CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 195, 3 September 1937, Page 9

CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA

"Must Help to Usher in the New Order" MME. CHIANG KAI-SHEK'S PLEA ; A mcssage calling for a strong re■ligious faith to purify tho world 's ipoison-gassed atmosphere was written by the American-educated wife of [China's leadihg figure for the recent jmeeting of the National Christian iCouncil in Shanghai. i Madame Chiang Kai-shek, herself credited with leadership in the New Life movement which is seeking to rebuild China's individual for the sake of a stronger nation, declared that Christian organisations throughout the country can take a great part in the task of transforming ola China into a strong new country. Her message was rcd by Dr Wu Yi-fang, chairman of the council, as part of the general programme on "The Church During a Changing Age." "One thing that society asks of the church," Madame Chiang 's message began, "is that it shall skow moa how to meet Ihe pressing problerus of their day. In the midst of a poisoned social atmosphere a strong religious faith should act not mercly as a maslc to protect its wearer, but it should also be as a cleansing brcc,:e that graduall.y ehanges and puriiies Ihe dwclling places of men." Madame Chiang declared that "the whole of the Chinese nation is on the march and the church must march with it. Beacon after beacon is being liglited across the country, warning the people that they must arise to attack the strongly entrenched social evils of our day, and to help usher in (ko new orders of things. The bugle calh of the New Life Movement is sounding clearly in the dawn of China'? new day. ' ' Recalling how, in the summer of 1933, Madame Chiang had conferred at Kuling on the subject of ' Christians and Communism, she said that " at that time I found Christians willing to discuss these problems of livelihood in a rather academic way, and I became convinced that somehow we should be more praetical in the application of our faith. "The National Christian Council later co-operated with the Government in organisihg 11 rural experiment centres in Kiangsi where young men and women from Christian and other colleges inight take the lead in studying and trying to solve some of the most pressing needs of the farmers. It has been ! a source of great satisfaction to tho Generalissimo and myself that the church has unitcd with us in the rehabilitation of recovcred Communist areas. We hope this is merely a beginning in this great field of improving the life of tho people. Few Chinese Missionaries. "As my husband and I have travelled over many provinces we have met devoted missionaries, living far away in I the interior, bringing new life to the | communities that they touch. We have I been astonished at the absence of I lalented modern educated Chinese men | and women, oither supporting these | keroic missionaries or carrying on [ similar activities in like needy areas. Is it possible that modern-trained Chinese Christians lack the stuff of which missionaries are made? Are we in the position of accepting all the benefits of the Christian faith without caring to accept the responsibilities and the hardships? "At the very heart of our faith is hardship, endurance, suffering — a cross. Without them there cannot be any Christian faith. I have frequently heard the Generalissimo remark that Jesus Christ, as a young man, willingly gave up his life for the cause, and that we shall not be able to solve our own great problems until more of us are ready to do likewise. That is i why he feelf that Christianity is a j revolutionary faith, and that every man I of faith, in such a world as ours, should ■be a revolutionary." Madame Chiang spoke particularly of the higher status of women in China, linking this with a development of the Christian faith and the other improvements. which have been wrought. "Let us carry our co-oporative programme," she said, "between New Life and the churchcs, for the improvement, into every villago and hamlet throughout the land."