by Dr. Alexander N. MacLeod
The island of Taiwan (called Formosa by many Westerners) is politically one of the provinces of the Republic of China, and the only one that remains at present under the control of the Nationalist Government. The population of about 14 million is made up of various strands. The native Formosans are the aborigines whose ethnic origin is obscure. They number some 240,000 and are divided into ten tribes. Chinese settlers began coming here in large numbers in the 17th century, chiefly from the provinces on the mainland opposite this island. They settled on the plains on the west side of Taiwan facing the mainland and gradually drove the aborigines back into the mountains in the central and eastern parts of the island. China at that time claimed Taiwan, but surrendered it to Japan in 1895 when defeated in war. Taiwan was thereafter part of the Japanese empire for fifty years until in 1945 at the end of World War II it was returned to China. In the following years a second wave of some two million Chinese came here when the communist armies drove the Nationalist Government from the mainland. These historical events, and the factionalism that has been a characteristic of the Chinese, explain the divisions and tensions one finds in society here today.
As a consequence the foreign missionary finds in this small island a number of languages and dialects. Each of the tribes of aborigines has its own spoken language, and a number of missionaries are at work putting the Scriptures into these various languages, a work which necessitates inventing a written script and teaching the people to read it, as well as direct translation. The majority of those Chinese whose ancestors came here three hundred years ago speak the Amoy dialect in their homes and in social intercourse, but many of these are Hakka from Kuangtung who have still another dialect. Those Chinese who came from the mainland in the years following the War chiefly speak the national language, inaccurately called ‘mandarin’ by foreigners. Many of the older people who were educated during the years of Japanese rule, speak and read Japanese which was then required of all. Since the island was returned to China 25 years ago, the national language (‘Kuoyu’) has been taught in all schools, and the use and understanding of it has spread throughout the population, particularly among those on the younger side of 40. One has only to recall that the apostle Paul was able to use the Greek language everywhere in the Roman Empire, to realise how the unification of the languages here would facilitate the spread of the gospel in Taiwan. But for the present it is necessary for the missionary to concentrate on one or more of these languages in order to reach those who speak them with the Gospel. It is fortunate that many of the people themselves can use from two to four of these languages.
The religion of the large majority of the people is a syncretism of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and animism. Temples, most of which contain idols, are everywhere. The Christian religion was first introduced by ministers from the Netherlands when the Dutch occupied Formosa for some 40 years in the 17th century. After the Dutch were expelled little trace of their work remained when, over 200 years later, the English Presbyterians began work in 1865 in the south. Canadian Presbyterians followed, beginning work in 1872 in the north of the island. Since that time there has been a continuous Christian witness in Taiwan, and the centenary of Christian missions and the Presbyterian Church was celebrated here in June 1965. Today the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan with a membership (including baptized adults and children) of 120,000 plus some 48,000 inquirers, is by far the largest Protestant denomination. More than half this total membership is made up of Taiwanese on the plains, who are the dominant element, and less than half aborigines.
The planting of the Christian faith among the aborigines in the mountains, forbidden during the Japanese occupation, began in the late 1930’s as an indigenous movement, and has been the most rapid and spectacular advance of the church here in modern times. It is estimated that two-thirds of the total aboriginal population is connected with Christianity in one or other of its forms. However the total number of Christians is variously estimated as only 3 to 5 percent of the population of Taiwan.
Two years ago by action of the General Assembly (July 1970) the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan withdrew from membership in the World Council of Churches. This action, as far as the majority was concerned, was not due to theological but political reasons: the bias shown by the WCC pronouncements in favour of the communist regime in Peking.
Since the end of the last War, Chinese Christians and foreign missionaries of many other denominations besides Presbyterians from Britain and Canada have come here. There are today over 800 Protestant missionaries (including wives). The large majority comes from the United States, but there are missions from Britain Canada, Finland, Norway, Germany and elsewhere. There are also a number of Asian missionaries from Korea and Japan. The largest groups, each with over 40 missionaries, are The Evangelical Alliance Mission, Overseas Missionary Fellowship and American Southern Baptists. A great many mission groups have less than ten members.
Of special interest to the readers of this Bulletin are the Presbyterian and Reformed missions. These include Southern Presbyterian, United Presbyterian and Reformed Church missionaries from U.S.A. who join with the Presbyterians from Britain and Canada in working with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. The Orthodox Presbyterian and Christian Reformed missionaries chose to work for another church since the larger Presbyterian Church, though Presbyterian in name, does not profess a Presbyterian creed. They have been joined by the Reformed Presbyterian (Evangelical Synod) mission from U.S.A., the Reformed churches of New Zealand and Presbyterian missionaries from Korea. These five groups worked together to create the fledgling Reformed Presbyterian Church in Taiwan which was formally constituted in March 1971. Most of the Protestant missionaries here are without doubt evangelical in theology but probably only a few of them or of the national Christians know what the historic Reformed faith is.
Apart from the denominations familiar to Christians in Western lands, there are strong indigenous churches not founded by foreign missionaries and unrelated to Foreign Mission Boards, such as the True Jesus Church, Little Flock, Spiritual Food Church, and a number of independent congregational-type churches. These are growing much faster than the foreign-subsidized churches. Some of the reasons for this are a spirit of nationalism which prefers to be independent of foreign connections, greater zeal in evangelism, and on the other side, the unwise use of foreign funds in building churches and subsidizing work that has produced in some quarters a dependent beggar-mentality. The zealous evangelists and witnesses among the Chinese are from the mainland. Very few of the Taiwan Presbyterian churches are manifesting much effort in outreach to the vast majority of the population outside the Christian church. Nor are the missionaries who work with them. In spite of all the talk about the priority of evangelism, the great majority of Presbyterian missionaries are employed in schools, hospitals and other institutions. It has even been officially stated that evangelism is not the business of the missionary today, but of the national church. But if a very small proportion of these missionaries are engaged in evangelism, it should not cause surprise that the national churches with which they are connected follow their example and show little consciousness of the imperative to preach the gospel to outsiders, and that the number of believers in these churches is decreasing.
The number of Roman Catholic missionaries, of a variety of orders most of which have only entered Taiwan since the World War, is very much larger than the combined Protestant missionary force, and their church has grown rapidly to a large size and influence. This year, at the time of the lunar New Year festival, Cardinal Yu Pin led five hundred Catholics and others in an impressive service in worship of ancestors, which is the earliest idolatrous worship of China. A number of sharply critical reactions by Chinese leaders of various Protestant denominations have been published in Christian periodicals, which gives one hope that some of the Presbyterian ecumenists here who like to associate with Roman Catholics in worship and work will see the true nature of unreformed Romanism.
The two largest Protestant theological colleges are Tainan in the south and Taiwan in the North, both institutions of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. Tainan Theological College which is the fruit of the English Presbyterian mission has about 200 students, and Taiwan Theological College which is the fruit of the Canadian Presbyterian mission has about 130 students. A large number of the students in both schools, however, are in Christian religious education, church music, kindergarten training and other programs, and are not taking the theological course for the ministry. It has been widely thought that the theological position of Taiwan College is more evangelical and Biblical than that of Tainan College. This may have been true in the past, but now no such difference is perceptible. If the principal of Tainan College is a universalist, a professor in Taiwan College lectures that Christ is not God, and the principal invites an infidel to lecture in the College Chapel on why he did not believe the Bible, for the sake of giving the students “an encounter”, and supports a left-wing American Methodist missionary on the staff. One may safely conclude that historic Christianity in its Reformed expression is not being taught in either of these nominally Presbyterian colleges. Discussions have been held during these past two years looking towards uniting these two colleges, but at present are suspended due largely to inability to agree on a location. (The Methodist professor was recently given by the Chinese authorities 48 hours notice to leave the country and was deported in early March — a drastic and unprecedented action by a tolerant Government that maintains freedom of religion and treats missionaries benignly).
Other Protestant denominations and Chinese groups have during the past twenty years established some fourteen or more theological schools for training ministers and evangelists. The enrolment of students in these schools is small, and it is very difficult to staff them with competent scholarly teachers and to maintain them financially. Some have ceased to exist. For five years discussions have been proceeding looking to the uniting of many of them, the outcome of which was the establishment in October 1970 of China Evangelical Seminary with an encouraging initial enrollment of 24 university and professional school graduates. This Seminary has the backing of 14 or more Chinese and mission groups, emphasizes Chinese leadership and a theological curriculum fitted to the needs of Chinese society in the 20th century. It requires high academic and spiritual qualifications for admission and three years of study for graduation in theology. Its academic program which is patterned after recent theological education in the Caribbean area, includes a residential college in Taipei and extension centers in a number of other cities.
Dry wells send us to the fountain. Rutherford.