Report from Rev. Charles H. Chao, the Chinese Executive Secretary
As we move into the decade of the 70’s, we feel grateful to God for having led the R.T.F. through its twenty-first year. At the same time, however, we are confounded by the tremendous challenge that faces the Chinese Christian world here in Taiwan because of the increasing impact of secularization that arises from rapid economic growth and its concomitant urbanization. Evangelism and church growth that used to characterize the 1950’s and early 1960’s are now suffering from what seems to be an evangelistic apathy. As in the U.S.A., the television stations that bring Apollo expeditions to the Chinese living rooms are also keeping Christians from attending Sabbath evening and other weekly meetings by their diverse and attractive programmes of dances, popular songs, magic shows, classical and modern Chinese dramas, etc.
Bookstores are increasing more and more and they are usually packed with high school and college students. What are they reading nowadays? Modern western philosophy from John Stuart Mill to Jean Paul Sarte, from Bertrand Russell to Albert Camus, Heidegger, Nietzche and Kierkegaard are among the best. Living under social and academic pressures, these students search desperately for some sort of meaning in life. The old Confucian ‘work hard and be successful’ value concept is fading away, and the significance of the ‘moment’ of authentic existence suggested by existentialistic philosophers seems to provide a viable solution to their untiring quest for the purpose of life. At a time of cultural confusion like this, there is a unique opportunity for Christians to present Christ, by way of literature, to young and vigorous Chinese intellectuals. The Chinese Church is hardly ready to handle this task, and the R.T.F. lack the funds and the personnel to perform this urgent ministry.
In July 1970, an instructor in the Department of Philosophy at the Taiwan National University, Ch’en Ku-ying by name, published a booklet called A new Portrait of Jesus in which he attacked the Bible vehemently, charging Jehovah as a God of murder, and Jesus as a self-centered egotist. Many non-Christians felt unhappy about this, whilst most Christians felt confounded, not knowing what to do. For the first time, in an embarrassing way, sentimental fundamentalists felt the need of an intellectual defense of the Gospel even though in their hearts they remain anti-theological. Ch’en’s attack was launched from the position of a Chinese humanist. My son, Jonathan, has prepared a booklet called Chinese Ethical Humanism and the Essence of Christianity (in Chinese) in which he challenges Ch’en’s position as a failure in the history of Chinese thought, and he also points out the inevitable factors of conflict inherent in Chinese humanism and Christianity. It is awaiting funds for publication.
On the national scene, the Government is renewing its efforts in the ‘Chinese Cultural Renaissance Movement’—an attempt to revive Confucianism and all other aspects of traditional culture. This revival is expressed through movies, television programmes and festivals that show Chinese traditional feelings of loyalty to the ruler and filial piety to the parents as well as practices in folk religions. Culturally, this renewal is enriching, but it is also exerting an influence upon the Church for subtle conformity to this cultural norm. Most Chinese Church leaders seem to adopt a position of harmony and so there has been no clash between Christianity and Chinese culture. The Roman Catholics express their approval of this movement in a most conspicuous way when, just recently, Cardinal Yu-pin led a group of Catholics in performing the rites of ancestor worship, and this was editorially endorsed by the most widely circulated Protestant newsweekly, Christian Tribune. All this means one thing: that the unique claims of Christ is being endangered by a possible cultural syncretism, however subtle that might be, and that the prophetic ministry of the hour in the Chinese Church is to witness to Christ against this cultural wave. This is going to be the battle ground in this coming decade. All these secular and religious currents are forcing us to pause and re-evaluate the present ministries of the R.T.F. and to determine her new role in the midst of these challengers, so that our ministry might be performed more strategically and in a truly prophetic way.