CLEVELAND, June 22, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- For a time, the People's Liberation Army in mainland China became one of the largest Bible printers in the world. In 1978, Deng Shao Ping had established a great working relationship with then-President Jimmy Carter. In a meeting with Carter, they discussed religion in both countries. During that discussion, Carter suggested that China consider opening churches, printing Bibles, and inviting missionaries. Not long after that meeting, churches were opened and the military printing press began to churn out millions of Bibles.
Missionaries, however, were not invited. According to the Rev. Xiaoling Zhu, "There is great misunderstanding in the West not only about Christianity in China but about Chinese culture and life as a whole." Zhu is a Chinese native and Area Executive for East Asia and the Pacific for the Common Global Ministries Board and Wider Church Ministries at the national United Church of Christ (UCC) offices in Cleveland.
At a press conference on Monday, June 25 at 2 p.m. at the United Church of Christ national offices at 700 Prospect Avenue, Salon A in downtown Cleveland, the UCC will have the rare opportunity to introduce Americans, the press, and the wider religious community to Christian leaders and government officials who relate to the religious community in China. The Chinese leaders will share their first-hand experiences and answer questions for one hour -- without restrictions.
The members of this high-level delegation include: Dr. Wenzao Han, Chairman of China Christian Council (CCC); Mr. Xiaofei Qi, vice deputy of the State Administration of Religious Affairs, China; Mrs. Manhong Lin, Ecumenical Officer of CCC; Rev. Baoping Kan, Vice Principal, Yanjing Seminary, Beijing, China; Mr. Wei Liu, Religious Research Center, Beijing, China.
The China Christian Council (CCC) is the national body of all Protestant churches in China. It coordinates all church affairs and represents the Protestant community in China. There are also councils on the provincial, municipal and county levels. The CCC wants more Chinese Christians to receive seminary training in mainland China. There were only 700,000 Christians in China prior to the revolution; today, there are more than 15 million -- with only 18 seminaries to prepare the ministers who serve them.
According to Zhu, "Many of China's recent cult excesses are the result of leaders who lack appropriate Christian education." The CCC has recently announced that it will invite three American seminary professors into China for the first time in more than 50 years.
The Protestant church in China is organized under the principles called "Three-self" -- Self-Support, Self-Government, and Self-Propagation. It is ecumenical and post-denominational. This meeting with the UCC will bring the Chinese leaders face to face with the descendants of American church leaders who in 1830 held an early ecumenical vision of an indigenous and united ecumenical church in China. Such was the dream and vision of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, a predecessor body of the Wider Church Ministries of the United Church of Christ.
According to Dale Bishop, Executive Minister for Wider Church Ministries, "It is the UCC motto to be a united and uniting church. The three-self concept was the early policy of the American Board. It is ironic that our 1830s ecumenical vision of an indigenous and united church in China became a reality in China after the revolution and the departure of American missionaries."
The United Church of Christ (UCC) national offices are in Cleveland. The UCC is a major Protestant denomination with more than 1.4 million members and 6,000 congregations nationwide. Its roots go back to the 16th century and its forebears have a history of being early advocates for justice and mission. Like the Chinese Three-Self Church, each congregation is self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating.
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CONTACT: United Church of Christ
Ron Buford, PR Manager
(216) 407-1470
bufordr@ucc.org