“The Shame of China”

Two things have happened in the past week or so which have challenged me to think again about the state of China. The first was a friend who has been to China and who is likely to be going back there in the New Year for his work. When he mentioned Henan province it rang bells with me.

The other thing was receiving a Christmas family letter, that are so common today,  this time from friends we haven’t seen for a year or so. They had been on a marvellous holiday to China and were waxing eloquently about all they had seen.  I couldn’t help but compare their visit to that of Eddie Romero back in August to protest against the persecution against the underground Chinese church.

One of the things I had said to Eddie after he got back at the end of August was that we owed it to our Chinese brothers and sisters to keep on letting our voice be heard on their behalf.  Eddie is in the process of writing a book about his experiences but beyond that we have been quiet so far. That challenged me!

So here is an update blog and a new page you can access from the button at the top – ‘Persecution’ – which itemises some of the things ChinaAid have been reporting these past six months. Their newsletters are considerably more extensive than that which I put on to that page, but I have included sufficient, I hope, to point out to you, or remind you perhaps, of what DOES go on in that country, to the shame of that government.

I have commented a number of times previously on this particular blog that I believe the Chinese government just cannot realise how they come over to the rest of the world. I also added that I think they must be running scared because they have some 80+ millions of Christian believers in the underground church who possibly constitute one of the most powerful groups within Chinese society.  For that reason I believe the life of the Communist government in China is strictly limited, not because of any armed uprising but because God will respond to the prayers of His people. This may yet be another ‘Pharaoh in Egypt’ (see Exodus 1-12) situation and there will only be one winner.  Watch this space!

In the meantime on the ‘Persecution’ page you will find sufficient reading to challenge you. This is what has been happening to vulnerable people and just because they dare to believe in the Living God.  One side uses fear, intimidation, violence and torture; the other uses prayer, the word and the grace of God. It’s a ‘no contest’!

Unfinished Business

We’re now over four weeks on since I arrived back in the UK after this fun time in Los Angeles. Eddie is writing his book and I’m doing ‘other things’. I’m still collecting reports from China Aid about life in China for the Church, but beyond that (as at this time) I have no calling to follow this up, and yet…. Yes, there is a feeling in the back of my mind that there is unfinished business left somewhere.

So what was this about? Raising awareness of the plight of the faith communities in China – and supporting a friend to work out his calling. Life moves on, but don’t forget the Christians in China – or India – or a dozen other places around the world!

I picked up the following letter that had been sent in.  It seems a good way to wind up the things on this site. It came from 10 Downing Street:

Tales of a Gadfly

I have been going through my computer files clearing out files that are out of date and came across a small story we created which, I realised, I have not covered previously in these archives. After the Press Conference on the 6^th August, we had a team meeting to consider how we should now proceed. The problem that faced us was how to maintain interest over the next two weeks while Eddie was undercover somewhere outside Beijing. It was suggested that we create a story within a story, something to go on the Internet on a daily basis to create some interest. The Tales of Gadfly were thus created.

The object of these ‘stories’ was to put on line something that would have some credibility about them and yet also a measure of doubt. Thus they would have certain factual information in them which came out of news reporting, together with ‘a point’ about the project, and something that shed some doubt over whether they were real or not.

Thus on the very first one, the factual things included a quote from Jacques Rogge at the Opening, plus a reference to Yao Ming, the Chinese standard bearer – seven foot six inches tall, as well as reference to the smog that Beijing was still suffering. The point about China made reference to “the thousands who have been pushed out of their homes in Beijing in the great clear-up beforehand.” The ‘doubt element’ asked, “Is this real I ask myself? Am I dreaming this? Am I making this up? You’ll have to make your own judgements on that in the coming days.” Each day, initially at least, we tried to maintain these three aspects of the day’s exploits.

After a few days the factual details started dropping out as we felt we had established a certain air of credibility. On the second day we inserted a couple of apparent ‘riddles’ to create further daily fun and interest but, like the factual content, these did not continue – too much daily pressure to write!!! We did manage to make a point every day, I think, about China, persecution or ratify and release.

Just as a point of historical interest, we had to check the language of what was being written to see if it roughly complied with what Eddie might have said. Mostly we seemed to get it right but once of twice we edited it before putting it on line because “Eddie would never say that!”

The question of the veracity of “The Tales” came up a number of times in discussion. Was it right to put a work of fiction online and pass it off as fact? Well actually no, we never said it was fact and the ‘doubt element’ each day added to its ethereal feel. The nearer we got to the end, the stronger this became as you’ll see if you click on the button at the top of the page. The question of its veracity was raised several times and near the end so strong was the comment made that we ceased to publish them for the last three days which, in retrospect, I think was a shame. The fact was that “The Tales” picked up a large number of daily hits and so clearly got quite a following, some of whom were clearly the media keeping watch. In that respect “The Tales” did their job very well. Some of us felt a bit bad that a number of people on the Internet clearly thought these were in fact Eddie and they wrote comments of encouragement. To all of you who contributed to the exercise by commenting or writing in, thank you.

Again for the point of historical accuracy, I have included all “The Tales” on this site, including the last three which we did not send. Whether it was poor media coverage or simply we were too busy to note carefully the length of the Games, I have left the last three inaccurate “Tales” as they were written, despite the fact that they show our own confusion as to when the Games actually finished. Believe it or not, it was a common assumption (and obviously not blazed about by the media) that the Games finished after a fortnight on the Friday, whereas they were still going on the Sunday and the Closing ceremony took place on Sunday afternoon. Oooops! I can only say in our defence that we did spot this before they were due to go out, but as the decision not to post them had been made, we left them and I have posted them here unchanged. One of the quirks of the project, I’m afraid!

I have wondered how it came to be that “The Tales” did become credible and I have concluded that it was because of the way they were displayed on the Webpage. They appeared each day under a video picture and came up as two lines at a time, as if they were being received. I am sure that if they had been visible as they appear on the page on this blog, it would have become far more obvious that they were, in fact, spoof writings. The fact that the daily one-line ‘Twitters’ also appeared on the site should have detracted from the veracity of “The Tales” although (purely by accident) there was a remarkable similarity between one of the early “Tales” and the Twitter coming though on that day. Also, as I have commented on an earlier writing, Eddie did get out and about as a tourist a couple of times, although not in Beijing itself. Did anyone in authority in Beijing take any notice of them? Perhaps we’ll never know, and it probably didn’t matter if they didn’t anyway. The objective was to keep the watching world interested in some small way, and to that end, I think these imaginary wanderings did actually work.

Questions – Part 8

To round off these example questions, questions that we considered and discussed beforehand, I have chosen a final three that are perhaps wider in their scope than some of the others. These came under a general question, “Is this form of approach to China likely to help or hinder in the long term?”.

Question 22: If you are doing this ‘behind closed doors’ and then sending it out on the internet, what is to stop you doing it in rooms in LA and sending it out from there?
Answer: We replied, “The whole point is to present it right in the faces of the Chinese authorities who will not be able to ignore it.”

This question really took on significance when the video came back through the night to Los Angeles for indeed at that point it was clear that the whole thing could have been a hoax. There was in fact no way that it could be proved – unless the local media got into the rooms and took photographs and these also be posted on the Internet. Of course this is what did in fact happen.

Question 23: Aren’t you ignoring the general Chinese approach to dissidents from abroad, to simply declare that they will not tolerate interference with their internal affairs?
Answer: We replied, “No, we understand that but hope that this action and the publicity in gets in the world’s media will prick consciences and bring change.”

Here perhaps was the Achilles heel of the whole project, that the Chinese authorities would in fact write it off as a publicity stunt and ignore it. The fact that we were able to get it on to the Internet and the world’s press as well as local American TV, meant that whether they took notice of it or not, it did raise awareness around the world and ultimately, we hope, within the Chinese authorities themselves. At the very lowest level in China, we might say, Eddie’s contacts with the security people who eventually picked him up, was sufficiently good that they, at least, must have been left thinking.

Question 24: In the West in recent decades there has been an undermining of moral authority and morality is only what affects the individual and there is no generally accepted basis for moral standards any longer. What makes you think that the West will stand up and support your actions when they have no certainty of the rightness of these things?
Answer: We answered: “Increasingly in the West there is a recognition of this moral undermining of society and the signs are that many people are beginning to react against it. What we are doing is simply part of a much wider protest which is an indication in itself of a wider moral conscience uprising.”

The moral outrage that some in the Internet chat rooms expressed, shows that whatever is said, people do still have a sense of moral values. As a protest that wasn’t it’s primary objective but perhaps it was a spin-off that we had not foreseen. Back in Los Angeles itself there were those who heard about Eddie in the local media and whose consciences were pricked to bring them back to church. There were others, encountered in the street, who confessed to having been deeply challenged by what they had heard about the project. It is quite possible therefore, that the project had far more wide reaching effects than we might have otherwise thought.

With these questions, I will end this record of some of the things we considered beforehand. These 24 are representative of the fifty questions we considered all together.

India Persecution?

The following is the content of an e-mail I have just received, one of several over past weeks about what is happening in parts of India. I have taken out the names but the rest remains true:

I have just spoken to B who has arrived in the capital of Orissa, Bubaneshwar, with C. They are with D and his family staying with D’s nephew who makes all the arrangements for the School in the city when we visit.

The mood B has found is one of fear, helplessness and hopelessness. In the area that D serves 13 church premises have been demolished and burnt; many villages are ‘ghost towns’ with populations fleeing, and with their homes destroyed, unlikely to return. Many remain in the forests with only the clothes they were wearing when they ran from the mobs. There is practically nothing left of the work D has served and built up over many years.

Reported incidents from among D’s network of churches or from other Christians include: 2 visiting pastors at the last School we held were caught and murdered by the mobs; many church leaders have run for safety and their congregations scattered; some have been forced to reconvert to Hinduism or have been killed in front of family members for not renouncing their faith; pregnant women have been ripped open with a type of pitch fork and the foetus paraded on the prongs; the village of the pastor who was unjustly imprisoned last Christmas was attacked and as he and others fled his son was shot and killed.

Even in the capital, Bubaneshwar, there is a tangible fear among the minority Christian population. Church leaders are reluctant to have their buildings used for protest meetings for fear of violent reprisal. The local government has ordered a survey of all Christian churches and organisations in the city which is increasing the fear of hostile action.

I also spoke with D whose voice was full of great sadness. B said that D had visibly aged since we saw him last April.

B and D have asked that we continue to pray and stand with them in this time of trouble and trial and are grateful for the contact with us and our prayers and support. B has also asked for wisdom to know what to say in the atmosphere of despair that pervades at present.[END OF E-MAIL]

So what are the Indian government doing about this which has been happening for a number of weeks? Not a lot apparently! Does India join China on the wall of shame?

A question for the skeptics: what is it about Christianity that produces such animosity? Don’t say they ask for it, because they don’t. Is it possibly that Christianity stands out as unique among world religions and therefore shows up the others? In India, I am told, the Christians have been made scapegoats for something which they had nothing to do. It’s time someone of influence in the world spoke up and shamed India. We have sought to do it in a small way respect of China. Can someone do it in respect of India now?

The Other Side

I have been asked, “What do you really think about China? You have been somewhat negative about the Chinese Government. Why? Do you really think the Chinese Communist Government will fall sometime?” Perhaps I ought to answer those questions.

Without doubt, China put on a stunning Games. That was amazing and a remarkable achievement. China has developed over the past ten years perhaps more than any other country in the world, and will undoubtedly, if they continue this meteoric rise, become the world’s number one superpower. From my reading I understand that China has a chequered history, but then most countries do, some good, some not so good, but my reading also suggests that we in the West have not always treated China and the Chinese rightly, so if they have suspicions about us, that is perhaps understandable. They also have a great cultural history, but then so do a number of other countries who have long histories. So yes, there are good things on the other side of the coin, but that, unfortunately, does not remove the negative issues.

If I have been negative about China, it has been purely about the Government’s treatment of their religious minorities,  but as a Communist government they must feel utterly threatened by those minorities, especially as sometimes in the past the name of religion has not always been linked with what is good, as far as their historical experience goes. Yes, there are other countries who have an even worse human rights record than China, but that is not to absolve China from what they have and continue to do in respect of those faith communities they continue to outlaw and persecute.

One day those persecutions may appear a distant memory, but for now, according to the world’s media and the world’s human rights organizations, they are real.  Why do I think the Communist government will fall? Well, let’s face it, that’s why China was granted the Games, that ultimately then encounter with the rest of the world would open the nation up.  But I have a bigger feeling.  As a Christian, I have a feeling that God has His eye on China, and that for good. While the Communist government continue to try to either ignore or manage God, they have an issue with Him, and Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar clearly proved that God is not to be ‘managed’. Don’t believe me but simply watch this space over the coming years.

So do I feel negative about China? No, I feel very positive about this great nation. Does it really matter what I think? No, I am just one observer among many. It would be good though, to see them ratify the UN human rights covenant, and release those unjustly imprisoned. It will happen one day. It would be nice if it were sooner than later!

Recap No.2

30. Voice in the Wilderness
29. Questions – Part 7
28. Pondering the Future
27. Checking Viability
26. Questions – Part 6
25. Ignoring the Poor
24. Truth and Grace
23. Popped Balloon
22. Security … or not!
21. He’s Back
20. Questions – Part 5
19. Fast Moving World
18. Parrots
17. Media Meanderings
16. Questions – Part 4

Voice in the Wilderness

Back in the UK,  I find interesting responses to what has been going on over these past weeks.  What has become clear is that the activities of Gadfly were very little reported here and that raises some interesting questions because I know from my experiences of the past four weeks that his activities WERE reported in a considerable number of places in the world – I’ve had the feedback.   So why not the UK?

Two answers come to mind. The first is that because the UK is holding the next Olympics (Lord, save us!) reporting of protests was kept to a minimum. But then I’m not sure of that was right, because I understand various other protests were reported, so why not this one. That leaves me the second combined conclusion. It is that this was a Christian protest by an American pastor and both those characteristics do not go down well in the UK.  We are a nation where only 5% of the population attends church on a Sunday morning. That says a lot.  The fact that a Christian protest, largely about Christians in China, hits the rest of the world, doesn’t cut much ice with the non-believing media authorities of the UK.  The fact that it was an American doing it, seems to cut even less ice.

This is a strange phenomenon because human rights are human rights wherever you go. This is a country that normally espouses care for minorities – except perhaps for Christian minorities! Not quite such a caring society, perhaps. Perhaps more a society that picks and chooses according to its BELIEFS ABOUT GOD. Shame!  Am I a lone voice in this wilderness that is Britain today?  Fortunately not.  I would like to commend Christian Solidarity Worldwide, based in London, who really supported and encouraged us. Bless you guys!  May there be more like you.  The issue should not be religion but human rights, and that includes human rights that are not on our doorstep.

THAT has perhaps been one of the challenges that has come through to me, through this whole Gadfly / Exodus8one project, that it is too easy to forget the needy elsewhere in the world, it is too easy to say, I am too busy or too tired to care. I am reminded of the words of Martin Neimoller that have become quite well known and which we need to remember:
“First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.”

Questions – Part 7

We continue with the ethical questions that Eddie and I considered prior to the Gadfly project:

Question 19: Don’t the majority in China go along with the State’s authority?
Answer: We replied, “We can’t know because of the repressive nature of the totalitarian state. We believe that the majority in China know little about what happens in their country in respect of the church. If they knew about wrongful imprisonment and torture, we are sure they would not agree with it.”

During Eddie’s time of seclusion in China, he did in fact come out in the open and mingle with tourists quite freely. Rather than confirm that this is the sign of a free society, it in fact suggests that information is strictly curtailed and kept from ordinary Chinese. When he did finally surrender himself it was clear those who took him away knew exactly who he was. The authorities knew who he was but ordinary people did not. Those who have lived in China and fled the oppression, confirm that this tends to be so.

Question 20: How is it that your view of religion and its practices are right?
Answer: We answered, “It’s right for us, but we don’t impose it on anyone else. Here is the big difference between say the church and the government of China. The government wishes to impose their wishes on over 70 million Chinese Christian believers so as to determine how they will worship and also to limit their ability to share their faith with whoever will listen.”

From books and reports it seems clear that there is almost a paranoid fear within the communist authorities in China about the Church in China. They clearly realise the power of the Gospel to free men and women and transform their lives for good. This is nothing to do with politics, but it does show us the political framework of the nation as being powerless to do the same thing.

Question 21: How do you justify damaging private property to make a point.
Answer:We replied: “First of all, let us say that we wish this situation had never arisen, but it has. Despite voices raised around the world, the Chinese government continues to try to pretend to ignore these voices. If these voices become sufficiently loud, they will not be able to ignore them. Second, the damage done was strictly limited and did not cause personal injury as terrorists do when they use bombs. We deeply regret having to do this but felt eventually, in the face of the constant refusal of the Chinese Government to listen to voices of reason, this was the only way to present this protest to make plain the oppressive violence that is being being carried out in the name of Communism.”

In the event the amount of damage caused was minimal. Eddie used water based paint to paint the walls and we are told that these were washed off and the rooms cleaned within two hours, but not before they had been photographed and the photos sent out. Reports suggested 1500 dollars of damage done in the rooms but considering it only took two hours to clear up there is no way that such a figure can be justified. Throughout the project I compared this minimalistic damage done to the incredible upheaval of lives and violence done to believers and to their homes by the persecution against the underground church. There was no comparison. In fact, reflecting on it later, I conclude this was possibly the best value advertising campaign in history! Several hundred dollars of damage for two weeks of worldwide publicity raising public awareness of the true state of play in China? Sounds good value to me!

To be continued.

Pondering the Future

My time in Los Angeles is rapidly coming to an end, so I don’t know whether I will continue this blog back in England. When you are with people you sense things. While being over here I have sensed one or two things, and so to remind myself of this in the years to come, here goes:

First I believe the Chinese Communist government will fall – and sooner than most of us think. God will have a hand in it.

Second, I believe Eddie will take Rosie back there one day and he will point up to where he spent some happy and not so happy days waiting out the Olympics.

Much may have to happen before then, but I’m going to watch for it.

There!