolution” is human nature – taking back what was taken from us; “reform” is also human nature – correcting what we think is wrong; but “vicarious atonement” is not human nature – you stole my belongings, killed my loved ones, ruined my life, I didn’t do wrong, it was you, why should I “atone for you”? Moreover, “vicarious atonement” is synonymous with suffering, persecution, injustice, and self-inflicted pain, along with misunderstanding from relatives and friends, non-recognition by society, and intolerance by the state. “Vicarious atonement” is too hard for people, it’s not human work, it’s God’s work; it’s not human nature, it’s God’s nature. Yet our Lord Jesus asks us to follow His example:
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:44–48).
Paul also exhorted: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1).
Only by living in Christ’s love can we practice “vicarious atonement” and truly say, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Our heartfelt prayers demonstrate “love your neighbor” (Luke 10:30) and “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:43) truly emanate from our hearts, showing our “obedience to God” rather than “obedience to men,” bearing the marks of the cross. Whether we can truly pray for those in power is a great challenge, but as long as we understand that we are not trying to overthrow those in power with “revolution,” we are praying for them to change China. Let us all recite Psalm 9:20: “Strike them with terror, Lord; let the nations know they are only mortal.”
We may be living in the worst or best of times in history, for our nation and people are at a dead end on the “old road,” facing transformation: turning left, we have an example – North Korea, a totalitarian monster fed by our culture, the end of the humanist path, where the once “Pyongyang Great Revival” barely survives under persecution, a path no conscientious and sensible Chinese person would wish to follow; turning right, we have another example – South Korea, also nurtured by Chinese culture, once more extreme in authoritarianism, poverty, and ignorance than us, but in just twenty years, starting with confession and repentance, entered gospelization, which brought democratization, and then modernization, completing the great revival of the nation under God’s care.
In commemorating June 4th, we need to overcome two emotions: the excitement of “winning in one fell swoop” and the sense of failure that “authoritarianism is too powerful for us to do anything.” My colleague Pastor Wang Weiqiang mentioned a mystery in nature: some small monarch butterflies migrate 4800 kilometers to return to their homeland. This mission exceeds their lifespan and capabilities, so they lay eggs along the way, and the newly born monarchs continue the migration. After three generations, they return to their homeland. Generations of monarch butterflies never lose the same goal and their perseverance beyond life, a mystery to humanity. Perhaps God doesn’t want humans to unravel this secret but to use it as an example for us: returning to Eden, to God’s embrace, is the ultimate goal of humanity, including the Chinese nation. If caterpillars and butterflies can do it, why can’t we humans? Pastor Zhang Qianjin, present today, has passed the responsibility of June 4th to his daughter, embodying “love never fails”!
Thank you all.
(Speech at the Nicodemus Truth Seeking Meeting)
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