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THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONFER
ENCE HELD IN SHANGHAI,
MAY 2-11, 1922.
By Rev. Warren II. Stuart.
Four groat conferences have been held in
Shanghai, to mark the progress of Christianity
in China. The first two were in .1877 aiul 18!H).
The third was in 1007, just 100 years after
Robert Morrison landed f.ione in Canton. The
fourth and greatest has just closed and its
wondrous voices are still tingling in our ears.
To give some faint echo and impression of it
to t he Church at home is a privilege which
any one might, covet.
The first three conferences had been com
posed of missionaries only; this one was com
posed of missionaries and Chinese workers in
equal number. The latter took a more active
part in the leadership and discussions, yet ihe
missionary was not ignored or put aside. As
far as possible every speech and each announce
ment was given in both languages and equal
consideration was shown to Chinese and non
Chinese, man and woman, and each varying
point of view. It was a splendid example of
Catholic co-operation. The chairman, Dr.
Cheng Ching-yi, and the head of the Business
Committee, Dr. David Z. T. Yui, performed
their duties with the utmost skill and fairness
and efficiency. No one in the whole assembly
could have done it better than these two did.
The theme of the conference two years ago
was "The Chinese Church." All the discus
sions centered here, all the studies which had
captured the energies of our best leaders for
months beforehand, focused on this. "This
meeting is the birthplace of the Chinese
Church," declared Pastor /. T. Kaung, in his
opening address, and we all were thrilled at
the thought of its no longer being a foreign
church in China, no longer "the church in the
Mission field," as an appendage to the home
churches, but a truly indigenous and united
Christian Church of the Chinese, sister in love
and fellowship to the great churches of the
West. It is hard to say which rejoices more
over this conception, the missionary, who has
sowed and toiled in tears these many years
and now sees something beyond all that he
had hoped for, or the Chinese, who at last felt
they were coming into their own.
Preparation for the thinking an<l the deci
sions of the conference went on for many
months previously. Five commissions were
appointed, consisting of the ablest leaders in
the Christian movement, both missionary and
Chinese. These called to their aid many other
workers, and conducted thorough studies in
the fields and problems involved. Commission
I makes a report of 125 pages on "The Pres
ent State of Christianity in China." This is
based on a still larger volumn of 600 pages,
"The Christian Occupation of China," taking
four years in preparation, the most complete
survey ever made of any mission field. The
Church has made rapid progress in China. The
six believers in 1842 had become 13,000 in
1877, 180,000 in 1907, and more than double
that number or about 375,000 in 1922. Ap
proximately one Chinese in every thousand is
a Protestant Church member.
Commission II looks forward to "The Fu
ture Task of the Church." Their report em
phasizes the development of an indigenous
Christianity, thoroughly Chinese in expression
as well as Christian in spirit. In the past Chris
tianity has been too much of a foreign religion.
Its loaders have been foreign missionaries, who
have brought with them the many forms of
thought and worship and organization, and
many meaningless divisions of the West. The
coining years must make Christianity at homo
in China, and the Chinese individually at home
in the Church. City and country congrega
tions, men and women, must be cared for pas
toral ly and trained for service. The young
must be given religious education in church
and home and school. Moral, social and indus
trial problems must be met with applied Chris
tianity. Literature must be produced ade
quate to the demands of a new China. There
must be a generous stewardship of life and
wealth, ami a large development of the home
missionary spirit. Vast unoccupied areas must
be entered. Such in briefest outline is the task
confronting the Chinese Church today.
Commission III, composed solely of Chinese
Christians, prepared a report on "The Mes
sage of the Church." This was not intended
to be a complete statement of theological doc
trines, but rather a message drawn from the
religious experience of the Chinese Church,
and suited to meet the needs of today. It is a
veritable trumpet call to faith and unity and
service, and should rank as one of the great
documents of modern church history. Its
ringing sentences express whole-hearted al
legiance to our common faith, and constitute
a clarion call to make that faith the common
blessing of the Chinese race. The first part,
addressed to believers, expresses the common
Christian consciousness; the second part pre
sents a telling appeal to their fellow-country
men who have not yet accepted Christ. One
cannot but wish that this great message could
be read by many in Western countries as well.
Commission IV dealt with the development
of leadership. The fine showing made by the
Chinese throughout the conference augurs well
along this line. It seems axiomatic that from
now on the leadership in Christian work will
pass largely into the hands of Chinese. IIow
shall workers, paid and voluntary, of sufficient
quality and quantity, be found for the task
ahead of us? The supply of trained ministers
is woefully inadequate. In all the Protestant
Christian forces combined, only 96 men of
college grade are preparing for the ministry,
or an average of .'12 available each year. Of
those who have only a high school education,
less than 100 finish the seminary annually.
Women's work lags far behind the men's, with
little more than half the communicants, and
only one-fourth as many Bible women as pas
tors. "In no other phase of missionary effort
has the planning been less adequate to the de
mand of the situation. There is no more ur
gently important topic than the whole ques
tion of securing training, and then using an
educated Christian ministry." There is a
great need for doctors, educators and espe
cially skilled literary workers. Indeed one is
tempted to think that at this stage the mis
sionary force could do no better than turn
aside from the multitudes and concentrate on
training a few leaders to whom the whole
enterprise could be entrusted, as the Master
did with the Twelve.
The Fiflh Commission deals with Co-ordina
tion and Co-operation in the Work" of the
Church. As a result, of the discussions on this
subject, the conference eleeted a National
Christian Council of 100 members, men and
women, Chinese and missionary, representing
all forms of work and all sections of the coun
try. This council, having nothing to do with
church polity or doetrines, will further co
operation among the churches wherever pos
sible, make surveys and study conditions, and
express the sentiment of Chinese Christendom
on social and moral questions.
Such is a brief review of the work of this
great conference. There is so much else to
tell about, the sectional meetings, the special
addresses, the inspirational hours of devotion,
the wonderful spirit of unselfish unity, but
space forbids. 1 must, however, give a sum
mary of the outstanding address of the con
ference, "The Church of Christ in China," by
Dr. Timothy Tingfang Lew, of Peking. This
was a brilliant prophecy of what ths Chinese
Christian Church should be? nay, with God's
help, shall be.
First, she shall be a fearless fighter against
sin.
Second, a faith fid interpreter of Jesus.
Third, a flaming prophet of God, proclaiming
Ilis justice and love.
Fourth, an obedient disciple of the Holy
Spirit.
Fifth, a worthy teacher of the Bible.
Sixth, a genuine servant to the Chinese
people.
Seventh, a defender of Christian unity and
comprehensiveness.
Eighth, she shall ho a courageous experi
menter in co-operation.
"Such is the Church the Chinese Christians
need, which the Chinese Christians are praying
for, ami for which many will be willing to lay
down their lives."
This is the critical hour for each of us. We
must search in our hearts and ask ourselves:
"Are we ready to join the Chinese Church
militant, to be fearless fighters against sin, be
lieving in no compromise with any evil, in
dividual or social? Can we faithfully inter
pret Jesus, both His humanity imd divinity,
and through our lives make known to the
Chinese people the dynamic power and saving
grace of the God-man? Ilave we learned to
co-operate with the young and old, old and
new, with missionaries and Chinese? Can we
agr.?e to differ, but resolve to love? In Him
nothing is impossible. Are we ready?"
That was the greatest address of this great
conference, and the greatest single sentence
was taken from it: "She shall teach her mem
bers to agree to differ, but resolve to love."
Hangehow, China.
THE INTERCHURCH WORLD MOVEMENT
IN CHINA.
4
By Rev. Hugh W. White.
When this movement was on foot, the China
Continuation Committee planned to reorganize
themselves and become part of it. We see
this from their Minutes of May, 1920.
Extract from Minutes of China Continuation
Committee, May 3-7, 1920.
"Appendix T, Conference of Dee. 16 to 29,
1919, re China-for-Christ Movement.
"Report of Committee on Organization.
"Inasmuch as the China Continuation Com
mittee is already serving as a central co
ordinating agency in China and as the Inter
church World Movement of North America
has asked the China Continuation Committee
to act as its field representative in China, this
conference considers the China Continuation
Committee to be the natural agency to func
tion as the National Executive Committee of
tbe China-for-Christ Movement and hereby
asks it no* to function until a national Chris
tian conference is held."
Action of the China Continuation Committee,
in reply to this conference; "that the annual
meeting of the China Continuation Committed
very heartily complies with the three requests
of the China-for-Christ Movement Organizing