The Washington Times:Christians slam evangelist’s pro-Beijing remarks;Persecution Watchdogs Counter Palau’s Remarks on Religious Freedom in China; A Respond to Luis Palau’s Concern for Chinese Believers

The Washington Times
www.washingtontimes.com


Christians slam evangelist’s pro-Beijing remarks
By Julia Duin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published November 28, 2005



Chinese Christian leaders and activists are upset at Oregon evangelist Luis Palau, who recently said reports of religious persecution in China were exaggerated and compared Beijing’s actions to U.S. tax regulations.
    Bob Fu, president of the Texas-based China Aid Association, said remarks made Nov. 19 by Mr. Palau at a press conference in Beijing are “irresponsible and misleading” and deserve a “rebuke.”
    Mr. Palau told reporters that some reports of religious persecution are unjustified, according to a transcript on www.christianpost.com, and suggested that China’s unofficial churches should register to “receive greater freedom and blessings from the government.”
    He then compared church registration in China to American tax law.
    ”Even in the United States, you can’t get away with defying order,” he said. “I feel that registering is a positive thing for the followers of Jesus. Believers should live in the open, especially when the Chinese government offers it.
    ”Jesus said that we are the light of the world and that we should not be kept hidden or in the dark. Therefore, believers should share their faith openly. If I were Chinese, I would definitely register. Not registering only lends to misinterpretations and misunderstandings.”
    In a Nov. 19 interview with China Daily, posted on the newspaper’s Web site, the evangelist said, “Chinese people enjoy more religious freedom than people overseas imagine” and said he’d been allowed complete latitude in his weeklong visit.
    ”Nobody told me what to say and what not to say,” he said.
    Mr. Palau was in Beijing to speak at a government-hosted event for Chinese charity groups. He also appeared with President Bush on Nov. 20 during a visit to Gangwashi Church, one of only five approved Protestant churches in the Chinese capital of 15 million people.
    Mr. Fu said Mr. Palau’s words were deceptive.
    ”To equate the church-registration requirement by the IRS in the U.S.A. for tax purposes to forced registration under the Communist Party’s Religious Affairs Bureau is totally misleading,” he said.
    ”Reverend Palau’s China religious-freedom remarks will be much more convincing if he is allowed to do an open evangelism in the Tiananmen Square, just like what he did at the Mall in Washington, D.C., recently.”
    A spokesman for Mr. Palau did not return calls Friday.
    Of China’s estimated 80 million to 100 million Christians, three-quarters belong to underground churches not registered with the government. China requires registered churches to have a government-selected pastor from an approved seminary. Registered churches also must agree to approved service times and locations.
    Children younger than 18 cannot be baptized or attend Sunday school even in approved churches, and congregants cannot evangelize outside church walls. Churches must adhere to preaching guidelines, and some topics — such as the Second Coming and Jesus’ miracles — are forbidden.
    Mr. Fu said he got the impression from a conversation last summer that the evangelist wanted to be the first Westerner to hold an open-air evangelistic rally.
    ”He wanted to please Chinese officials in order to get permission to do his thing,” Mr. Fu said. “He wanted to be the first man to do a crusade in a park.”
    Mr. Fu also released a statement by Zhang Mingxuan, chairman of the China House Church Alliance, who was detained Nov. 18 to 21 by police and kept him out of Beijing until Mr. Bush had left.
    ”We demand Rev. Palau to retract his irresponsible remarks, which deeply hurt the feelings of hundreds of house church prisoners and their families,” Mr. Zhang said.
    Mr. Fu also quoted “Sarah” Liu Xianzhi, a Chinese immigrant in Midland, Texas, who says she was tortured and imprisoned for six years on behalf of a denomination known as the South China Church.
    ”I do want to let Reverend Palau know there are still 16 pastors and evangelists from our church serving in different prisons in China now,” she said. “Reverend Palau is always welcome to visit our church and pastors in prison.” 
Copyright © 2005 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
Persecution Watchdogs Counter Palau’s Remarks on Religious Freedom in China
Christian persecution groups responded with strong objections to controversial statements made recently by evangelist Luis Palau regarding religious freedom in China.
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005
Christian persecution groups responded with strong objections to controversial statements made recently by evangelist Luis Palau, who claimed that there was greater religious freedom in China and urged churches to register with the government.

�[Palau�s] position discounts the suffering of our brothers and sisters in China, and assumes the good will of a government that hasn’t earned that assumption,� wrote Todd Nettleton, director of news service for the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), on the VOM Persecution Blog.

During his fifth trip to China, the highly respected evangelist said at a press conference in Beijing on Nov. 19 that he wanted to �make every effort to let people know that there is more freedom in China than people have anticipated,� and that he would �personally� encourage unregistered churches to register and �receive greater freedom and blessings from the government.�

�I feel that registering is a positive thing for the followers of Jesus,� Palau stated. �Believers should live in the open, especially when the Chinese government offers it. Jesus said that we are the light of the world, and that we should not be kept hidden or in the dark. Therefore, believers should share their faith openly.�

�If I were Chinese, I would definitely register. Not registering only lends to misinterpretations and misunderstandings,� he added.

Palau�s statements concerning persecution in China came as a shock and a disappointment to much of the Christian community and drew the protests of persecution watchdogs internationally.

�Luis Palau echoes common misinformed preconceptions about registration in China when he says that the government�s urging of house churches to register is similar to the way churches must register in the U.S. and in his native country, Argentina and hence, he urges unregistered congregations to register,� wrote Glenn Penner, Communication Director for the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) in Canada, in a statement to The Christian Post.

Penner noted that rather than receiving �greater freedom and blessings� from the government, Chinese churches actually lose rights when they register with the government including: the absolute right to choose who will lead services; the right to choose location and time of services; the autonomy to appoint pastors and preach about the second coming of Christ; the ability to allow children under 18 to attend Church meetings; the right to perform evangelistic works outside of designated places of worship; the freedom by clergies to choose who and where to study; and the headship of the church.

Registered churches in China must submit to the authority of the Communist Party-controlled government, yielding power to the government to approve basic Church decisions.

�Christians are under a biblical mandate to disobey laws that call for them to disobey scriptural principles or to give to Caesar that which belongs to God,� Penner exclaimed.

�The whole idea of mandatory registration is a violation of religious liberty and basic human rights. Governments are not given the mandate to grant religious freedom; this is a God-given right. Governments can only acknowledge this right.�

In addition, Nettleton noted that �the Communist Party, which controls these registered churches, has as one of its bedrock principles the idea that there is no God. With that in mind, it is easy to understand why an estimated 80 percent of China’s Christians refuse to come under government control.�

�They know that our first loyalty, as Christians, is to Jesus Christ, not to government leaders,� Nettleton continued. �Making a comparison between registering for tax-exempt status in the U.S. and Chinese state restrictions on religion is like comparing a gentle spring rain with Hurricane Katrina.�

Both Penner and Nettleton gave mention of well-known Chinese pastors that have been arrested, beaten, or jailed for their faith as evidence that religious freedom in China is not as Palau claims.

�I wonder how Mr. Palau would explain his comment to Christians like Li Ying, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence for publishing a Christian magazine. Or to Cai Zhuohua, sentenced this month to serve three years in a labor camp for printing Bibles and other Christian literature (the government only allows one printer to print Bibles, and those are not available except to the registered churches),� Penner questioned.

�Or to Gong Shengliang, serving a life sentence for his Christian work with the South China Church. Or to Christian businessman Tong Qimiao, who suffered severe injuries at the hands of police when he was arrested and then denied hospital treatment and whose business was forced to close when he demanded that those responsible for his abuse to be punished.�

Nettleton, also made mention of the family of Jiang Zongxiu, who was beaten to death in police custody in June, 2004 after being arrested for giving out Bibles and Christian literature in the marketplace.

�I suspect all of them would be surprised to hear that there is now more freedom in China,� Nettleton wrote.

�How does Mr. Palau respond to documents smuggled out of China this year that provide concrete evidence that the persecution policies are being directed from the Central Government in Beijing; not only from local or provincial authorities,� Penner continued. �This directly contradicts Mr. Palau’s assertion that �It could just be local authorities acting on their own accord.��

Though Nettleton expressed strong disapproval of Palau�s statements, the VOM spokesman also expressed appreciation for the work he�s done through the years to spread the gospel.

As one of the most respected evangelists in the Spanish-speaking world today Palau has taken the message of hope to an estimated 20 million people in 70 nations through the ministry that bears his name. Palau is well known for the evangelistic festivals he has held over the years. Recent festivals included Washington, D.C.; Madrid, Spain; and Mendoza, Argentina.

�Thank you, Mr. Palau, for your years of faithful service to the King,� Nettleton concluded. �Please honor our suffering brothers and sisters in China by retracting your call for all Christians in China to register with the Communist government. Coming under control of an atheistic government is not the answer to Christian persecution in China.�

[Editor’s Note: Anthony Chiu contributed reporting from Beijing for this article, and Kenneth Chan from San Francisco.]
>
Michelle Vu
michelle@christianpost.com









A Respond to Luis Palau’s Concern for Chinese Believers
By Ray Jian                              
November 24, 2005
 photo: the very left on the front roll is Rev Luis Palau
At a Nov. 19 press conference in Beijing, Luis Palau, founder of Luis Palau Evangelistic Association, said he wants to dispel misunderstandings about the Chinese government. He urged Chinese Christians to register their churches and worship openly.
 
First, Luis Palau, founder of Luis Palau Association, makes some comments on the difference between the underground churches and the unregistered churches.  In his opinion, Chinese believers are enjoying more freedom than people have anticipated. This word “freedom” just makes us sad. Yes, it is true. Comparing to the restriction in the period of culture revolution, we Chinese now are having more freedom of belief. That means we may publicly admit ourselves as a religious believer without worried about being accused. While the fact turns out to be that even now we have to pay attention to our speech. There are a lot of limitations to the freedom. For instance, as Christians we can only talk about Jesus Christ in government approved places, otherwise, we may face the danger of being questioned or even arrested. The penman knew a young Christian that resigned her CCP membership when she was a college student in a famous university in one of the major cities in China three years ago. But for almost 2 years she had been questioned by her instructors and family for the reason why she had resigned and the acts what she had been doing since then.
Keeping this example in mind, we can not help doubting the result of the registration of the underground churches. Though the fact shows that more Chinese people are coming to faith since the opening up and reformation of PRC, we cannot simply draw a conclusion that it is the government policy that enlarges the Christian kingdom. In Palau’s opinion, he encourages the unregistered churches to register and receive greater freedom and blessings from the government. We can hardly accept it, not only because of the experiences we are undergoing but because of the current situations in the registered State churches. From Monday to Sunday, there are only a few hours in a couple of days when people can come into a state church to worship. Besides, not all the truth in the Book can be heard in public services. For example, the relative religious laws and regulations forbid people from preaching religion in public, which is apparently against the biggest command of Jesus Christ. Therefore, such doctrines will surely not been taught in the State churches. Palau said the Chinese government gave him “total freedom to express myself in my preaching” during the week’s trip, Nov. 15-21. Though on that Sunday service Palau did preach at a State church to a crowd of over 500 in the sanctuary and hundreds more in hallways and outside in the open air watching the proceedings on television sets, which seems encouraging cause he enjoyed the total freedom to preach; he did it under watch, which is why he had the “total freedom”.  
Then he said, “For clergy, only when they register would they receive the benefits from the government as clergymen. The U.S. did this for the sake of keeping order. In Argentina, our churches registered with the government.” He also said: “if there are laws that do stand on biblical truth, Christians should be able to stand for their faith. However, faith should not be used as a pretense to defy the law…you don’t get arrested unless you break the law.” Personally the penman 100 percent agree with this idea. One should not get arrested unless he breaks the law, only if the law is what we called benign in Aristotle’s term. If a kind of regulation was inhumanly against basic human rights, how can we expect people to accept and obey it? It is always the truth throughout the world and throughout the history.
Chinese situation and legal system is much more complicated than Palau could ever imagine who just took his fourth trip to China. On several accounts, he said some reports of persecution in China were unjustified, because he was told by some Chinese church pastors that the report that pastors were arrested in Beijing was later retracted since the arrest turned out to be false. It makes us sigh again. How much do we expect for a fair judgment of alike case Zhuohua Cai involved in who has been arrested for more than 1 year till now.
We notice that Luis Palau has ever used the structure as “If I were Chinese, I would…” But the truth is if he really were Chinese, he would probably have thought about things in a quite different way. We definitely believe that Luis is a person who is not afraid when it comes to talking about religious freedom. However, ultimately it is about in what way he can truly engage and promote greater religious freedom in China and what he is able to do change the situation.
 
To conclude, we really appreciate Palau and other folks’ efforts and concerns for Chinese Christians, but we also have to point it out that genuine religious freedom could not be achieved simply by registration. And we do agree with Palau that people share this concern should come and visit China more often, but not as what Palau said to know how good the situation is, instead to get a fuller picture of the society and the system. Also, spend more time in China, really go into the grass root, don’t be fooled around by the officials from either Propaganda Department or United Front Department, or those state signed “pastors”.  What Chinese Christians really need is not such kind of naive ideas or even simple-minded actions as to hope to “promote greater religious freedom through diplomatic means”. Instead, humble hearts and prayerful love are much more appreciated than simply teaching what Chinese Christians should do.
 

Few gains for Bush in China
By Caroline Daniel and Richard McGregor in Beijing and Guy Dinmore in Washington
Published: November 20 2005 11:54 |

George W. Bush returns from China on Monday after making little tangible progress on burning economic issues, while calls he made outside a Beijing church for more religious freedom were undermined by reports of a crackdown on Christian activists.





// if (showAd != 0){var box = new Advert(\”box\”,thisPage.ftsite,thisPage.alladparams,thisPage.issec,thisPage.wrap);document.write(box.adHTML);}// ]]>


In talks with Hu Jintao on Sunday, the US president pressed his Chinese counterpart to improve enforcement of intellectual property rights and allow a further appreciation of China’s currency, two bugbears for an administration under pressure from Congress over the swelling US trade deficit and loss of jobs to China.

But there was no breakthrough, with the principal outcome of Mr Bush’s visit being a commitment by Beijing to co-operate on bird flu.

Mr Bush sought to put human rights and religious freedom at the centre of the US-China relationship. He attended a service at the state-sanctioned Gangwashi church where he wrote in the welcome book: “May God bless the Christians in China.” Outside, he said: “My hope is that the government of China will not fear Christians who gather to worship openly.”











 


Bush in Asia diaryGo there




Chinese Christian activists in the US welcomed Mr Bush’s stance, but noted that the immediate consequence of his visit had been a round-up of several prominent Christians who were forced to leave the capital while Mr Bush was there. They also reported a crackdown in Hebei province, including the arrest of a Roman Catholic bishop.

The church service was ignored in reports on state TV and in the usually more open local internet services, despite a US request that Mr Bush’s words be broadcast unfiltered in the Chinese media. The president was criticised in the US for visiting what rights campaigners called a “puppet church”, instead of the private and unofficial “house” churches where Chinese Christians worship at the risk of persecution.

Responding to reports of detentions a normal practice by Chinese state security ahead of a big visit but still embarrassing for the Bush administration Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, said the US would raise its concerns “quite vociferously”.








Bush singing from different song sheet
Click here


The two sets of issues pushed by Mr Bush reflect the potentially competing priorities of keeping Beijing engaged in a constructive political and economic relationship, while maintaining pressure on human rights. Analysts suggest, however, that US influence over China is diminishing and that the White House is far more preoccupied with Iraq anyway.

In his comments, Mr Hu stuck to a traditional script, stressing the need for the two sides to develop deeper economic ties and repeating China’s core policy of opposition to independence for Taiwan. He also repeated his government’s position that it would continue to build democracy in China and “raise the level of human rights enjoyed by the Chinese people”. Mr Bush welcomed this response. “Maybe a decade ago a [Chinese] leader wouldn’t have uttered those comments . . . He talked about democracy, and took it [my comments] on board.”

Mr Hu made a clear pledge to heighten protection of intellectual property rights, and said China would “unswervingly” pursue currency reform. His comments on the renminbi were no different to China’s longstanding position but the US said they were an advance on the Bush-Hu meeting in New York this year.


In a deal announced to coincide with the trip, China said it would buy 70 Boeing aircraft, worth $3bn-$4bn (£1.67bn).

Meet Our Founder

As the “Countdown Clock” on Tian’anmen Square ticked backwards toward the July 1 takeover of Hong Kong, Bob Fu and his pregnant wife, Heidi, knew their time was running out, too... Learn More >