ICC Note: The article by Yu Jie alluded to in this blog is a phenomenal testimony of the work of the Lord’s Providence in China and in Jie’s own life. He depicts through numerous examples the wretchedness of the Communist Party, which, having denied God and idolized the power and prestige of man, is ultimately doomed to futility. Christianity, on the other hand, has grown its number of adherents in China by an incredible 60 million or more within the past 65 years. Though the Communist Party continues to innovate new methods of unlawfully persecuting Christians, Chinese Christians like Jie have deepened their joy in Christ amidst the persecution and have reason to believe that God is going to do even greater things in their country than what have already been seen.

8/2/2016 – China (First Things) – If you haven’t yet read Yu Jie First Things piece on “China’s Christian Future,” do it now. It’s a first-rate piece of political-religious analysis, a moving story of faithful witness, a powerful brief for the Christian future of the world’s most populous country, which will, by 2030, be the country with the largest Christian population.

Among other things, the article offers concrete examples of how the church forms civil society and shapes politics. A few samples:

“to this day the Chinese have no real voting rights, but congregants can elect their own board members and administrative leaders. For those inexperienced with running and voting for office, churches are a seedbed of civic activity. Many of these churches are Presbyterian and Calvinist, the same tradition that played such a central role in the rise of democracy in the West.”

“in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, hundreds of churches quickly formed the China Christian Action Love volunteer association to provide relief, which many disaster victims praised as besting government efforts in both speed and constancy. In addition, some churches have established schools for members’ children as an alternative to the statist curriculum of public schools. Through the churches, Chinese Christians are becoming active agents in society rather than passive subjects controlled by the government.”