Christianity in China has a complex history. I was able to take part in a little tiny corner of it since my parents were converted in China back in 2007. We went to none other than a house church. We never experienced persecution. The church still runs today. Faithful Disobedience is a special book to me for that reason because I was a part of the Chinese church and many of the terminologies and events mentioned in this book sound very familiar to me.
Overview
This book is comprised of many different pieces of writing (blog posts, publications, etc.), and transcribed recordings (from sermons, interviews, etc.). These were collected by Hannah Nation and J. D Tseng from several prominent Chinese believers, most of which were composed/delivered by Wang Yi, the pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church, who has since been jailed. The book is separated into 3 different sections, which I will detail below:
The first section is composed of select writings on the history and legacy of the House Church movement in China. It details the history of the Chinese Church and how the CCP continues to interfere with the Christian's right to gather (especially since the 1950s), worship, and more. It also details the fascinating history of the state-run "Three-Self Church" (Which the writers heavily disavowed). The most fascinating part to me is the tactics that the CCP and the Three-Self use to undermine the Christian faith, as well as the different responses from the Chinese Christians. This overview is severely deficient since the history here is so rich and complex, please read it for yourself, it's insightful history.
The second sections are sermons and interviews with Wang Yi. This section is varied, there are discussions about ecclesiology, eschatology, persecution, and more. The writings in this section are much more personal, a sharp contrast to the technical language of the previous section. In this section is also the one sermon (History is Christ Written Large) that was dubbed the most important of Wang Yi’s life by many of his colleagues.
The third section is the most heartbreaking. Here, Wang Yi addresses his imminent arrest and prepares himself and his congregation for persecution (which came violently soon after). These select writings showcase the events leading up to the authorities arresting many churchgoers and how they responded/prepared themselves.
Why Read This?
I have a special respect for Chinese believers who are not afraid to speak up for the Gospel. I'd much rather listen to them than a famous preacher in the West who lives in relative freedom and comfort. Why? Because many Chinese believers have everything to lose, they still remain faithful and unapologetic.
Additionally, I think our approach to Christianity can be ethnocentric. It's valuable for us to pay attention to believers in different cultural contexts than we are and see how they respond to things. A Calvinist pastor speaking up against an atheist totalitarian regime is very foreign to us, but there is much to learn from his writings. I suspect that one day, we will face similar issues as he does.
The relationship between the church and state is a tricky issue. I think seeing how Chinese believers handle it (they have it MUCH tougher than we do) will help us better navigate this problem.
Potential Pitfalls
You don't have to completely agree with Wang Yi's theology to glean a helpful perspective from his writings. Wang Yi is very outspoken, when you watch some of his sermons on YouTube, you might find that he is poking his nose too much into criticizing the government. At the end of the day, you must discern for yourself.
Church and state is a very sensitive issue, and it has been since Jesus' time when He was asked whether one should pay taxes to Caesar or not. So please, be wise with this issue. Be thankful that you can freely express your opinions and belief. Treasure this right. And use it to its fullest while you can.
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