China Looking for Morality

The following church news item in China was of interest:

Christianity is flourishing in China

The religion, long repressed and often outlawed in the communist nation, appeals to citizens seeking a moral framework amid the chaotic rise of capitalism.

Los Angeles Times

From the Chicago Tribune June 28, 2008

BEIJING…By some estimates, Christian churches in China, most of them underground, have roughly 70 million members, about as many as the party itself. A growing number of those Christians are in fact party members.

Christianity is thriving in part because it offers a moral framework to citizens adrift in an age of Wild West capitalism that has not only exacted a heavy toll in corruption and pollution but also harmed the global image of products labeled “Made in China.”

Some Chinese Christians say their faith is actually a boon for the party, because it shores up the economic foundation that is central to sustaining communist rule.

“With economic development, morality and ethics in China are degenerating quickly,” prayer leader Zhang Wei told the crowd at Jin’s church as worshipers bowed their heads. “Holy Father, please save the Chinese people’s soul.”

At the same time, Christianity is driving citizens to be more politically assertive, emboldening them to push for more freedoms and testing the party’s willingness to adapt. For decades, most of China’s Christians worshiped in secret churches, known as “house churches,” that shunned attention for fear of arrest on charges such as “disturbing public order.” http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-jesus29-2008jun29,0,1845504.story

Sadly, it will be difficult for the Chinese to get much information about the true Christianity, but throughout history it appears that true Christianity did get to China.

Historically, there have been Sabbath-keepers in China and others who simply did not accept the mainstream “brands” that pass for Christianity.

The Bible states that the whole world will become involved in worship, hence this will also include the Chinese–and though many will be deceived at the end, the Bible shows that the Chinese will see through this religious deception before the Europeans will (details are in the article China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 3: China in Prophecy).

The Chinese have long had biblical ties. For example, notice what a Chinese character meaning righteous is made of:


Righteous(ness)	= Sheep	+ Hand	+ Lance

The New Testament account of Abel refers to:

…the blood of righteous Abel (Matthew 23:35).

And the Bible refers to Christ as the lamb of God who was slain by the hand of a man who forced a sword of some type into Him. Hence, even some Chinese symbolism has some ties to the Bible (please see the article China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters ).

Hopefully, many in China will pray, study their Bibles, and study the History of Early Christianity so that they will be able to practice what the Bible calls “the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) and not be subject to the religious deception that will come further upon the world.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: The Sabbath and Some of God’s Witness in China When did Christianity first come to China? And is there early evidence that they observed the seventh day sabbath?
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for China? Is it a “King of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where?
The Dramatic Story of Chinese Sabbathkeepers This reformatted Good News article from 1955 discusses Sabbath-keeping in China in the 1800s.