China Aid President Bob Fu responds to controversial remarks made by evangelist Franklin Graham regarding outreach during Olympic Games

China Aid Association

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
China Aid President Bob Fu responds to controversial remarks made by evangelist Franklin Graham regarding outreach during Olympic Games
4 Winds sports ministry statement on Olympic evangelism in response to Franklin Graham
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By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
(XINJIANG, CHINA / MADISON, WISCONSIN (ANS) – May 16, 2008) On his recent visit to China, Dr. Billy Graham’s son, Franklin, recently stated that Christians should not evangelize during the Olympic Games as it is against the law in that country.
Franklin Graham made his controversial remarks as he recently talked to reporters in China while visiting communist officials. The Chinese government has stated that evangelism will not be tolerated during the Olympics.
The underground church thinks differently, according to one ministry leader. “It is a matter of who heads the church and it is certainly not the government,” says Bob Fu, China Aid Association president in an interview with OneNewsNow. He believes the underground church welcomes evangelistic efforts.
In response to Mr. Graham’s “offensive and inappropriate comments” concerning his opposition to evangelism during the Beijing Olympic Games, Fu stated: “The Chinese Christians are law-abiding, patriotic citizens, but when an unjust law demands them to go against their faith and Jesus’ teaching of the Great Commission, they can not and will not succeed to a ‘faith moratorium’ in order to please an atheistic government during the Olympic Games, even if that means enduring imprisonment and torture. Mr. Graham’s comment is a deep offense to hundreds of House Church prisoners and their family members. ”
The 4 Winds Christian Athletics sports ministry, based in Madison, Wisconsin, also believes Christians should witness during the Olympics.
Since the summer of 2006, 4 Winds has collected testimonies of potential Olympic athletes and has allowed outside groups to take them into the underground church, estimated to be over 100 million people.
4 Winds president Steve McConkey states, “Underground church leaders asked to use the testimonies of the athletes. We hope that the Lord would use them.”
Athletes are not paid for their testimonies and the testimonies are not sold for publication. 4 Winds is an international evangelistic and teaching ministry involved in track and field.
On evangelism during the Olympics, 4 Winds’ Steve McConkey believes: “Christians should use caution and do as God leads.”
“Athletes should not change who they are,” states McConkey. “These men and women love Christ and are not mean-spirited. We are asking Christians throughout the world to pray for all Christians who will go into China.”
Steve and his wife Liz have been in track and field ministries since 1981. They have ministered at the Olympics, the Olympic Trials, and the USA Championships. Steve was a former USA National Track and Field Club Coach from 1982 through 1992.
4 Winds also commented on an anti-boycott statement distributed throughout the United States. The ministry says a boycott of the Olympics is not the answer, as that would only hurt athletes. They also say, “Jesus and the apostles went into challenging countries and did not boycott them.”
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** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. Michael’s involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department — Michael Ireland Media Missionary (MIMM) — of ACT International at: Artists in Christian Testimony (ACT) International.