MINISTRY // Gentle, but brave

Christians in China face levels of opposition to their faith that are unknown in the United States. One of our professors who taught in China shares this story.

Gentle

The Christians we work with in one Chinese city are building a new church. One of the days I was there, they attempted to lay the foundation. Because they were not allowed to obtain the proper permits, the police stopped them.  

The Christians might have decided to refuse to obey. However, that would have created a dangerous situation. They choose to stop their work and leave the site.  

That evening the architect and project manager (he’s a member of the church) gathered all the young men who attend the church’s school. They arrived on the job site by 5:00 pm. It was dark. After eating, they laid the foundation. The crew was there until after 10:00 pm. 

Brave

The next day I asked the pastor what they would do if the police returned and tore up the site. He told us, “The students and congregational members will line up in front and tell the police that they would have to go through them and kill them first. We did that when we built our school and our present church. At that time we used a van and ourselves to stop the police from coming on to our property. We refused to move when they ordered us. The police finally went away.”

I find these believers gentle people, but also people who are, oh, so brave and faithful to Christ!

Update: This article was updated with this post.