Christianity in Today's China
by
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The book is divided into two parts. Part One is eleven chapters that sketch church history in China and how the churches of the 1990s came to be what they are today; where they came from -- and possibly where they are going. Part Two lists by province selected churches that the visitor may visit, learn about and intercede in prayer for them. There are also interesting pieces on each province that helps to introduce the area to those who have never been there or read much about the geography of China. This second part of the book evolved from a prayer list. On one of my first visits to the offices of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee in Shanghai, I asked if I might have a list of Shanghai area churches and their addresses. When I told Pastor Shen Cheng’en my reasons, he prepared a list for me. Pastor Shen is the editor of the monthly church magazine Tian Feng (Heavenly Breezes). Above all, I want to deepen the reader’s interest and knowledge of China as it exists today. I want more Christians to be praying for the peoples of China. When China Christians are asked how the outsiders might help them, they have always replied, "Pray for us." Nothing will be more valuable to the Kingdom of God in China than this. Though the biblical phrase used as the sub-title of this book is referring to the remnant of the house of Judah I believe it can also be said of the remnant of the whole house of God in China during this century. For the churches are really taking root downward into the soil, soul and society and they are continuing to bear fruit upward to the glory of God.
Christianity in Today’s China Taking Root Downward,
CONTENTS FOREWORD by David M. Paton INTRODUCTION to a continuing story: PART ONE CHAPTER ONE: Seeking Forgiveness and reconciliation PART TWO Selected church addresses and information about all of China's provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. CHRONOLOGY REFERENCE READING LIST
CHAPTER TWO Western Beginnings, 1807-1954 A Summary of Missionary History in China Jesus once said to his disciples --- John 20:21 God’s people have always been stronger after times of stress, and the Christians of China have emerged from the 'Cultural Revolution' with a deep personal experience of the presence, power and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in a way that few believers in history ever encounter. One passage of scripture that was constantly exchanged among Christians during those days was Psalm 23:4, 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.' Soon after the closing days of the Cultural Revolution, some of the Christian leaders met and sent a letter with this verse of comfort to all the Christians of China. To this day when you meet Christians they refer to those dark days in the context of this verse from the Psalms. Their God had walked with them through a terror that blew the minds and hearts of even the mighty and strong. It was not like anything the Christians -- and all Chinese -- had ever experienced before. Historically, Protestant churches seldom found it an easy task to be the witness the masses of China demanded. The Christian message has been used and abused by Chinese and foreigners alike over the past two centuries. The difference in the China experience is at the point of the missionary's entry and association with evils that have nothing to do with the message of the man of Galilee. These unnecessary weights continue to burden the pure and simple message of Christ and cause it to be distorted by many who know nothing of its true spirit and power. Records left by the Jingjiao, a Syrian sect, that Western historians have called Nestorians, reveal accounts of Christianity in China in the seventh century A.D. In the year 1625 a ten foot tall stone monument of these Syrians was uncovered near Chang'an, the present city of Xi'an. This stone monument called the Nestorian Tablet records the history, theology and names of the early Syrian believers who settled in Tang dynasty China. It is on permanent exhibition in the Shaanxi Museum in Xi’an.
Bearing Fruit Upward
CHAPTER TWO: Western Beginnings, 1807-1954
CHAPTER THREE: The Years of New Beginnings, 1949-1960
CHAPTER FOUR: The Years of the Locust, 1966-1976
CHAPTER FIVE: The Years of Renewal, 1979-1989
CHAPTER SIX: Prelude To A Chinese Theology
CHAPTER SEVEN: Tea and Tears: Meeting Spiritual Needs
CHAPTER EIGHT: Meeting Human Needs in Today's China
CHAPTER NINE: Most Frequently Asked Questions
CHAPTER TEN: Twenty Years’ Celebrations
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Teaching in China
'As the Father has sent me, I also send you.'
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About the Book
The last quarter of the 20th century has been one of the brightest and most exciting periods for Christianity in China. Yet it is almost an unknown story. There is much mis-information and dis-information on the churches and the believers. This book was begun in China, finished in Hong Kong and now completely revised and up-dated on the actual situation of Christians and their churches entering the 21st century. This book shares the testimony and experience of pastors and laity alike as they faced many of the political movements of the last half century. How they came through the Cultural Revolution stronger than ever and are building new churches and training schools for the future. All this without government aid or foreign missionaries and foreign gifts. The Communist government tolerates Christianity and give them a limited freedom that they have used to great advantage in spreading the good news that Jesus is the Christ, the Lord of heaven and earth. Here are the thoughts, dreams and spirit of the pastors and laity that have taken on the challenge of making Christianity in China "Chinese." Christianity in Today’s China is the story of the future hope for Christianity in Asia. As more and more the local believers in Asian lands take up the responsibility of reaching their own people for Christ. In China today the believers may not all agree, as is true in most of the world, but they are growing churches from their own soil, their own blood, sweat and tears. A Christianity that gives hope for coming generations.
About the Author
Britt Towery has spent over thirty years in Chinese ministry in Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China. He and his wife Jody are Howard Payne University, Brownwood, Texas, graduates and began the First Baptist Church of San Manuel, Arizona and the Pingtung Baptist Church in Southern Taiwan. He built bridges of understanding and ministry between many of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board personnel and the China Christian Council. He placed many English teachers and medical technicians in China universities from 1982-1992. He is the former director of the Asian Studies Program, Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and the founder and director of the Tao Foundation, a channel for sharing needs and truths from the East to the West.