Three-Self Patriotic Movement

Last updated

Three-Self Patriotic Movement
AbbreviationTSPM
Classification Protestant
OrientationVarious
Governance National Committee
Chairperson Fu Xianwei
Secretary General Xu Xiaohong [1]
Associations
Region China
Founder State Administration for Religious Affairs
Origin1954;70 years ago (1954)
Absorbed National Christian Council of China
Merged into United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
Official website www.ccctspm.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The three principles of self-governance, self-support (i.e., financial independence from foreigners), and self-propagation (i.e., indigenous missionary work) were first articulated by Henry Venn, General Secretary of the Church Missionary Society from 1841 to 1873, and Rufus Anderson, foreign secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. [4] [5] The "Nevius Method," named for John Livingstone Nevius, a missionary to China and Korea, developed the three-self principle of Venn and Anderson into a plan for establishing indigenous churches. [6] [7]

By 1877 three-self principles were much discussed among missionaries to China. [8] The principles were drafted formally during an 1892 conference in Shanghai of Christian missions reflecting an almost universal agreement that the future of the Chinese church depended on the indigenization of the leadership, and the finding of sufficiently Chinese modes of worship. [9]

Christian Manifesto

In May 1950, Y. T. Wu and other prominent Protestant leaders such as T. C. Chao, Chen Chonggui, and Cora Deng met in Beijing with Chinese premier Zhou Enlai to discuss Protestant Christianity's relationship with the young People's Republic of China. "The Christian Manifesto" was published in July 1950 and its original title was "Direction of Endeavor for Chinese Christianity in the Construction of New China". During the 1950s, 400,000 Protestant Christians publicly endorsed and signed this document. [10]

The purpose of publishing this document was: [10]

to heighten our vigilance against imperialism, to make known the clear political stand of Christians in New China, to hasten the building of a Chinese church whose affairs are managed by the Chinese themselves, and to indicate the responsibilities that should be taken up by Christians throughout the whole country in national reconstruction in New China.

It further stated the movement promoted the "self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation" (Chinese :自治、自养、自传; pinyin :zìzhì, zìyǎng, zìchuán) of the Chinese church. [10]

Three-Self Reform Movement

In March 1951, after China's entry into the Korean War, the Religious Affairs Bureau directed religious groups to make elimination of imperialist influences a priority. In mid-April the State Administrative Council called together a conference in Beijing on the subject of "Handling of Christian Organizations Receiving Subsidies from the United States of America". This conference led to the formation of the Preparatory Committee for the Oppose-America, Assist-Korea Three-Self Reform Movement of the Christian Church (TSRM) under China's United Work Front policy. Those who attended the conference issued a "United Declaration" calling churches and other Christian organizations “to thoroughly, permanently and completely sever all relationships with the American missions and all other missions, thus realizing self-government, self-support and self-propagation in the Chinese church." [11] The declaration had the unexpected effect of swelling the membership of congregations that identified themselves as “self-run.” [12]

Establishment

CCC&TSPM office on Jiujiang Road, Shanghai CCCTSPM.jpg
CCC&TSPM office on Jiujiang Road, Shanghai

When the TSPM was established in 1954, it promoted a three-self strategy in order to remove foreign influences from the Chinese churches and to assure the government that the churches would be patriotic to the newly established People's Republic of China. [13] Other Protestant leaders included Jia Yuming, Marcus Cheng, [14] and Yang Shaotang. [15]

When "The Christian Manifesto" was published in the People's Daily in 1954, it pledged the support of Christians for anti-imperialism, anti-feudalism, and anti-bureaucratic capitalism efforts. [16] The movement, in the eyes of critics, allowed the government to infiltrate, subvert, and control much of organized Christianity. [17]

The work towards establishing the Protestant TSPM was seen to have potential also for Chinese Catholics to create a "three-self" (or, in English sources, often translated "three-autonomies") patriotic organization, even though this language was never used in earlier Catholic missiological discourse like it was by Protestant missionaries. Those who resisted were arrested or killed. But by 1957, some Chinese Catholics eventually established the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. [18]

After the Cultural Revolution

From 1966 to 1976 during the Cultural Revolution, the expression of religious life in China was effectively banned, including the TSPM. The growth of the Chinese house church movement during this period was a result of all Chinese Christian worship being driven underground for fear of persecution. [19] In 1979 the government officially restored the TSPM after thirteen years of non-existence, [17] and in 1980 the China Christian Council (CCC) was formed. However, many Christians in China were skeptical of the government's intention in reinstituting the TSPM, partly because those entrusted in its local administration were often ones who had participated in repressive actions in the past. [20] [21] [22]

In 1980, the CCP Central Committee approved a request by the United Front Work Department to create a national conference for religious groups. [23] : 126–127  The TSPM was one of five such religious groups, which also included the Islamic Association of China, the Chinese Taoist Association, the Catholic Patriotic Association, and the Buddhist Association of China. [23] : 127 

The TSPM is not a denomination, and denominational distinctions do not exist within the organization. Pastors are trained at one of thirteen officially sanctioned seminaries. [17] Current theological emphasis is on "a protection and promotion of the five basic tenets of Christian faith—the Trinity, Christ being both human and God, the Virgin Birth, Death and Resurrection and the Second Coming." [24] The primary role of the TSPM was then delegated to liaison with the Government whereas the CCC serves as an ecclesial organization focusing on the internal management and affairs of the Church. [25] [26]

Oversight of religion flows from recognition by the Chinese Communist Party of five religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Taoism, Islam, and Protestantism, although the CCP's nearly 100 million members are required to be atheist. Authorities tightly monitor registered and unregistered religious groups, [27] and the TSPM is often charged with being an instrument for the secular Chinese government, which persecutes Christians outside of it. Independent congregations are known as house churches. [28] The attempt to bring house church Christians into the fold of "registered" meeting places has met with mixed results. [17] Since the ascension of CCP general secretary Xi Jinping, the Chinese government has cracked down on house churches and oppressed their members, actions which the TSPM has supported. [29]

In 2018, the TSPM's parent organization, the State Administration for Religious Affairs, was absorbed into the CCP's United Front Work Department. [3]

In March 2019, Xu Xiaohong, the chairman of the National Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee, gave a speech about the use of Christianity by western powers to destabilize China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In addition he stated in a speech at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference that "Anti-China forces in the West are attempting to continue to influence the social stability of our country through Christianity, and even subvert the political power of our country". [30] He also called for continued state action against independent Christians stating "For individual black sheep who, under the banner of Christianity, participate in subverting national security, we firmly support the country to bring them to justice". [29]

Publications

The Chinese New Hymnal , first published in the 1980s, is the official hymnal of the TSPM churches. Editors include Lin Shengben, a renowned hymn composer in Shanghai. [31]

The Canaan Hymns hymnal associated with the house churches is also used in TSPM churches. [32] Through its official channels, TSPM has criticized the hymn for supposedly questioning the Movement's view of Christianity in service of Chinese socialism. [33] TSPM church services also feature non-Christian Communist Party songs. [30]

The main periodical of TSPM is Tian Feng . [34]

Statement of faith

The following confession of faith was adopted by the TSPM on 8 January 2008: [35]

The Chinese Church takes the contents of the entire Bible, the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed as the foundation of our faith, the main points of which are as follows:

Ours is a Triune God, everlasting and eternal.

God is Spirit. God is loving, just, holy, and trustworthy. God is almighty Father, the Lord who creates and sustains the cosmos and all that is in it, who keeps and cares for the whole world.

Jesus Christ is the only Son of God, born of the Holy Spirit, the Word made flesh, wholly God and wholly human. He came into the world to save humankind, to witness to God the Father, to preach the gospel; he was crucified, died, and was buried. He rose again and ascended into heaven. He will come again to judge the world.

The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, who enables people to know their sinfulness and to repent, who bestows wisdom and ability and every grace, leading us to know God and to enter into the truth, enabling people to live holy lives, and to give beautiful witness to Christ.

The church is the body of Christ and Christ is its Head. The church is apostolic, one, holy, and catholic. The visible church is called by God to be a fellowship of those who believe in Jesus Christ. It was established by the apostles as Jesus instructed them. The mission of the church is to preach the gospel, to administer the Sacraments, to teach and nurture believers, to do good works, and to bear witness to the Lord. The church is both universal and particular. The Chinese Church must build itself up in love and be one in Christ.

The Bible has been revealed by God and written down by human beings through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the highest authority in matters of faith and the standard of life for believers. Through the leading of the Holy Spirit, people in different times have gained new light in the Bible. The Bible should be interpreted in accordance with the principle of rightly explaining the word of truth. It should not be interpreted arbitrarily or out of context.

Human beings are made in the image of God, but cannot become gods. God has given humanity dominion over all God's creation. Because of sin, human beings have diminished God's glory, yet through faith and the grace of Jesus Christ, human beings are redeemed and saved, and are granted resurrection and everlasting life.

Christ will come again. According to the teachings of the Bible, no one knows the day of his coming, and any method to determine when Christ will come again violates the teachings of the Bible.

A Christian's faith and works are one. Christians must live out Christ in the world, glorifying God and benefiting people.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House church (China)</span> Protestant assemblies in China outside of state-sanctioned churches

In China, house churches or family churches are Protestant assemblies in the People's Republic of China that operate independently from the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and China Christian Council (CCC). They represent a tradition of independent churches that would not come under the control of the Chinese Communist Party dating back to Wang Ming-Dao in the 1950s. However, they came into their current form of existence after the Cultural Revolution in the early-1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Christian Council</span> Protestant religious organization in China

The China Christian Council was founded in 1980 as an umbrella organization for all Protestant churches in the People's Republic of China with Bishop K. H. Ting as its president. It works to provide theological education and the publication of Bibles, hymnals, and other religious literature. It encourages the exchange of information among local churches in evangelism, pastoral work and administration. It has formulated a church order for local churches, and seeks to continue to develop friendly relations with churches overseas.

K. H. Ting, Ting Kuang-hsun or Ding Guangxun, was Chairperson emeritus of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and President emeritus of the China Christian Council, the government-approved Protestant church in China.

A house church or home church is a label used to describe a group of Christians who regularly gather for worship in private homes. The group may be part of a larger Christian body, such as a parish, but some have been independent groups that see the house church as the primary form of Christian community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in China</span>

Christianity has been present in China since the early medieval period, and became a significant presence in the country during the early modern era. The Assyrian Church of the East appeared in China in the 7th century, during the Tang dynasty. Catholicism was one of the religions patronized by the emperors of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty, but it did not take root in China until its reintroduction by the Jesuits during the 16th century. Beginning in the early 19th century, Protestant missions in China attracted small but influential followings, and independent Chinese churches were also established.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in China</span>

The Catholic Church first appeared in China upon the arrival of John of Montecorvino in China proper during the Yuan dynasty; he was the first Catholic missionary in the country, and would become the first bishop of Khanbaliq (1271–1368).

Protestant Christianity entered China in the early 19th century, taking root in a significant way during the Qing dynasty. Some historians consider the Taiping Rebellion to have been influenced by Protestant teachings. Since the mid-20th century, there has been an increase in the number of Christian practitioners in China. According to a survey published in 2010 there are approximately 40 million Protestants in China. As of 2019, Fenggang Yang, a sociologist of religion at Purdue University, estimated that there are around 100 million Protestant Christians in China. Other estimates place the number of Protestant Christians at around 40–60 million

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Y. T. Wu</span>

Y. T. Wu or Wu Yao-tsung was a Protestant leader in China who played a key role in the establishment of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Wu also played an important role in the theology of K. H. Ting.

Pope Pius XII and the Church in China involves relations of the Holy See with China from 1939 to 1958. The Vatican recognized Chinese rites in 1939, elevated the first Chinese cardinal in 1946, and established a Chinese hierarchy.

The Shouters, or more properly the Shouters sect (呼喊派), is a label attached by the People's Republic of China (PRC) to an amorphous group within China that was targeted by the government first as counterrevolutionaries and subsequently as a criminal cult after incidents in Dongyang and Yiwu counties in Zhejiang province in February 1982. "The Shouters sect" became the object of waves of arrests in 1983 and again in 1995. Several 1983 publications with ties to the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) accused the late expatriate Chinese Christian teacher Witness Lee of being the leader of "the Shouters sect" and of instigating the disorders. In practice, however, the appellation "the Shouters sect" has been applied far more broadly to many groups that pray openly and audibly and/or do not register or otherwise cooperate with the TSPM. There is considerable reason to doubt the veracity of the reports which led to the condemnation of "the Shouters sect" and the association of them with Witness Lee or the local churches, and the local churches distance themselves from the Shouters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">True Jesus Church</span> Christian Church originating in China

The True Jesus Church (TJC) is a non-denominational Christian Church that originated in Beijing, China, during the Pentecostal movement in the early twentieth century. The True Jesus Church is currently one of the largest Christian groups in China and Taiwan, as well as one of the largest independent churches in the world.

<i>Tian Feng</i> (magazine) Chinese Christian magazine

Tian Feng: The Magazine of the Protestant Churches in China is the organ of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), the state-sanctioned body of Protestant Christians in China, and the most widely circulated Christian magazine in the country.

Political theology in China refers to the religious beliefs and principles that motivate the politics of China. For two millennia, China was organized on a Confucian understanding of religion and politics, often discussed in terms of Confucian political philosophy. At various points throughout its history, Chinese Buddhism presented an alternative to the political import of Confucianism. However, since the mid-twentieth century, communist understandings of religion have dominated the discourse.

The three-self formula or three-self principle is a missiological strategy to establish indigenous churches. Its principles are: self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation. It was first coined in the late-19th century by various missions theorists, and is still used today in certain contexts such as in the Three-Self Patriotic Movement in mainland China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Christian Manifesto</span> 1950 political manifesto of Chinese Protestants

"Direction of Endeavor for Chinese Christianity in the Construction of New China", commonly known as "The Christian Manifesto" or "The Three-Self Manifesto", was a political manifesto of Protestants in China whereby they backed the newly founded People's Republic of China (PRC) and the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Published in 1950, the manifesto paved the way for the government-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) of Protestants. This movement proclaimed the three principles of self-government, self-support, and self-propagation. The drafting and content of the manifesto was, and remains, controversial to this day.

The National Christian Council of China (NCC) was a Protestant organization in China. Its members were both Chinese Protestant churches and foreign missionary societies and its purpose was to promote cooperation among these churches and societies. The NCC was formed in 1922 in the aftermath of the Edinburgh Missionary Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lianghui (Protestantism)</span> Term referring to the two Chinese government-sanctioned Protestant organizations

Protestantism in China uses lianghui to speak of the two Chinese government-sanctioned Protestant organizations: the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and the China Christian Council (CCC). Due to the close relationship between these two organizations, they are sometimes mistaken as the same organization.

The Ecumenical China Study Liaison Group (ECSLG) is a group of mostly European China watchers who met intermittently in the 1970s and 1980s. Key members represented the Roman Catholic Church and mainline Protestant denominations, including state churches. Members gathered every one to two years to share research and consider developments in Christianity in China starting from the latter part of the Cultural Revolution through the death of Mao Zedong, the opening up of China under the Four Modernizations Policy of Deng Xiaoping, the reestablishment of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, and the persecution of the so-called "Shouters sect" in 1983.

Jia Yuming was a Chinese Christian theologian and biblical commentator. He worked at several seminaries and eventually became a vice-chairperson of the Communist Party-aligned Three-Self Patriotic Movement. He self-identified as a fundamentalist and taught that "perfect salvation", which in his definition entailed becoming a "Christ-human", was the ultimate goal of all Christians.

References

  1. ↑ 中国基督教三自爱国运动委员会第八届主席、副主席、秘书长名单 (in Chinese). CCC TSPM. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  2. ↑ Louth, Andrew (2022). The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church$ The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (4 ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780199642465.
  3. 1 2 Joske, Alex (May 9, 2019). "Reorganizing the United Front Work Department: New Structures for a New Era of Diaspora and Religious Affairs Work". Jamestown Foundation . Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  4. ↑ Trammel, Madison, "Marking Time in the Middle Kingdom", Christianity Today Library , retrieved May 1, 2007.
  5. ↑ Venn, Henry (1971), Warren, M (ed.), To Apply the Gospel: Selections from the Writings of…, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
  6. ↑ Nevius, John Livingstone (1899), The Planting and Development of Missionary Churches (3rd ed.), New York: Foreign Missionary Library, OCLC   601015072
  7. ↑ Clark, Charles Allen (1937), The Nevius Plan for Mission Work, Seoul, South Korea: Christian Literature Society
  8. ↑ Yates, Matthew Tyson, ed. (1878), Records of the General Conference of the Protestant Missionaries of China: Held at Shanghai, May 10-24, 1977, Shanghai, China: Presbyterian Mission Press, pp. 39, 264, 289, 330, 477
  9. ↑ Grant, Paul (January 1, 2007), The Three Self Church, NSM, retrieved May 1, 2007.
  10. 1 2 3 Documents of the Three-Self Movement. New York: National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. 1963. pp. 19–20.
  11. ↑ Ferris, Helen (1956). The Christian Church in Communist China, to 1952. Montgomery, AL: Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center. p. 8. OCLC   5542137.
  12. ↑ Vala, Carsten Timothy (2008). Failing to Contain Religion: The Emergence of a Protestant Movement in Contemporary China (PhD). Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley. pp. 42–43. OCLC   547151833.
  13. ↑ Bays, Daniel H. (2011). A New History of Christianity in China. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 160–166. ISBN   978-1-4443-4284-0. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  14. ↑ Wickeri, Philip L. (2011). Seeking the Common Ground: Protestant Christianity, the Three-Self Movement, and China's United Front. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 166. ISBN   978-1-61097-529-2. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  15. ↑ Lyall, Leslie (2006). Three of China's Mighty Men: Leaders of the Chinese Church Under Persecution. Christian Focus Publications. pp. 38–43. ISBN   978-1-85792-493-0. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  16. ↑ Leung, Philip Yuen-sang (2004). "Conversion, Commitment, Culture: Christian Experiences in China, 1949–99". In Lewis, Donald M. (ed.). Christianity Reborn: The Global Expansion of Evangelicalism in the Twentieth Century. William B. Eerdmans. p. 90.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Johnstone, Patrick (2001). Operation World . London: Paternoster. p.  164. ISBN   9781850783572.
  18. ↑ Mariani, Paul P. (2011). Church Militant: Bishop Kung and Catholic Resistance in Communist Shanghai. Harvard University Press. p. 88. ISBN   978-0-674-06317-4. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  19. ↑ Bays, Daniel H. (Fall 2009). "American Public Discourse on the Church in China". The China Review. 9 (2): 4.
  20. ↑ Bays, Daniel H. (Fall 2009). "American Public Discourse on the Church in China". The China Review. 9 (2): 4–5.
  21. ↑ Dunch, Ryan (1991). Protestants and the State in Post-Mao China (MA). The University of British Columbia. p. 36.
  22. ↑ Søvik, Arne (Spring 1979). "Religion, Religious Institutions and Religious Possibilities in China". China Notes. Vol. XVII, no. 2.
  23. 1 2 Guoyou, Wu; Xuemei, Ding (2020). Zheng, Qian (ed.). An Ideological History of the Communist Party of China. Translated by Sun, Li; Bryant, Shelly. Montreal, Quebec: Royal Collins Publishing Group. ISBN   978-1-4878-0392-6.
  24. ↑ "TSPM – A Young Evangelist's Perspective", Amity News Service, archived from the original on July 21, 2011, retrieved March 5, 2009.
  25. ↑ Wilson, Lynette (March 14, 2012). "Rise in Christians has China's churches, government looking for help". Episcopal News Service. Domestic & Foreign Missionary Society, The Episcopal Church. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  26. ↑ Mengfei, Gu. "Chinese Churches on the Way Towards Unity". World Council of Churches. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Religion in China". Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  28. ↑ United States Congress (October 2000). Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1997: Congressional Hearing. Washington, D. C. pp. 156–157. ISBN   9780788185427. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  29. 1 2 Blanchard, Ben (March 12, 2019). "China official says West using Christianity to 'subvert' power". Reuters . Reuters. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  30. 1 2 "West using Christianity to subvert Chinese state: Official". www.straitstimes.com. Straits Times. March 12, 2019. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  31. ↑ Chen, Ruiwen (2017). "Sinicizing Christian Music at Shanghai Community Church". In Zheng, Yangwen (ed.). Sinicizing Christianity. Leiden: Brill. pp. 290–318. ISBN   978-90-04-33037-5. OCLC   961004413.
  32. ↑ Neeley, Paul L. (2016). "Canaan Hymns". In Scorgie, Glen G. (ed.). Dictionary of Christian Spirituality. Zondervan. p. 591. ISBN   978-0-310-53103-6.
  33. ↑ Aikman, David (2012). Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming China And Changing the Global Balance of Power. Washington: Regnery Publishing. p. 110. ISBN   978-1-59698-652-7. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  34. ↑ Fällman, Frederik (2009). "Tianfeng". In Davis, Edward L. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture. Oxon: Taylor & Francis. p. 832. ISBN   978-0-415-77716-2. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Chapter Two: Faith". Church Order of Protestant Churches in China. National Committee of Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China/China Christian Council. May 15, 2008. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2012.

Further reading

Three-Self Patriotic Movement
Traditional Chinese 三自 愛國 運動
Simplified Chinese 三自爱国运动
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Sānzì Àiguó Yùndòng
Wade–Giles Santzu Aikuo Yüntung
Yale Romanization Sandz Aigwo Yundung
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization sāam jih oi gwok wahn duhng
Jyutping saam1 zi6 oi3 gwok3 wan6 dung6
Foundations
Churches and seminaries
People
Publications
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.