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Western Control of Chinese Churches Never Returns: Protestant Leaders
Gone are the days when Chinese churches, under the control of foreign missionaries, were used for imperialist invasion and Chinese churches have been independent from them for some 50 years, Chinese Protestant leaders said Thursday.
These religious leaders made remarks at a press conference held to celebrate the initiation of the Chinese Christian Three-Self Patriotic Movement.
Luo Guanzong, chairman of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee of the Protestant Churches of China (TSPMCPCC), said that during the time from the Opium War of 1840 to 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded, the imperialists had continuously used Christianity and preaching done by missionaries to serve their evil purposes.
In 1950, Y.T. Wu and about 40 Christian leaders started the Three-Self Movement to fight the imperialistic conspiracy of using Christianity for sabotage. The religious organization upholds the "Three-Self" principles, namely, self-administration, self-support and self-propagation, which has received enthusiastic response from Christians all over the country.
Han Wenzao, president of the China Christian Council, said the movement has turned the once so-called "foreign religion" into an independent church for Christians in China.
The population of Christian believers has increased from 700,000 in 1949 to the current 10 million, which explicitly manifests the great success of the movement, added Priest Cao Shenjie, vice-president of the China Christian Council.
As for the role of Western missionaries, Priest Deng Fucun, vice-chairman of the TSPMCPCC, has his own understanding of it.
"Although some Western missionaries made contribution to the cultural exchange between China and the Western world, in modern history, however, evangelistic campaigns did parallel with imperialism and colonial expansionism. Some Christian missionaries participated in the opium trade, drafting of unequal treaties, invasion and war," Deng said.
Deng cited a letter from Morrison, the first Protestant missionary to preach in China, which reads that he often risked his life participating in the opium trade for the notorious Eastern India Company.
Deng also pointed out some Western missionaries had participated in negotiations and drafting of the Nanjing Treaty, the first unequal treaty that brought humiliation to the Chinese people for over 100 years. Some missionaries served as intelligence agents or guides for foreign invaders.
The Chinese Protestant Church will stick to the 'Three-Self' principles to facilitate the healthy development of the church, according to the religious leaders.
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