China's history shows Christianity has been a liberating force, but people in the US are turning their noses up at Jesus.
The Chinese Community Party's crackdown on Christian churches shows they think Christianity is against authority and they are afraid of a competing worldview.
The Chinese government hasn't been able to stop the spread of Christianity because Christians are still true to their faith.
It is thought more than 100 million Chinese are Christians, and by 2030, there could be as many as 247 million Christians in China. But instead of recognizing Christianity is growing, the Chinese government has stepped up its efforts to stop Christian missions.
In China, the Church is seen as just another part of the government needs to be watched to make sure it follows the Communist Party's rules. The "Administrative Measures for Religious Groups," which went into effect in 2020, require religious groups to report their activities to the Communist Party and spread its political message. Officials are right to see Christianity as a source of antiauthoritarianism, and if Christianity continues to grow, it will pose a serious threat to the legitimacy of the Chinese state if nothing is done to stop it.
Christianity is a liberal alternative to the strict rules of the Communist government because it focuses on the salvation and equality of each person. Civil society groups protect people's rights from government abuse have been set up with help from Christian churches. G. Tiedemann says Protestant missionaries were a big part of how the Manchu Qing Empire started to change into the Chinese state.
Christians who were intellectuals brought ideas like individualism, democracy, and international law to the curious Chinese people. Since Christianity has been a powerful source of life in China for over a hundred years, many members of the Communist Party find it politically impossible to tolerate this tool of subversion. But putting a stop to Christianity could hurt the country in the long run, because, as we'll see, Christianity has been a key part of China's social and economic growth.
The seeds missionaries planted in China in the 1800s are still bearing fruit today. China has always been run by strong governments, but despite criticism, missionaries were able to set up independent institutions were not controlled by the government. Evangelism was important to Catholic and Protestant missionaries, but their job in China was more than just to convert people to Christianity.
Through education, missionaries also led a project in China to bring it up to date. Children went to missionary schools where they learned about modern subjects and the importance of government and human rights. Also, missionaries' belief in equality led to a lot of people going to school, which helped women and the poor. In an interesting turn of events, the Chinese government started paying for higher education in the late 1890s because of the influence of missionaries. This was a long time after Protestants had built the Anglo-Chinese College.
Researchers from Peking University find a link between the intensity of Christian activities and socioeconomic outcomes like human capital formation and openness to foreign direct investment. This shows Christianity had a positive effect on China's development from 1920 to 2000. (FDI). As people who wanted to improve education, Christian missionaries pushed the Chinese government to offer modern science classes and get rid of the old Confucian system. Because of these efforts, education in China grew at an exponential rate, and by 1918, over 13,000 Christian schools were open, making them one-sixth of all schools in China.
In particular, the pioneering work of Christian missionaries made a big difference in nursing education. By the end of the 1930s, there were 6,000 nurses, and schools all over the country trained people who wanted to become nurses. Missionary work in China was all-encompassing and gave ordinary people access to better food and health care. By 1937, missionaries had successfully built more than 300 hospitals with more than 20,000 beds. Many of these hospitals were in rural areas where the poor could use them for free.
In China in the 1800s, missionaries helped create an urban middle class by improving the quality of education available to locals and investing in social infrastructure. A study done at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology by Ying Bai and James Kai-sing Kung shows a link between missionary work and the growth of cities. Using the years 1840–1920 as a starting point, they say by building schools and hospitals, missionaries increased the amount of useful knowledge is needed to keep economic growth going. Importantly, they also say Protestantism had an effect on the rise of sophisticated industrial firms in China during this time.
Also, a study in the China Economic Review in 2015 found, of all the religions, Christianity had the biggest effect on growth from 2001 to 2011. It's interesting the same conclusions couldn't be made about other religions. The researchers say Christianity helps the economy grow by promoting moral business practices and putting a high value on being accountable to God and other people.
On the other hand, the authors think there is a positive link between Christianity and FDI because in the past, Christian missionaries helped bridge the gap between Chinese people and the rest of the world. This made Chinese people more open to foreign ideas and businesses. The relationships missionaries built between Chinese people and foreigners have a lasting effect on China's ability to get foreign investments.
Studies also say Protestant business owners in China are bringing about a new moral revolution by using Christian values to run honest businesses. In fact, the higher moral standards Chinese businesses have to follow because of Christianity will help China get FDI.
Christianity is always competing with the Chinese government and giving people what they want, so it makes sense the government is worried about its growing popularity. But the facts show Christianity is a liberating force in China, and it would be wise for the Chinese government to step back and let Christianity help its citizens thrive.
Why are many US politicians praising China but denying a greater and more successful power, G*d and of course His son, Jesus?
The answer can be found in His best seller: “…..men love the darkness rather than the light because their deeds are evil”
Replies