I just finished reading “Faithful Disobedience: Writings on Church and State from a Chinese House Church Movement.” Written by Pastor Wang Yi and others, and edited by Hannah Nation and J. D. Tseng, this collection of essays offers a historical perspective on the growth and persecution of Christian churches in China under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The story is unfinished, as the church in China continues to endure despite the arrest and jailing of many of its leaders. Nevertheless, the book provides valuable insights that may benefit Christians in other parts of the world. Here are a few points that caught my attention:

We often think of Christians in China as meeting in secret, and sometimes call them (collectively) an underground church. Wang Yi shuns this label, preferring that they be known as unregistered or unlicensed churches, or as house churches, even though many of them meet publicly in buildings they construct or rent. They believe that the church must maintain a visible presence by meeting and worshiping together as a witness to the Gospel, regardless of whether the government approves. Many American Christians seem to think of witness on a personal rather than congregational level, and it is encouraging to hear a reminder that credibility, visibility, and witness are important on both levels.

Wang Yi traces the history of Christianity in China since the CCP takeover, and observes that over time the Christian churches in large cities gradually sort into liberal and conservative congregations. By his definition, liberal churches drift away from the authority of the Bible while conservative churches adhere to it. The liberal churches eventually accept CCP government oversight and allow the government to select their pastors and priests, decide what may or may not be preached and taught, and even insert CCP songs and “educational” materials into their worship services. In contrast, the conservative churches insist on independence to follow the Scriptures, train and select their own pastors and teachers, worship without CCP control, and evangelize the surrounding community. This is not a judgement; rather, it is simply empirical observation. As Wang Yi recounts the past 70 years of church history in China, he noted that liberal churches in the larger cities have gone through two cycles of compromising, losing their identity, and essentially disappearing under CCP rule. So what happens when liberal churches eventually go under? See the next paragraph.

Wang Yi noted that liberal churches in larger cities have gone through at least two cycles of losing their independence and disappearing into CCP culture. Each time, the Christian community was eventually re-seeded into the cities by Christians coming from Bible-believing churches in smaller cities and towns. This gave me a new perspective on small-town and rural churches in the US. As liberal churches in the US become less comfortable with the Bible and more comfortable with government policies on abortion, sexuality, education, and natural law, it could be that God will use Bible-believing churches to preserve a faithful remnant and re-seed communities as He appears to have done in China.

But what about the title, “Faithful Disobedience?” The title reflects a Chinese house church approach to life under the CCP. Rather than simply doing whatever government demands, as a quick read of Romans 13:1-7 might suggest, Wang Yi points out that if a government begins systematically punishing good and rewarding evil (according to God’s definitions of good and evil), if a government demands a level of allegiance above allegiance to God or sets itself above God, or if a government attempts to remove Christian witness from a community by closing churches and banning evangelism, then Christians will need to consider how they can faithfully and sacrificially disobey. This is not to pull down the government, but to show God’s Gospel in hopes that government officials (and others) will repent. As the Romans passage explains, government authority comes from God, so, if forced to a choice, Christians must obey God first. And, as Wang Yi describes, house churches and Christians in China have been dealing with these choices and their consequences ever since the CCP came to power. Sometimes they fail and other times they persevere, but they remain rooted in God’s love.

Over the past 10-15 years I have read several books about how Christians and the church might respond to cultural, social, and government pressures. In fact, I even wrote a short book on this topic myself. “Faithful Disobedience: Writings on Church and State from a Chinese House Church Movement” makes a helpful contribution in this area by sharing perspectives that we in the United States might not otherwise see. It was a good read, and I recommend it.

A few weeks ago a friend pointed me to “Christian Photographers on Facebook” which is a group of, well, Christian photographers on Facebook. With over 1500 members, there are plenty of interesting photos to see, and lessons to learn about creativity and skill with a camera.

Our group holds a weekly competition in which the group admins announce a theme and members may submit a photo that they believe fits the theme. At the end of the week the admins announce a winner and two runner-ups (or is it runners-up?). We thank and encourage each other, and then the admins announce a theme for the next week. Low-key, enjoyable fun!

For your interest, here are the photos I submitted in various weeks of the competition, starting with the most recent:

https://jesseyow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/img_7887.jpeg

Shameless plug: most of these photos and many more are on display at https://jesseyow.picfair.com/ (copy and paste the address) if you would like to see more of my photography. Better yet, if you want some artwork for your home or office, take a look at my gallery for a good selection!

We live in crazy times. Every day we hear news of people, groups, agencies, or institutions saying and doing things that defy common sense or deny realities we can see with our own eyes. Things are so crazy, in fact, that satire writers at the Babylon Bee have problems coming up with comically outlandish ideas that don’t come true! How are we supposed to respond, particularly when the craziness comes looking for us?

We have several options. Some say we should simply ignore the craziness and withdraw to our own monastic community. Or maybe live in a gated compound if we have the money to pay for it. Others say we need to become activists and go into battle. It certainly is a target-rich environment, but we have only so much time and energy to go around. Both of these approaches have their pros and cons, but there is a third way that holds a special worth of its own. That is to simply live a normal life.

What do we mean by a normal life? Dream about what you want to be when you grow up. Learn to read, and get an education that teaches you how to think, and that teaches rather than indoctrinates. Guard and enjoy your curiosity, a sense of wonder, and a childlike faith. Listen to your elders, and.learn from their strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures. Find a way to make a living that also does something good for the rest of us. Fall in love with someone of the opposite sex, get married, and raise a family. Nurture your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues, and don’t burn bridges. Safeguard your integrity and your reputation.

At this point someone might ask, “What gives you the right to define normal?” Actually, I don’t claim any such right. But I would point to God, our Lord and Creator, who does have the authority to define what is normal and what is good. Read the first couple chapters of Genesis and follow up with readings in Proverbs and the New Testament, and you can see that not only does He define what is normal; He also pronounces it good, as if “normal” is a blessing from God. Jesus says clearly that He creates us male and female and defines marriage. God gives us work to do, tells us to honor our parents, urges us to seek wisdom, and tells us to work hard enough to be able to share with others. He reveals His truth to us, gives us life at its fullest, and loves us from beginning to end.

So why is living a normal life also a witness? We are surrounded by people who hurt, know that things are not right, or are simply broken. This often describes us, too. However, living a normal life under God’s grace shows others that normal is an understated yet wonderful option, and that it sure beats the craziness. So go ahead and make a counter-cultural witness by relishing God’s grace, reveling in God’s love, and living the normal life that God designs, blesses, and calls good!

We have several old clocks in our house, and they are all scrupulously polite. Just as polite people never talk over each other, these clocks never chime at the same time. They wait their turn as if saying, “You go first.” “No, I insist, it is your turn!” I wind them regularly each week, and sometimes reset them to a strict time standard every day or so, but they immediately assert their individuality and within a few hours they once again take turns to chime the hour.

For the curious, here are some snapshots of our four polite timepieces: