Palau is off base
First, let me say how much I appreciate the work that Luis Palau has done through the years to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has been a faithful messenger for many years; that work is to be commended.
However, in a press conference in Beijing, Mr. Palau urged unregistered churches in China to register and come under the control of the Communist government. According to the Christian Post, Mr. Palau said, "Personally, I would encourage the unregistered churches to register and receive greater freedom and blessings from the government." He went on to compare church registration in China with American churches registering to receive tax-exempt status.
Please, Mr. Palau, retract your statements! Your position discounts the suffering of our brothers and sisters in China, and assumes the good will of a government that hasn't earned that assumption.
What does it mean to "register" your church with the Chinese government? Here are some of the requirements for registered churches in China:
1. The Communist Party-controlled government must approve who can lead services.
2. The Communist Party-controlled government must approve the location and time of church meetings.
3. Government-approved pastors are strongly discouraged from preaching about the second coming of Christ (the “doomsday theory”) from the book of Revelation or Daniel.
4. No children under 18 are allowed to attend Church meetings.
Keep in mind that the Communist Party, which controls these registered churches, has as one of its bedrock principles the idea that there is NO GOD (atheism). With that in mind, it is easy to understand why an estimated 80% of China's Christians refuse to come under government control. They know that our first loyalty, as Christians, is to Jesus Christ, not to government leaders. Making a comparison between registering for tax-exempt status in the US and Chinese state restrictions on religion is like comparing a gentle spring rain with Hurricane Katrina.
Palau also suggested that persecution of Christians that does occur is the result of local officials being too zealous in their interpretation of the laws. However, The Voice of the Martyrs has published smuggled-out documents showing that the persecution policies and practices are directed by the Central Government in Beijing; not just local or provincial authorities.
I understand that Palau wants to keep the door open for his ministry to go into China and share the gospel. That is a good and worthy aim. But at what cost? I believe it would be better to say nothing at all than to become a de facto spokesman for the Communist Government of China. I wonder if Mr. Palau even visited with unregistered church leaders before making his statement, to hear their side of the story. Perhaps his official hosts prevented him from doing so.
Palau is quoted as saying that he wanted "to let people know that there is more freedom in China than people have anticipated."
Do you suppose Pastor Gong Shengliang, serving a life sentence in a Chinese prison for his Christian work, would agree that China now has more freedom of religion? Or Li Ying, serving 15 years for publishing an underground Christian magazine? Or Cai Zhuohua, sentenced earlier this month to serve three years for printing Bibles and other Christian literature (only one printer in China is legally allowed to print Bibles)? Or Zhang Yinan, released earlier this year after two years of "re-education through labor"? Or the family of Jiang Zongxiu, who was beaten to death in police custody in June, 2004 after being arrested for giving out Bibles and Christian literature in the marketplace? I suspect all of them would be surprised to hear that there is now more freedom in China.
Thank you, Mr. Palau, for your years of faithful service to the King. Please honor our suffering brothers and sisters in China by retracting your call for all Christians in China to register with the Communist government. Coming under control of an atheistic government is not the answer to Christian persecution in China.