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China: The Land of God

China: The Land of God
Excerpts

By Yuan Zhiming

IV
The synopsis of Sun Yat-Sen's Three Principles of the People (San Min Zhu Yi): nationalism, democracy, and the people's livelihood are neither to be equated with "Materialism," nor "Worldliness." They were actually founded on the sacred and profound basis of Christianity. Sun Yat-Sen remarked: What is the purpose of human progress? It is none other than what Confucius advocated: "As the Way has its way, then the whole world forms one single community." It is as summarized in Jesus' words, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10). This ideology does not center on the development of man, but on the attributes of God, beyond mere goodness of humanity. Only then freedom, liberty, and brotherhood becomes the standard for man (Li Shuangbi).

The crux of understanding the Three People's Principles is the concept of "Doing (the truth) is easy, knowing (it) is difficult." Sun Yat-Sen considered the traditional Chinese concept "Knowing is easy, doing is difficulty" self-deceiving, altogether deceptive and misleading to the whole nation. Many Chinese think that they know the genuine truth when they actually do not. As a result they "revere what needs not be revered and do not fear what ought to be feared." He advocated that foregoing the old and bringing about reforms takes leading the nation to a true knowledge and reverence of the One who deserves reverence (God).

Sun Yat-Sen believed in "ruling by the principles of God" and "thinking with the heart of Jesus." Some of the members of the Nationalist Party (KMT) such as Wang Jingwei and Chai Yuanpei vehemently opposed Christianity. Sun Yat-Sen reminded the church "not to be used as a tool by imperialism" on the one hand, and emphasized on the other, that debate would only help "reveal more truth in Christianity." He solemnly declared, "Not only am I a Christian, but so is also every single person in my whole family regardless of age; we conduct family worship."

"There is a dire need in thoroughly cleansing China's intrinsic culture and age-old ethical education. These have been deep-rooted, and had been tainted from thousands of years of confusing and impure Chinese customs. This is a horrendous task, in which I do not dare to attempt as I have already dedicated my entire life to political revolution. But I wish that other comrades would partake in this effort" (Bao Shijie).

Sun Yat-Sen was very clear-minded: "The separation of religion and state is a common practice in recent civilized nations. It enables freedom of belief and evangelism; it causes little disturbance to politics; and it enables churches to fulfill their purpose of expounding truth and grace" (Sun Yat-Sen, Replies).

Sun Yat-Sen passed away in Beijing on February 22, 1925; there was a prayer meeting in Union Hospital followed by the state burial in Chung-Shan Park, Nanjing. In his dying instructions, Sun Yat-Sen said, "I have been a Christian who has battled with Satan for forty years. You must also battle in the same manner; trust also in God." He also said, "Would that the whole world know that I am a Christian even though I die" (Zhang Yijing).
V
The twentieth century China took a tumble from Sun Yat-Sen's ideal of democracy to the reality of autocracy with both Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong.

Perhaps it is inevitable that the great turning back of the "Land of God" would be a long and winding pilgrimage. After all, she has wandered away from God for so long now.

Oh China! Your brand new national name and epoch, your brand new principles and constitution are all at a loss camouflaging your old and rotten soul!

Considering the dynasties of corrupt emperors, is Mao Zedong any better? Regarding dynasties of wise kings, can Deng Xiaoping be even on a par? Do not the leaders of "New China" continue to steal the glory of God and try to become the "gods" for the people? Do not the people still fall into the swampy trap of humanism and worship sinful and inadequate men as gods?

Nevertheless, the end of man is the beginning of God. Oh China! Have you not tried all the ways of man? You have repeatedly experienced extreme exhaustion, nearing the end of your breath, after the dynasties of Tang and Sung. You have been through the valleys of death and shame beyond words since the last days of the Ming Dynasty. Yet you place the fault upon others. You attribute all failures to other nations and turn to them with hatred. But are you yourself pure and innocent? You have strayed far from God's righteousness and love. You lift up yourself in your prideful heart. You are masochistically destroying yourself as you remain in sin. Righteousness and ethics are on your lips, yet they are but filthy rags, incapable of covering your shameful nakedness, even less able to cleanse your inner ugliness.

Oh China! How much more blood and how many more tears must you shed before you turn to God in genuine repentance?

Fifty years of Communist reign is merely a flashing moment in the five thousand years of history. Yet, this special period which had incubated between the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty turned a new page for China's five thousand year history. China eventually moved to face the world; the Yellow River met the great ocean.

Oh China, you finally set your feet on a new journey of discovery! Step by step, you saw the earth beyond the arching horizon, as it carried with it the whole human world, turning into an oval circle cast upon by the far away sun. You are lifting up your head slightly, and perceiving the deep blue sky at the end of the deep blue sea.

Now you see, the water of the Yellow River came from heaven above, flowing straight into sea, never to return, all the way being dyed the color of murky yellow.
VI
Oh China, in the face of the twenty-first century, you are still so naive as to believe that by importing the Western economic system and scientific technologies you can arouse the Sino nation. You think that wealth will bring national well-being, peace and happiness for the people. You believe that tumultuous riots will end and bloodshed and tears will cease.

You are mistaken! Can you not see the moaning and groaning resulting from excessive greed and a multitude of sins all about the nation? Can you not hear the billions of souls despairingly weeping in the vast sea of the desert?

Oh China! You should well remember how the "devil of hatred" was released during the hot-blooded Cultural Revolution and how the society came to the edge of complete ruin. Now you have further released the "devil of greed," which may lead to the ruin of your own soul! Go on prospering and ignore your soul! This is precisely the tantalizing lie of the Devil!

It is true that sin also existed in the West two hundred years ago, but there was God, and repentance, and prayers far and beyond, endless sacred church bells and worship, democratic rule and the supremacy of law. People did not ignore the existence of the God of justice. The strong maintained fear and the weak retained hope.

When you are pursuing and imitating the West, instead of focusing on her true essence, you are merely imitating her superficial knowledge and declining ways. In actuality, the West has begun to turn away from God.

Oh China, as you try to rise up, you are in sin yet without God. You have neither a repentant heart nor a democratic system. What can you do to control the wild beast of lust? What can you do to purge your tarnished conscience? What do you rely upon to stop the greed and ambition of those in power, to prevent them to turn China upside down once again, falling into confusion, restlessness, even causing the shedding of rivers of blood?

"Evil pervades the world, like the waves of the sea." Who can turn around the malevolent spirit of these times? Who can hear the call of God? Who can see the salvation of the Lord?
VII
When Western politicians and merchants broke open the door of China, they sought whatever commercial and political benefits they could squeeze out. Never did they intend to help China thoroughly reform or totally progress. They did not wish to see a strong China that could rise up rapidly. Instead, they preferred China to remain in a long-term semi-developed condition with economic freedom but political autocracy. They hoped that their profits in China would be stable, protected by totalitarian regimes.

Nevertheless, God intends it all for good, to accomplish His own will (Gen. 50:20). God wills to wake up the Chinese so that they can claim their dignity and value as God intended.

While Western capitalists were greedily sucking the blood of China, missionaries came to China carrying a dual identity as God's messengers and cultural ambassadors, sacrificing their own lives for the truth and for China.

Robert Morrison came and died. The captain of the ship asked him, "Do you intend to change this magnificent country?" "No, but God does," answered Morrison.

Timothy Richard came and died. His personal secretary Liang Qichao became the "pious godson" of China.

Hudson Taylor came and died. Five generations of his children and grandchildren dedicated their lives to serving China. He declared, "If I had one thousand pounds, I would not keep one from China. If I had one thousand lives, I would give all to China."

Thousands upon thousands of messengers came and died, wave upon wave. They died amidst misunderstandings, antagonisms, hardships and sacrifices.

What were they after? Fortune? No, they were all poor. Power? No, they criticized the powerful. Fame? No, they came quietly, from places of comfort and freedom, and they died quietly. Some died as an entire family under the swords of the Boxers; some died in barren and unwholesome places, suffering from hunger and cold. For what on earth did they come and die?

In such manner Jesus came and died! He came from the Father who loved His own. He died by the hands of those He loved. He came to save us from sin; He died for our sins.

Matteo Ricci, Robert Morrison, Timothy Richard, Hudson Taylor-countless evangelists from the West came, following the steps of Jesus, bearing their own crosses. One by one they came, to live and die among the people of China.

They were the seeds sown by God on the vast land of China. "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12:24).

In the 1950s, when Western missionaries were driven out of China, there were only about a million Christians in China. Fifty years have passed, in an environment of atheistic culture, under the persecution of the Cultural Revolution, amidst overall political, psychological and social oppression the number of Chinese Christians, has grown to tens of millions!

From villages to cities, from the common people to cadres, their souls have been awakened; their eyes are opened and they see God. They repent of their sins and follow Jesus. They go out to spread the Gospel of salvation.

Christianity expands not because of their successes but because of their failures. They grow not out of their strength but out of their weaknesses. Their strength lay in their blood, tears, and suffering, just like their Lord Jesus. This is God's invincible way!

The Western messengers left, and the Eastern messengers rose up in droves a hundredfold, even a thousandfold.

When John Sung threw his Ph.D. diploma in chemistry into the Pacific Ocean on his way back from the United States, when Watchman Nee beat the drums of midnight watches, when Wang Ming-dao walked back to prison and returned the document authorizing his release to the jailer, it was obviously that God had majestically stepped into the land of China. His footsteps were so mighty and powerful that nothing could resist!

Cast your eyes overseas and see, thousands of Chinese intellectuals have been rushing into churches, fellowship groups, Bible study groups and evangelistic meetings, as never before. The long-time parched conscience of the Chinese nation has begun to thirst for truth. You cross the deep blue sea and pierce the bright blue sky, where you seem to find your real home, where you discover your place of origin.

Return toward God, oh Chinese! That evil dragon that has mesmerized the spirit of the nation for thousands of years is but a dog in the hands of God. The blessings God has prepared for all mankind will definitely be bestowed upon the Chinese as well. He will provide not autocracy, nor mere democracy and economic prosperity, but repentance, rebirth, dignity, forgiveness, and love.

Special Note: The original Chinese document used the name "Shen-Zhou. "Shen- Zhou" literally means "the Land of God." China was at one time in her history called the "Land of God."

Bibliography
Li Shuangbi, From [屏蔽] To Pedagogy, China Horizon Publishers, 1992, p. 264.
Bao Shijie, "The Private Document on the Death of Sun Yat-sen," in The Documentation of Recent History, China Social Sciences Publishing Co., No. 711, p. 217.
Sun Yat-sen, "Replies to Gao Yishen and Wei Yajie of the Mei-Yi-Mei Society," in The Complete Volume of Sun Yat-sen, Vol. 2, p. 361.
Zhang Yijing, Mei-Hwa-Jin, editors, The Autobiography and Testimonies of Sun Yat-sen, Shanghai, 1931, p. 7.

-Yuan Zhiming, is from Mainland China. He is the producer in China Soul. From Christian Life Quarterly, June, 1998, Vol.2 No. 2, pp. 3-6.

Posted: 2007-06-18 23:46 | [楼主]

5come5帮你背单词 [ reply /ri'plai/ n. 回答，答复 ] China: The Land of God

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China: The Land of God