Report from the Chinese Executive Secretary
Dr Charles Chao
First of all I wish to give thanks to God for His marvellous leading and care over us through the past years. Deep appreciations should be extended to the British R.T.F. for its noble efforts and support both in prayers and substance to the work here in Taiwan. May God’s grace be with all those whose hearts are on the spreading of the Reformed Faith in this part of the world and bless them abundantly.
By the invitation of the Rev. Shigeru Takiura, pastor of Kobe Keiyaku Reformed Presbyterian Church in Japan and the Secretary of the Japan R.T.F. Board, my wife and I made a trip to Japan to meet the Reformed people with a view to promote the work from August 25 to September 17, 1979. On behalf of the R.T.F. I addressed two of the Presbyteries of the Reformed Church in Japan separately in Osaka and Tokyo. Rev. Ryuzo Hashimoto, President of the Kobe Reformed Seminary, is the Chairman of the Japan R.T.F. Board. While I was in Tokyo I also had the opportunity to speak to the student body of Tokyo Christian Theological Seminary which is under the operation of the Reformed Presbyterian Church — Evangelical Synod. Opportunities were given to me to speak to various churches with Reformed persuasion in Kobe area. Praise to the Lord that the people were aroused to pray for the R.T.F. and started collecting funds for the work.
Translation Work
I am very glad to report that the Chinese translation of the late Dr R.B. Kuiper’s posthumous book entitled The Bible Tells Us So has been completed and funds have been received from the British R.T.F. for the printing. Books on the list for reprinting are the following: Dr E.J. Young’s Old Testament Prophecy, translated by Rev. E.W. Andres et al and Dr Samuel G. Craig’s Christianity Rightly So-Called, translated by the writer of this report. We are hopeful that these two titles might be reprinted in 1980 (D.V.).
Through the financial help of the British R.T.F. the second Chinese edition of the Shorter Catechism and The Reformed Faith and Life Quarterly were published in the year of 1979. A very interesting letter reached the writer of this report recently from West Malaysia. The name of the writer is Joseph Tan. Joseph is a very faithful reader of The Reformed Faith and Life Quarterly. He commented that he was helped and requested more copies to be sent to Malaysia. He is very fond of A. W. Pink’s works and hopes to be a translator in the future. He asked my help as how to start the work. It is very encouraging to receive words like these from a young Christian Chinese who is so strongly for the Reformed Faith. Please remember him and his efforts in your prayers.
Inside China
I plan to go to Hong Kong with a view that a Hong Kong Committee of the R.T.F. might be considered and formed. In view of the fact that the door of evangelism to the mainland has opened the R.T.F. should move one step further towards making our literature available to the Chinese Christian people in that vast land and to meet their pressing needs.
Reports gathered from various sources indicate that church services are generally resumed in the major cities of China and Bibles are allowed to be brought in. It was reported that the older folks of the Christians in China are still in favour of the old script of the Chinese Bible.
Rev. Jonathan Chao, second son of the writer of this report, Director of Chinese Church Research Centre of China Graduate School of Theology of Hong Kong, made a trip to Canton, South China last year. He is of the opinion that the R.T.F. publications such as Rev. Isaac Jen’s Systematic Theology ought to be reprinted for the mainland readers. The small booklet edited by Dr Charles H. Chao, in the title of The Bird’s-Eye-View study of the New Testament is also a suitable one for the Chinese Christians. They have been separated from the general Christian literatures for so long and it is naturally hard for them to grasp heavy reading.
Wang Ming-tao, the Chinese hero of faith who was put in prison 22 years ago, has been recently released and is now living in Shanghai. The Peking Evangelist was well known for his heroic stand for the truth both in the Japanese occupation and the current confrontation with the Communists on the mainland. Brother Wang was born in the year 1900 while the Boxer Uprising was taking place in the Northern part of China. Though the Boxers killed many Chinese Christians yet Wang was born in that year and later God used him as a tool in His hand to lead thousands of the Chinese souls to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through his preaching in almost every part of the continent of China. Wang’s physical strength has come to an end due to the long imprisonment. His mind is still clear. He confessed to his visitors that though he had been many times a Peter yet he had never been a Judas. He has only five teeth left and with very poor hearing. We give thanks to God for his release.
May we be guided by the Holy Spirit that the current advantage should be taken to do something for His glory while it is day. Though the R.T.F. is a small organisation yet we have a great hope to reach the one fourth of the world population by the printed page!
Note: Since writing the above Dr Chao has been in China and met Wang Ming-tao, under whose ministry he was converted.