{"id":37236,"date":"2018-10-17T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-10-17T10:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=37236"},"modified":"2018-10-11T14:47:48","modified_gmt":"2018-10-11T18:47:48","slug":"chinas-revision-of-christianity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2018\/10\/chinas-revision-of-christianity\/","title":{"rendered":"China’s Revision of Christianity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We have blogged about how still-communist China is seeking to co-opt and control the Christian churches that, despite persecution, are growing like wildfire.\u00a0 The plan is to cultivate and require a distinctly \u201cChinese\u201d form of Christianity.\u00a0 We now have details about what that will look like.<\/p>\n

According to the Chinese Christian dissident Rev. Bob Fu, the 5-year plan will include new editions and translations of the Bible that will incorporate Buddhist<\/a> and Confucian teachings; a requirement that crosses be accompanied with portraits of Chairman Mao and Chairman Xi; a requirement that choirs begin each service by singing communist propaganda songs; and a repudiation of justification by faith, replacing it with \u201cjustification by love,\u201d which includes the \u201cgood works\u201d of the Communist party.<\/p>\n

\n

The communist government recognizes a single state-controlled church.\u00a0 Two-thirds of those congregations will be closed and their clergy re-interrogated for their fidelity to communism.\u00a0 Those who participate in the illegal house churches\u2013which comprise most of the Christians in China\u2013will face increased persecution.<\/p>\n

This is on top of the government takeover of Catholic churches.\u00a0 The Vatican, with the approval of Pope Francis, has inexplicably given the communist party the authority to appoint bishops, though they must then be approved by the Pope.\u00a0 The agreement brings underground Catholic groups into the state-supervised organization, which many conservative Catholics see as a betrayal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Predictably, Chinese Christians in the underground church are denouncing the plans to \u201cSinicize\u201d Christianity.\u00a0 They will be facing ever-increasing persecution for their faithfulness.\u00a0 Pray for them.<\/p>\n

From Samuel Smith,\u00a0China Trying to \u2018Rewrite the Bible,\u2019 Force Churches to Sing Communist Anthems:<\/a><\/p>\n

One way in which they plan to Sinicize Christianity, Fu said, is by \u201cretranslating\u201d the Old Testament and providing new commentary to the New Testament to make socialist ideals and Chinese culture seem more divine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe plan made it clear that \u2018Sinicization of Christianity\u2019 means to change \u2018Christianity in China\u2019 into \u2018Chinese Christianity,'\u201d he explained. [The plan] emphasized that \u2018the heart and soul of Christianity\u2019s Sinicization is to Sincize the Christian theology,\u2019 and even proposing to \u2018re-translate the Bible or re-write biblical commentaries.'\u201d<\/p>\n

According to its latest outline, Fu said, a retranslation would be a summary of the Old Testament with some Buddhist scripture and Confucian teachings and new commentary for the New Testament.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are outlines that the new Bible should not look westernized and [should look] Chinese and reflect Chinese ethics of Confucianism and socialism,\u201d Fu told The Christian Post after the hearing. \u201cThe Old Testament will be messed up. The New Testament will have new commentaries to interpret it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fu added that the five-year plan advocates for \u201cincorporating the Chinese elements into church worship services, hymns and songs, clergy attire, and the architectural style of church buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis includes \u2018editing and publishing worship songs with Chinese characteristics and promoting the Sinicization of worship music,\u2019 using uniquely Chinese art forms, such as Chinese painting, calligraphy, inscription, and paper-cutting to express the Christian faith,'\u201d he said. \u201c[It\u2019s also] encouraging churches to blend in style with Chinese architecture to local architectural style.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fu said that while over 4,000 to 6,000 crosses of state-sanctioned churches have been torn down, churches that have crucifixes on the inside must \u201cput up pictures of Chairman Mao and Chairman Xi [Jinping] on both sides of the cross.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the beginning of every church worship service, the choir of the church has to sing a few communist revolutionary songs praising the communist party before they can sing the worship songs,\u201d he detailed. . . .<\/p>\n

Fu said there is also a plan to shut down about two-thirds of the state-sanctioned churches in China in an effort to merge them. State officials have also urged 20,000 house churches to close and join state-sanctioned churches, according to Fu.<\/p>\n

Although leaders at these state-sanctioned churches and denominations have already been approved by the government, Fu said clergy have been forced to go through another round of examination to ensure their loyalty is to party before God.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first criteria they have to pass is whether they can publicly pledge they will [uphold] the party\u2019s words and the party\u2019s path. These slogans are being hanged around the church, even in many Catholic churches, on the walls and on the doors. On the entrance door, it says, \u2018Listen to the words of the party, follow the path of the party.\u2019 How can you have a real independent faith as believers? As Christian believers, we are taught to obey the command of the Lord and listen to the command of the Lord. Essentially, the communist party wants to impose themselves as the Lord over the church.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fu told CP that according to the former chairman of the TSPM, they believe the \u201cdoctrine of justification of faith by Jesus Christ is too narrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is promoting justification by love in doing good deeds. He essentially said that God is very inclusive so these communist party heroes he listed are doing so many good deeds and they should be accepted into Heaven by our God,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt is kind of a universalist doctrine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hundreds of Christian leaders in China\u00a0signed onto a statement<\/a>\u00a0this month condemning the new regulations, the increased persecution and control the party is taking over the churches.<\/p>\n

[Read it all. . . .]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Photo:\u00a0 Rev. Bob Fu via \u7531VOA \u2013 http:\/\/www.voachinese.com\/content\/activitist-called-on-taiwan-20150909\/2953546.html\uff0c\u516c\u6709\u9886\u57df\uff0chttps:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=43225659<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have blogged about how still-communist China is seeking to co-opt and control the Christian churches that, despite persecution, are growing like wildfire.\u00a0 The plan is to cultivate and require a distinctly \u201cChinese\u201d form of Christianity.\u00a0 We now have details about what that will look like. According to the Chinese Christian dissident Rev. Bob Fu, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":37548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[431,447,459,7668],"class_list":["post-37236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church","tag-chinese-communism","tag-christian-persecution","tag-christianity-in-china","tag-church-in-china"],"yoast_head":"\nChina's Revision of Christianity<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"China hopes to bring Christianity to heel by requiring churches to sing Communist anthems, posting portraits of Chairman Mao next to Crosses, publishing new Bibles incorporating Buddhist and Confucian elements, and replacing justification by faith with justification by "love," including the "good works" of communism.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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