Eric's Beijing Diary

This is not a new book. It was written during the Cold War, probably in the early Seventies. As such, one may assume that it would be outdated, but in fact, it gives a good perspective on the events which led to each of the three featured individuals being singled out by the established order after the 1949 revolution. For me, it is also interesting in another way. I don't believe that any of the three individuals would be harassed today in the same way they were then. These men were not criminals. But they all had a following that brought them to the attention of the Communist authorities.

During the late eighties and early nineties, a "revolution" swept through the Communist world. In Europe, it was represented most poignantly by the fall of the Berlin Wall. In China, by the events surrounding Tiananmen and the massive student protests that followed the death of Hu Yaobang. Tiananmen was suppressed, of course—we all know that history. But I have always said that the students lost the battle and won the war. China did change, as did the other Communist countries. In the Soviet Union, that change resulted in the Party losing power. In China, the Party stayed in power, but did not really stay Communist. When the Communists first took over in 1949, there really seemed to be the belief that Christianity (along with other religions) was "the opium of the people." As such, it was antithetical to the kind of system they were trying to set up, and Christian leaders, particularly those with a reputation as "true believers," were singled out for attack. But today, the emphasis is more on regulation and containment in an atmosphere of tolerance. China does not have American style religious freedom, and the leadership is still quite sensitive to any kind of foreign control of religion. But the general attitude is much more one of resignation to religion as a part of Chinese life. In that sense, this book is useful, because it was written before that change, and gives a very helpful insight into the contrast.

Even if you are not familiar with any of the three "mighty men" whose stories are told in this book, the narratives will be interesting to you. The stories are well told by someone who was very familiar with the events. I was most interested in the description of Watchman Nee, who is quite well known by Christians in the West because of the numerous devotional type books published under his name (most of them were actually transcribed lectures--Watchman Nee himself only wrote two books). Nee's writing and work was characterized by a strong reaction to the tendency of missionaries to export their own favorite schisms to China. But he was also known for his passionate belief in an indigenous Christianity, where authority was vested in local churches, not dictated by foreign mission boards. As such, he represented the true spirit of the "Three Self" movement long before the Communists set it up, and their persecution of him showed their own hypocrisy. When Christians from that era describe the Three Self movement as an agent of suppression, it is hard to argue with them. But it's not that way now. Things have changed. This book cannot, of course, describe that change. But it helps by giving a clear picture about the way things were, thus justifying Christian's who refused to be part of the Three Self movement, while at the same time showing, by contrast, that the present status quo is something fundamentally different.

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Labels: Christianity, Persecution