Bob Fu’s Speech for Accepting 2007 John Leland Religious Liberty Award

Posted Feb 07 2008

photo: Rev Bob Fu and Dr. Richard Land at the ceremony ; Rev Bob Fu, Rev. Richard Cizik and Congressman Trent Franks
Bob Fu’s Speech forAccepting 2007 John Leland Religious Liberty Award from the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of Southern Baptist Convention

US Library of Congress, Washington DC

Bob Fu

Dr. Land, Dr Duke, the

Honorable Congressman Franks,

I would like to thank the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

and the Southern

Baptist Convention as well as the Congressional Human Rights Caucus

for your dedication to promoting international religious freedom and for the

great honor of receiving this award today.

I was born and grew up in China. My mom met

my dad when she was begging food in his village because of extreme poverty in

1950s. I remember, as a young boy living in Shandong

province in northeast China,

as my mother was slowly dying of her lung disease caused by starvation, I

begged a local doctor, even offering myself as his bond servant for life if he would

just help provide medicine for my mother to get well. As he shut the door on me

and I walked away with a broken heart, I remember falling on the ground behind

a barn in my home yard and in the only way I knew how, praying to a higher

power to help me and to help my mother. I

prayed that one day my poor mom and I could get some equal status with my other

fellow villagers, no matter how poor or rich.

With that in mind, as a university student, I

was actively involved in the student’s democratic movement in 1989. After the

bloody crackdown, I was wondering why the so-called ‘People’s Army” would

kill their own people-their brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. I was not

able to reconcile that question. From

disappointment to disillusioned wrath, I was planning to commit a suicide

campaign to kill those who betrayed me.

However, one night in the classroom, I was given a small booklet

which was smuggled in from Hong Kong by my

American English teacher. It was a testimony of a pastor. I was

fascinated and finished reading it with one breath. I was especially attracted by such beautiful

words as “if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. The OLD HAS gone

and the NEW HAS come.” I didn’t receive my first Bible until a year later,

after I became a believer; however I somehow knew that these beautiful words

were from the Bible. I was totally convicted that I was as depraved as those I

wanted to kill. How could I expect myself to be treated equal by others if I

wanted to kill them? “Yes,” I decided, “I want to become a new creation.” I couldn’t help but surrender myself to my

Creator. Later I knelt down on the floor with my American teacher at his dorm

and accept Christ into my life. I

realized the very freedom of conscience that the Creator endowed in my heart is

far more precious and fundamental than any other rights. The very next day, I

found everything was renewed and I even started having compassion and respect

toward my betrayers and my enemies. I suddenly realized that, although as a

small boy I did not know who God was, He knew and loved me, just like He knows

and loves the 1.3 billion people I left behind in China some 12 years ago when President

Clinton intervened for me, my new infant son and my wonderful wife Heidi.

I am humbled to stand here today in

this historic setting as a Chinese-American who deeply loves the United States

and cherishes the religious freedom this great country affords, but I am and

always will be, Chinese in my heart. I

miss China

very much and pray for her future. I sincerely

want China’s future to be

one of prosperity and stability and I believe that this can only be realized as

true religious freedom is fully embraced in China and protected by the rule of

law. This objective is the motivation

behind all my efforts and the purpose of China Aid Association. Throughout

Chinese history, “the Mandate of Heaven”, which is a concept of a higher

power influencing leaders of nations, has influenced and been embraced by the

Chinese people at all levels of society. I and millions of Christians in China today believe that the “mandate of

heaven” is for China

to become a lasting, peaceful world power and worthy leader in the international

community, but this will only be achieved if religious freedom is established. In the international community and among many

Chinese citizens, there is a difference of opinion concerning the status of

religious freedom in China.

Certainly, there is more religious

freedom today than there was during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960’s. There are the TSPM churches, that have an

estimated 16 million members and 15,000 churches that are officially registered

with the Chinese government. The Chinese

government would argue that the existence of these churches and the fact that

millions of Bibles are printed and allowed to be sold at these TSPM churches is

proof that there is religious freedom in China. I acknowledge that there has been some progress

in China

in the area of religious freedom, and I know members of the TSPM church who

believe that all Chinese Christians should be willing to register and only

worship in the manner that is officially approved by the Chinese government.

But there are over 60 to 80 million Christians who view the TSPM church with

suspicion and feel that they should be allowed to worship in their homes and in

ways of their own choosing, like I did when I was a little boy, and not be

required to register and only assemble for worship in government approved

sites.

There are many perspectives

among the unregistered churches as to how to deal with the Chinese government’s

registration requirements. Some house churches are contemplating aligning themselves

with the official TSPM church and working within its structures. Some house

churches are praying to God for guidance and waiting to see if the Chinese

government will be open-minded and more flexible with registration requirements

citing that, logistically, millions of unregistered Christians cannot be

accommodated by the official TSPM structure and facilities. Other house

churches are strongly opposed to such a consideration and view the official

TSPM church as a deceptive arm of a Communist government created to control and

undermine the purity of their faith. This

is a complex issue whose outcome will determine the future of China’s stability and future.

Many of you here today are already aware

that China Aid documents and reports extensively on the issue of religious

freedom in China and the shortcomings

of the current status quo in China.

Although China Aid may be viewed to be

hostile to the Chinese government, our purpose is quite the opposite. Our reports are not intended to be hostile and

malicious, but rather to be accurate, well-documented and to help to provide a

catalyst for the change that is needed if China is to successfully navigate the

transitions and challenges that its increased economic growth and access to a

freer world

outside its walls is accelerating. China’s recent economic growth,

while welcomed in many ways, is also creating a volatile wealth gap and

increasing social needs and unrest. This is where millions of Christians who

are part of the house church movement can be a stable force for a harmonious

society, and why resolving the religious freedom issue is critical. For this reason, China Aid seeks to be a peaceful

advocate for the house churches in China and a non-violent outlet for

frustrations, as we expose violations of basic human rights, such as the

freedom to assemble and worship that the current status quo perpetuates for

millions of house church Christians. Not only does China Aid seek peaceful

methods to deal with growing frustrations and in some cases, corrupt arbitrary

actions of regional local officials, but China Aid also seeks to challenge the

house church Christians to serve others, not just demand more rights for

themselves. Christians, or “followers

of Christ”, are to be servants of their fellowmen.

My hope is that the Chinese Government will recognize that

Christianity and other true peaceful religious groups, do not need to be

“controlled” and are not a threat to the government, but rather, are

one of the needed building blocks for stability and can provide much needed

help for promoting non-violence during this time of transition in China’s

history. In fact, I want to point out

that the current restrictions imposed by the Chinese government create an

environment conducive to the incubation of dangerous criminal cults like

Eastern Lightening. If the house churches were free to assemble and

publish the truth of Christianity, orthodoxy, and also free to instruct their

congregations, especially their children, the truly dangerous cults would be

more easily identified and less likely to victimize the ignorant as the

Chinese government fears. More importantly, a freer Christian community can

provide much needed social services contributing to the harmonious society that

China

seeks. Without mentioning specific locations and names, we know and have been

supporting house churches who are serving several hundred orphans and the

elderly in different provinces, including the area of Tibet. With the help of selfless foreign Christians,

we know that hundreds of schools have been established to provide quality, free

education for the children of the so-called floating population (migrant), who otherwise,

would have been forever illiterate under current China’s education system. Unfortunately, these unselfish good deeds have

to be done secretly, because of their association with the house churches. How

much more could they do if they had more freedom to provide such worthy social

services? This would be a win-win

scenario for the Chinese government but of course, trust must be established

before such a visionary plan could begin dialogue.

A quick study of Chinese history helps

one understand that there are certain valid reasons why the Chinese government does

not currently see and trust Christianity as a positive influence for a

harmonious society.

Throughout history, sadly,

the Christian faith has been distorted and exploited in ways that do not honor

the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. China is no

exception to this tragedy. As a Chinese,

I will mention the Taiping Rebellion which is a good example of why the Chinese

government does not trust the motives of Christians. In the mid-1850s, the Taiping rebellion was

started by Hung Hsiu-Ch’uan who was trained by a Southern Baptist missionary

named Isaachar Roberts. Rev. Roberts’

intentions were honorable; he himself was a wealthy American Christian who went

to China

to work with lepers, and eventually died

of leprosy. However, the actions of Isachaar’s student, Hung Hsiu-Ch’uan, did

not follow the basic tenets of the Christian faith and Roberts eventually

concluded that Hung was mentally ill and denounced Hung as “crazy and

unfit to rule.” This does not erase the

30 million lives lost in the Taiping Rebellion and the tragic consequences that

Hung’s misuse of the Bible to challenge the Chinese government, and his

heretical teachings, which included Hung’s belief that he was the brother of

Jesus, caused. This time period in

Chinese history is important for Western Christians to be aware of and acknowledge

because it explains some of the background for why the Chinese government does

not trust Christians who are not willing to be tightly controlled, like the

house church movement for which I am an advocate though it can not be used as

justification for any type of of religious persecution. This is why I believe

that it is essential that the House churches must go the extra mile to

demonstrate that their objectives are not to be violent revolutionaries and

enemies of the current government, but rather that their interpretation of the

“mandate of heaven” in the Christian faith is quite the opposite: to

show respect and pray for those in the government, while being servants of

their fellowman and to be a positive stabilizing force in society. I must be truthful and state that from my

observations, even as I document shortcomings of the Chinese government in

regards to religious freedoms, the house churches, in my opinion, also have shortcomings

they need to address and improve on. A

well known question, to remind Christians how to live as followers of Christ here

in the United States among evangelicals is, “What would Jesus do?”

and if I ask myself, what would Jesus do today if He lived in China? I feel I need to meditate more on how Jesus

would instruct his followers in the Chinese house churches? Would Jesus demand more rights and join in angry

confrontation, be disrespectful to the authorities, consider violent acts to

achieve more freedoms of expression, assembly and worship? These were not the

methods that Jesus used to address the problems in His own culture and society

when He was walking on earth. Jesus

modeled and commanded His followers to love everyone, even one’s enemies. He forgave those who unjustly beat Him and eventually

crucified Him. He used His life to do

good to others by healing the sick, feeding the hungry and showing respect for

all, even those in government positions who misunderstood and tortured Him.

Christians in China should

strive to live as Christ lived, even while they are seeking to promote the rule

of law and truer religious freedoms than exist today. Christians must be

truthful; this is why China Aid strives to carefully document all our reports

and focuses on cases where the Chinese Government is not following their own

constitutional guarantees. This is why China Aid seeks to peacefully and

respectfully expose those local authorities that exploit their positions. This is also why China Aid is encouraged over

recent developments. After President Hu

publically called for religious believers, including Christians, to join the harmonious

society building last December, we were encouraged that nine house church

leaders from Beijing and Hubei were released from their detention

center and labor camps ahead of schedule. I pray and hope this will represent a

true beginning of reconciliation instead of a one-time diplomatic gesture.

But a critical difference

between the house church and the official TSPM church still exists and must be reconciled

and this critical difference is how each of these groups view the Chinese

Government’s registration requirements. For

China, this is the most

critical, historic issue of this decade that the Chinese government must

resolve peacefully, and this will be key as to how China proceeds on religious freedoms

and whether China is, or is not, embraced within the international community. My

hope, and I believe the hope of the majority of millions of unregistered

Chinese Christians, is that the Chinese government will recognize that the

majority of unregistered house church members and their leaders are stable,

patriotic citizens whose faith is not a threat to

national security, but instead they are the single greatest asset the Chinese

government has for building and sustaining a harmonious society that can meet

the growing social needs and the problems that the wealth gap is creating. The Chinese Christians I know and advise, wish

to help with the great needs of the elderly, disabled and with orphans, as well

as other vulnerable groups. They want to help promote morals and values and

denounce violence.

I do hope that President

Bush’s visit to the Beijing Olympics this summer, will further confirm his

conviction, as he shared repeatedly to both President Jiang Zemin and Hu

Jintao, that religious freedom is not a threat, but a great help to the Chinese

society. So as you, the Congressional

Caucus on Human Rights, and various religious leaders, activists and business leaders

here today, seek to make a positive difference in China, I want to encourage you to

keep religious freedom as a top priority, but also understand this is a complex

issue in the Chinese mindset and Chinese history.

As Americans, the more you

and I honestly acknowledge that we are also “stakeholders” in contributing

to the distrust that China has towards Christianity, the more respect we will

be earn as we seek to encourage the expansion of religious freedoms in China. Balance your concerns with sensitivity, but

don’t back away, because it is in China’s

and the world’s best interest for religious freedom and rule of law to succeed

in China.

As a Chinese, I thank you for hearing my

heart today as I hope to play a constructive role in helping Americans understand

that this is a complicated issue that would be best handled internally in China,

if China will responsibly face this task. But as a follower of Christ, I also feel a deeper

responsibility to stand with my brothers and sisters in China who are still

limited in their freedom to assemble and worship in places other than the

official church sites. From my own personal experience of being arbitrarily

detained in a Chinese jail, and from the hundreds of documented cases of

harassment, arbitrary detentions, seizing of property, torture and even the

death of some of my Christian friends and former co-workers in China, I cannot

stay silent for those who share our same faith, but not all of our basic

freedoms. As I partner with you and continue this work, I also strive to

challenge my brothers and sisters in Christ, here in the United States and also

in China, that we must not forget the model that Christ provided for us and

that all we do, even our activism, must be done with love and grace and I ask

you to pray for peace, prosperity and expanded freedoms in my motherland, the

People’s Republic of China.

May God continue to bless China

and America!

February 7, 2008

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