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January
19, 2005
It
has always been the aim of communist governments to purge their nations—and
someday the world—of Christianity, "the opium of the people."
As a pragmatic fallback position, communist rulers will allow
"freedom of religion" in a state-run church system. This they do
when there is a need to provide cover for those western economic
determinists with selfish motives who would have us believe that
"opening up" a given communist country to western economic
investment will usher in liberty and forever banish tyranny. For that and
any number of reasons, communists long ago learned how to manipulate
evangelical celebrities such as Billy Graham for propaganda purposes. A
tour of a lovely church building, well-seeded-down with Bibles, along with
a couple of orchestrated speaking engagements is about all it takes to get
such blinded-by-ambition individuals to play the dummy on the knee for
their red hosts. The state-run church is also useful as a seductive
alternative for those Christians under communist rule who are wary, or
weary, of the persecution which comes from owning Christ as the true Head
of His Church and going "unto him without the camp, bearing his
reproach" (Hebrews 13:13). Simply put, the state church is used by
the communists for the same purpose state churches have always been used.
The function of the state church, when all is said and done, is to
isolate, demonize, and depopulate the true Church of Jesus Christ in hopes
of paving the way for a final solution to the "Christian
problem."
In
recent years, the communist government of
China
has conducted a very effective propaganda campaign in
America
and
Canada
aimed at spreading the lie that "things are changing in
China" and western Christians should be patient while
China
works out some kinks along the road to complete religious liberty for all
her citizens. That propaganda outreach, which consists of speaking tours,
media events, and symposiums, is spearheaded by a group called the China
Leadership Exchange (CLE). The CLE is headed up by Mr. Danny Yu, who
immigrated to the
United States
in 1966, having been born and raised in
Hong Kong. The crown jewel of the Christian Leadership Exchange propaganda
effort is a yearly symposium held in a large city in the
USA. Until this year, that event was called the Symposium on Church
Ministry in
China. Now the name has been changed to the Executive Forum on Ministry in
China, and the event has been shortened from four days to three. In
addition, the content of Mr. Yu's CLE ministry web site has shrunk down
considerably. By the grace of God, I believe these happy developments are
a direct result of exposure and pressure which has been brought to bear on
CLE by Wisconsin Christians United, but more of that in a moment.
As
with most tales of subterfuge, intrigue, and betrayal, the story of Danny
Yu and CLE is long, complicated, and loaded with detail. In defense of the
true Church of Christ in China, I will do my best to at least set forth
the most salient points needed to expose Mr. Yu for what he is—a red
wolf with a black heart. The CLE yearly symposium is billed as a time of
fellowship and exchange of ideas between western Christians and their
Chinese brethren. In reality, it is a major propaganda effort by the
latter to "corrupt good manners" of the former. The consistent
message from the Chinese "Christians" has been that, while
violations of religious liberty still do occasionally take place in China,
such regrettable incidents are localized and not the official policy of
the national Chinese government. Subtly woven into that message is the lie
that most of the accounts of persecution of Christians coming out of
China
are misrepresentations. Danny Yu and his accomplices would have us believe
that anarchist elements within the house-church movement are the source of
much unrest, thus forcing the government to sometimes arrest such
Christians for breaking legitimate laws. The sum total of the lie which
CLE skillfully peddles in the West is that house-church Christians are
getting in the way of an inexorable march toward religious liberty in
China. The message which CLE, Chinese state-church leaders, and their
communist handlers not so subtly preach is that Christians should
cooperate with the supreme state, not "contend for the faith which
was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3) by our Omnipotent God.
Those who do not accept that message are then characterized as "troublers
of
Israel"—or in this case of
China.
The
reader will not be surprised to know that the November 18, 2001 online
edition of the People's
Daily contained a report on a "celebration" in the
Great Hall of the People in Beijing to honor twenty years of
"cooperation" between the Chinese government and Danny Yu
through one of his several front organizations.3
But Mr. Yu has been provided with a star-studded
supporting cast in his climb to fame. As proof of that, one need only
consider CLE's yearly forum.
Just
who are the Chinese "Christians" who travel to the
United States
each year to provide insight into religious liberty and the state of
Christ's Church in
China? They are all representatives of the Chinese government state
religious apparatus! Although the
China
house church boasts giants of the faith, saints proven in the fires of
persecution, they are never among the delegates brought in by CLE. This
year, as in the past, speakers at Mr. Yu's event will be representatives
from the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and the China Church Council
(CCC). As the official state church, the TSPM faithfully promotes
Communist Party policies. The TSPM leadership (usually party members) or
the party itself appoints TSPM pastors. TSPM pastors must not only
maintain party loyalty but also silence on numerous portions of Scripture.
Certainly, they must never preach Christ as "head of His body, the
church" or "King of kings and Lord of lords." The CCC along
with its sister organization, the TSPM, monitors and regulates church
activity and even reports "illegal" religious activities to the
Religious Affairs Bureau. The CCC, which provides the leadership structure
of the state church, advances party policies within that church and
presents a propagandized image of the church in
China
to foreigners. In past years, cadres from the state Religious Affairs
Bureau were also officially present at CLE's symposium; but since WCU has
been turning up the heat on Yu and his henchmen, notice of RAB personnel
has been dropped from CLE promotional literature. However, there can be no
doubt that RAB personnel will be present again this year.
Among
speakers at the 2005 symposium will be Presbyter Mr. Ji Jianhong, the
chairman of the National Committee of the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic
Movement. Ji, whose father was anti-communist and a close associate of
Watchman Nee, is also the vice president of the Nanjing Union Theological
Seminary and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference of the National People's Congress.4
A biography of Ji Jianhong has been published by Amity
Foundation, the official medium of the CCC. In that bio, Ji explains that
he changed his mind about communists when, in his words, "I learned
that the Chinese Communist Party was not against religion . . . I also
found that some Communists were great people. Their aim was not to destroy
religion but to serve the people."5
Every year,
China's central government holds a reception for delegates of that
nation's "officially recognized religions." At last year's
reception, Presbyter Ji gave a speech in which he "praised the Party
and the central government for their success in implementing
China's religious policy."6
Among Ji's stated goals is to build a system of
"genuinely Chinese theology"7
that "keeps up with the times."8
Recently, Christianity
Today—we almost said Apostasy
Today—did a puff piece on Ji.9
This obviously delighted Ji's communist masters who
boasted of the CT
article on the web site of Amity Foundation and provided a link to that article.10
In
the past, Danny Yu and CLE have been able to count on the support of many
western big-name "evangelical" leaders and ministries.
Tragically, a number of those individuals continue that support in spite
of being well-informed by WCU of Danny Yu's duplicity and treachery. For
instance, Prison Fellowship's Chuck Colson has lent his support to Yu's
efforts in the past. Last year, high-level leaders from Prison Fellowship
International once again met with TSPM and CCC officials at the CLE
symposium in Houston.11
Dr.
Rick Warren of purpose-driven infamy has written a glowing endorsement for
Danny Yu and CLE. Upon reading that endorsement, one quickly grasps the
symbiotic, I'll-scratch-your-back-if-you-scratch-mine nature of Rick and
Danny's relationship.
"Saddleback
Church, our training ministry 'Purpose
Driven
Church', and I personally have each benefited from the ministry of Danny
Yu and the staff of Christian Leadership Exchange. They have been
instrumental in helping us develop our ministry to the Church in
China. We have had the privilege of meeting churchmen at the highest
level in
China, even being able to host them in my home. CLE provided us a vital
service by leading the way to the publication of my book, the Purpose
Driven Church, into simple script Mandarin. We are told that
this book has been one of China Christian Council's bestsellers. As we
have developed additional training materials for pastors in Chinese, CLE
has been a vital part of seeing them distributed to the seminaries and
churches. Thank you Danny, thank you CLE, for all you do; we know God is
blessing your efforts."12
Clearly,
a warm relationship with Danny Yu is the key to paving the way for corrupt
neo-evangelical ministries to openly expand into China.
Dr.
Robert Schuller is another high-profile
religious—we dare not say Christian—personality who has engaged in
much mutual back-scratching with Yu. Coincidentally, Schuller's warm
endorsement of Yu and CLE begins with "Thank you for CLE's efforts in
helping the Crystal Cathedral's 'Hour of Power' program development in
China." What a coincidence! Schuller closes his fawning epistle by
stating: "[A]s you celebrate the continuing development and
fellowship of the American and Chinese churches, I want you to know that I
am with you in heart and spirit."13
No doubt, Schuller is with Danny Yu in unregenerate heart
and in "another spirit" (2 Corinthians 11:4).
There
is much that could be written about Danny Yu and his tangled web of
western accomplices. In past years, I have contacted a number of
individuals in Yu's network who I thought might respond to a documented
plea for them to separate from that red wolf with the black heart. Last
year, I led a team of Christians to
Houston
to reprove the unfruitful works of CLE and to confront the communist false
brethren speaking at its 2004 symposium. We also sent letters to local
churches, the members of which had been invited to the large CLE event.
For two days, we spent many hours standing at the entrance of the drive
leading to the exclusive conference center where Yu and Co. put on their
act. During that time, we had multiple opportunities to enlighten gullible
American Christians, and some from other countries, attending the
symposium. Happily, we were told that our presence had caused much
consternation among attendees. Maybe that is why a number of vehicles
driven by Chinese individuals swerved at us as they entered the symposium
grounds. Perhaps it also explains the obscene gestures which we received
from nattily dressed Chinese "Christian” men and the pressure which
we received from police who were called to the scene. No doubt, the
security personnel who tailed us back to our hotel and kept us under
surveillance night and day were not doing so because our presence at Yu's
symposium brought a welcome, refreshing, thought-provoking counterbalance
to a one-sided presentation. On the second morning of the symposium when
we arrived to man our battle stations, the area where we had stood the day
before was well-covered with dog manure. I suppose that little prank was
meant as both a deterrent to our witness and a statement about our
persons. Apparently, certain individuals from
China
were a little frustrated by their limited range of possibilities in
dealing with a pestiferous Christian pastor and his flock in the good old
USA. To our great joy, several weeks after the conference, we received
word that some pastors and members of the persecuted church in
China
had been greatly encouraged by our efforts on their behalf. By the time
many people read this article, we will have once again reproved CLE's
unfruitful works of darkness, this time at the Cook Communications
Ministries headquarters in
Colorado Springs. Though that city is the home of over one hundred
Christian ministries, I doubt that CLE will have to factor that into the
amount of manure they have on hand to greet us.
Ralph
Ovadal is director of
Wisconsin
Christians United (www.wcuweb.com),
pastor of
Pilgrims
Covenant
Church
(www.sermonaudio.com/pcc),
and host of "The Heart of the Matter" (www.theheartofthematteronline.com).
Back
to top.
Endnotes
3.
"Celebration to Mark 20th Anniversary of Cooperation Between SAFEA,
ESEC," People's
Daily (Beijing),
November 18, 2001, http://english.people.com.cn/200111/18/eng20011118_84801.shtml.
Back to
text.
4.
Theresa Carino, "A Portrait of Ji Jianhong, Chairperson of the
National TSPM," interview with Ji Jianhong, Amity News Service (Amity
Foundation), October 2002, http://www.amityfoundation.org/ANS/Articles/ans2002/ans2002.10/2002_10_1.htm;
Wang Fan,
“Second Batch: More Graduate Students Take to Pastoral Care,” Amity
News Service (Amity Foundation), June 2004, http://www.amityfoundation.org/ANS/Articles/ans2004/ans2004.6/2004_6_4.htm;
Mark Galli, "The Chinese Church's Delicate Dance: A Conversation with
the Head of the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement," interview
with Ji Jianhong, Christianity
Today, November 2004, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/011/30.68.html.
Back
to text.
5.
Carino, "A Portrait of Ji Jianhong.” Back
to text.
6.
"China's Religions Gather for Spring Reception with Central
Government," Amity News Service (Amity Foundation), April 2004, http://www.amityfoundation.org/ANS/Articles/ans2004/ans2004.4/2004_4_1.htm.
Back
to text.
7.
Ibid. Back
to text.
8.
Diane J. Allen, "Keeping Up to Date: A Conversation with Leaders of
the Protestant Churches in China," interview with Cao Shengjie and Ji
Jianhong, General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist
Church, April 2004, http://gbgm-umc.org/global_news/full_article.cfm?articleid=2498.
Back
to text.
9.
Galli, "The
Chinese
Church's Delicate Dance.” Back
to text.
10.
"'Pray for Us': Christianity
Today Interviews Ji Jianhong,” Amity News Service (Amity
Foundation), December 2004, http://www.amityfoundation.org/ANS/Articles/ans2004/ans2004.12/2004_12_3.htm.
Back
to text.
11.
Edward Hegstrom, “Opening China to Religion,” Houston
Chronicle,
February 15, 2004, http://www.chron.com.
Back
to text.
12.
“CLE Through the Eyes of Others,” Christian Leadership Exchange, http://www.cle-china.org.
Back
to text.
13.
Ibid. Back
to text.
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to top.
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